Porsche 2018 GT3 6-Speed Manual: My "last" Porsche?

Not long after I bought back into my memories with a 1999 Carrera 996 with the factory GT3 style Aero kit... I started to long for the real deal GT3.  So...

Early this year, I bought a 2018 991.2 GT3 6-speed manual with 32K miles. Coming from Georgia to California. The car had been with the dealer for about 4 months, and it's a dealer I know on a personal level (the wonderful Jonathan Hull at Merit Partners), so I was comfortable doing the deal having never seen the car in person.  Now that this back in the garage, a few of my friends are now forgiving me for selling the 2018 Mustang Shelby GT350R. That car was fantastic, but not quite the same level as the GT3. 

The new car is silver, so that is a departure for me and my "Skittles" colors of the last few years, but this might cause the garage to get back to a more monochromatic stance. First, a few pictures, then the story of how it came to be.

If you've seen my prior posts, you may know I recently bought a 1996 early-build 996 Aero-kit car with only 17K miles. I absolutely love it, and I've taken it on a number of extremely fun drives with track buddies, local car geeks, etc. It's absolutely stunning and so much fun that the price seems insanely low. I originally thought I might flip it on Bring-a-Trailer, but now I expect to keep that car a long time. It's all the look of a first-gen GT3, with a great sound and a feel of a vintage Porsche at this point.

In that very fun 1999, I went on a spirited drive with a couple buddies in a 2021 "718" Cayman GT4 and a 2016 "981" Cayman GT4. I test drove them all and loved them all, but the 2016 manual GT4 981 version absolutely captivated me. I came home knowing I still had much want for a "real" GT car, even though my GT3 look-alike from 1999 is probably a better deal on a dollar-per s'mile ratio. 

So I looked at GT4s briefly, but realized I had done my time (9 years) with my Cayman S previously, and basically spent tons of money to turn it into a GT4-adjacent car. I concluded that a GT4 wouldn't scratch the itch quite enough, and why repeat the Cayman experience? 

So then I went to the Porsche site and spec'd myself a 2022 911 GT3 in Python Green with a 6-speed manual and the more comfy seats (I don't need buckets for my purposes, which includes long drives with my wife in the side seat). Speaking of my wife, she's the best. She saw me spec-ing the car and asked about it... she hasn't ever forgiven me for selling the Red 930 Turbo, but she looked at the GT3 and said: "ooooh, you should get one of THOSE". Um... OK, honey. So I called the local dealer and discussed timing and price. "December at best, probably 2023... and we are taking $70K over MSRP on these very hard-to-get cars". I thanked him for his time and tried not to choke on my ironic tone. I didn't see myself paying $250K for a car that could find itself being worth $120K at some point. I may look dumb, but I'm not that dense.

I mentioned my predicament to my friend Rick, who suggested I call our mutual friend Jonathan Hull at Merit Partners in Atlanta (these guys are amazing). I didn't need bucket seats, PCCB, Chrono, or anything crazy. Just a good 991 or 992 GT3 driver with manual. He suggested this car, which was enthusiast owned in CA and although it had high miles, it was in great condition. I told him I don't care about miles since I'm not a collector, per se, and I'm gonna drive it. And of course, I've seen all the accolades this car has gotten through the years and I have driven one before, so I know exactly just how wildly engaging it is to drive. 

Engaging isn't strong enough a word: intoxicating maybe, or "exhilaratingest". And although I always like colorful GT cars, this combo of GT Silver Metallic, with silver wheels and basic red calipers just spoke "classic" to me. Anyway, the dealer had the car for 4 months, so we came to a very interesting price, which made me feel like we rolled the clock back a couple years.

I finished the negotiations, via phone, on Valentine's Day while on a hike with my wife, who then said "Happy Valentine's Day". Damn, and I didn't even get her flowers. 

This car, alongside my 996 Aero, may actually present me with my "last Porsche". I expect to keep them both for a long, long time. But then again... never say never. 

After a few weeks of getting her PPF'd and shipped to CA, she landed in my garage and I immediately took it to the local DMV. My initial 30 minute drive to the DMV and back home confirmed all the superlatives heaped upon this car. It’s a beast. And that wing!!!

And, when parked next to the 996, the sibling from 20 years prior, you gotta love the unswerving Porsche design ethos.

Here’s a little ride along video on my next initial outing. A couple runs to 8000 rpm or so. 
This thing is SCARY fast. And I’ve lived with a McLaren MP4-12C for 7 years now.

 

Don't get me wrong: the McLaren MP4-12C is faster (objectively 0-100 in 5.9 seconds vs the GT3 at 7.7 seconds). But the 12C almost does it in a sneaky way... it is so fast and so capable that you barely have time to understand what just happened. But the WAY the GT3 builds up with such force and bravado is hard to explain. 

You think 4000 - 6000 RPM is fun and sounds great, but then it does this otherworldly shriek and kicks you in the back and runs to 7500 rpm and then it changes sound again as it peaks over 7500 to 8500 (As high as I've gone). And it feels a bit less grippy while it does it. Any bumps and road irregularities are immediately transferred to your butt-o-mometer. It is connected to the road but not in any artificial way. It communicates like all Porsches do and the need to pay attention to the gear you're in makes it more engaging as you rip through the gears, compared to a pdk or to the wonderfully smooth 12C paddle-shifter. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my 12C. But I fully "groc" why so many enthusiasts prize the 991.2 GT3 manual experience. When you're driving it, YOU are driving it, not driving in it.  I love it.

Repeating Myself: 1999 911 early-build 996 Carrera with Factory Aero Kit

Anyone who knows me well, knows that my first Porsche was a 1985 turbo look cabriolet. Never should’ve sold the car. My second Porsche was a 1999 ocean blue 996 with factory aero kit. Loved that car and drove it for many, many miles over a number of years. I talked about it in my old blog post called “A Not-So Short History of My Car Obsession”, which is now a bit dated. But that car still calls to me. 

http://davecarguy.blogspot.com/2011/12/short-history-of-my-car-obsession.html?m=1

I’ve owned many cars since I sold it, and have driven all the newer stuff without feeling the need to own many of the more upscale Porsche offerings. I came really close last summer to buying something brand new from Porsche. But it didn’t excite me enough. Then I got an opportunity to re-invite what feels like an old friend back into my home. I found this (below) somewhat rare, early VIN 996 with Factory Aero Kit, 6-speed, factory Sport design wheels with just 17,000 miles on it (below). Not blue, but they’re hard to find. Old friends are the best friends, and this black 996 felt familiar, so I bought it from out of state, shipped it, and brought it into the garage in August, just as the 996-generation 911 car valuations started to rally. 

I couldn’t be happier. For those who know the 996 story, these early build cars were built alongside the 993s at the end of their production. It actually has a 993 VIN. The early cars had a better IMS bearing, different interior finishes, no drive-by-wire, etc. I bought it thinking I’d flip it on Bring-a-Trailer but you don’t do that to an old friend. It has a new clutch, upgraded IMS, new rear main seal, new brakes, and zero over-revs. Only 17,000 miles! One owner!! A true unicorn. 

My only plan is to lower it like my old one. I won’t drive it much, and I’ll probably someday sell it for far more than what I paid… some day. But for now, there’s finally a P car back in the garage after I sold three of them in the last couple of years. 

Welcome home, old friend !

The color is Black Pearl metallic. Cool color but not as dramatic as my old blue one. If I ever find a blue one, I'll buy it. But I haven't seen one for sale in years with Aero.

Here is the option code sticker (kind of the holy grail of options for many. the only thing missing to be even better would be 030: sports suspension 10MM lower or maybe the hollow-spoke wheels):

XAA: Factory Aero Kit
XRB: Sport Classic 2-piece wheels
220: Limited Slip Diff
222: Traction control ASR
424: CD compartment (woohoo! 1999!)
437 and 438: 8- way elec seat, left and right
513 and 586: Lumbar 4-way, both seats
537: seat memory
688: CD radio Becker Porsche
936: Leather rear seats
983: Leather front seats

Here is a summary of the differences of teh early 1999s vs teh updated 2000 911s, that one Porsche enthusiast posted in a 1999 911 BaT auction 

MY1999 vs MY2000+

*No eGas /legacy cable-throttle (C2 only).

*No PSM/nannies; legacy ABS (C2 only).

*No bothersome mandatory computer (“Visit Workshop!” etc., etc.)

*Manual cable operated frunk and engine lid releases (versus electric controls that die along with a with dead battery precluding [most ironically] battery access) [Note: some MY2000 retain manual operation].

*“Buffalo Hyde” dash material that is elegantly pebbled and matte, and far more attractive (and less distracting) than the gauche, “shiny” & highly reflective pleather (plastic) dash materials MY2000+.

*“Granite” interior accent material that is “color thru” and was shared with Rolls Royces of the same period. Again much more matte and eminently more durable than the ubiquitous “soft touch” rubberized plastics that followed MY2000+.

*Amber lensed head and tail lights from 11/97-08/98 build dates; these are a gorgeous aesthetic touch paired with almost any standard color offered at the time; especially the darker shades (C2 only).

*Less sound deadening and insulation materials that raises the glorious engine note, and lowers the chassis weight, versus MY2000+.

*Connolly Hyde wrapped 993 steering wheel was standard, which was an elegant, vintage touch (and lovingly familiar to the “Luftekhult”).

*Early amber lensed MY1999 examples (11/97-08/98) were manufactured by hand, in sequence with the MY98 993, on the legacy 993 assembly line. Whether perceived or real, many collectors believe this graced the original Early MY1999 with a tangibly increased build quality (C2 only).

*Robust MY1999 DUAL ROW IMS BEARING, versus multifarious MY2000+ M96/97 dismantler-bound iterations all tragically with less than half the bearing capacity as the 1999 original.

Gotta love the bronze in the metallic black.

I then had the car PPF wrapped on the front end and had the suspension updated and lowered a tad. The old shocks were a bit worn from age, but not mileage. I had the H&R coilover street kit added. I kept the old springs and bump stops of I ever want to go back to stock. But I can safely say I like this setup a ton. The car feels less floaty in fast corners. Better stance, too. Now I just need to decide if I want to push the tire profile out a bit with 7mm spacers. 

Also had the mufflers changed to a 996 stage one muffler. Just a tad more growl, but nothing crazy. Sweet sound at all rpm levels. 

I LOVE this car. For those looking for the most reasonable way to get into a 911, the 996 is a great option.