As anticipated, front ground clearance is problematic. The shallowest ramp requires a strategic and cautious diagonal approach and in spite of constant car, the front lip has to be considered as a consumable. The instrument cluster provides all the required information, the voltmeter of the 996 series makes way for a much needed oil temperature gauge. The instrument cluster includes a tire pressure monitor using transponders located in the wheels. Accuracy remains to be assessed though. Sampling period is around every minute.

The 996 GT3 was stripped of any driving assists, except ABS; the 997 GT3 inherits traction control (TC) with two levels: the standard setting, a more daring setting when the “Sport” button is enabled, and the brave mode where you’re on your own. TC only uses engine torque management and rear brakes, so it is by no means a disguised version of the Porsche Stability Management (PSM) system found standard on the rest of the 911 line-up. Engine break-in is not conducive to exploring the behavior of the gizmo, but in normal mode, TC intervention is anything but subtle, just as binary as ASR on a pre-F430 Ferrari.

In the quality department, fit and finish are a huge improvement compared to the 996 series, even if annoying and frankly unacceptable squeaks and buzzes remain. The stiff suspension is can’t possibly be blamed on a brand new car, build quality and design are. Hard to understand why Porsche can’t deliver consistently the same standards as Audi and some Japanese brands. It is equally hard to understand why the Zuffenhausen outfit cannot resolve seminal reliability issues which have been plaguing water cooled engines for nearly a decade, including prominently the Rear Main Seal (RMS). Stories from 997 GT3 and GT3 RS owners are burgeoning on specialized forums with nearly new cars leaking oil. I am going to scrutinize my garage floor frequently.

Sunday July 8th – 3800 miles / 6114 km

A dry and reasonably sunny californian winter means that the track season is almost January 1st till December 31st. Engine broken in, I was itching to sample the GT3 in its natural habitat: the track. First stop: Infineon Raceway north of San Francisco, renowned for its Cabernet Sauvignon and its fabled track, still called Sears Point by wise guys. A technical road course, alternating tight uphill corners with downhill sweepers, with a conspicuous absence of run offs and an impressive lining of white walls. Unfortunately, a flock of NASA instructors were keen on demonstrating that skills and slicks make a Miata or Cooper S fast enough to keep up with the yellow Porsche, spoiling my third session and leaving me with that “shouldn’t have done it” feeling you don’t want to have coming back in the paddock. Lesson learned, the car has undeniable potential, but it’s left to be explored.

In Thunderhill (video), some of the idiosyncrasies of the backpack hanging behind the rear wheels finally started to make sense, most notably traction out of turn 2. Getting confident to track out of the corner flat out almost threw out in turn 3, my braking point suddenly became a tad too late. Rear end grip is stupendous, the fat 305/30/19 biting in a way that would be inconceivable with a Ferrari 430 for instance. Neither would its steel brakes withstand the punishment that the GT3’s can take. Unlike my former Turbo and Carrera, they are absolutely fade free, and the stock brake fluid does not seem to absorb moisture too fast although the middle pedal travel does increase a bit with heat build-up. Still in the brake department, Porsche got rid of the noisy rear pads vibrations by mounting Turbo pads instead. Effective and covered by warranty.