Driving a Porsche GT3

A friend of mine bought a 2018 Porsche GT3.  His has the PDK trans and PCCB brakes, along with many other options as Porsches often do. We took a short trip to a car show about 90 miles away.  Our drive was all freeway.  He let me drive the car on the way back.  Here are some of my thoughts about this car.

On the trip there we were cruising along with traffic.  The GT3 lacks a back seat and sound dampening so it is louder than other 911s.  However, it is not bad at all while cruising.  I could take this car on long trips just fine.  The ride is very firm of course but even on our terrible roads it was quite livable.  On the trip back I drove the car.  When I started merging on the freeway was the first time I had used much throttle and that is when I noticed the sound.  I only used about 1/3 throttle maybe but the engine responded with a very crisp wail. I had very high expectations for this car as far as the engine sound and was shocked that it far exceeded them already.  It is addicting.  It makes you want to hear it again and again.  The engine is so responsive and the sound so fantastic.  Every time I would give it a bit of throttle I was rewarded with that fantastic sound.  This is the pinnacle of Porsche flat 6 sound right here.  It is something you can't record and play back.  I heard all the professional in-car videos from GT3s at tracks but it does not come close to the real experience.  You not only hear it but you also feel it.  I also noticed the difference between being the passenger and driving it. 

Since we were driving on the street I was not able to get anywhere close to this cars potential. You really need a good road course for that. I was able to do a few short bursts of acceleration and a few on and off ramps though and that gave me a hint of what this car can do. The high revving, high compression engine has a solid punch with zero delay.  The bite matches the bark too. I found myself really wanting to take this car to a track. Luckily Speed Vegas has a GT3 and a GT3RS so I will add that to my to-do list next time I am there.

The GT3 is a car that is not only focused on delivering fantastic lap times on a road course but also engaging the driver in a way very few cars can match.  It is the total experience.