GT3 Touring Package

A while has passed since I wrote in my blog, “My husband ordered the GT3 Touring Package, and I want to share the details of the options and specs later.”

夫が ポルシェ 911 GT3 ツーリングパッケージ（羽なし）を注文してきた。

So this time, I’d like to introduce why my husband chose the GT3 Touring Package and decided on these particular options and specs.

While I think options should basically be chosen according to personal preference, I hope understanding his thoughts and reasons will be helpful.

My Touring-Loving Husband

My husband uses his car for commuting every day. He also goes on tours and drives quite frequently. In fact, he often takes long tours lasting 3 nights and 4 days. He likes going to the circuit too, but only a few times a year at most.

What he really loves is touring and driving.

For my way of using the car, the RS models don’t fit and would be a waste. Above all, I thought I wouldn’t be able to handle the RS models, so I chose the regular GT3. Among those, the “Touring Package” is perfect for someone who loves touring. A GT3 without a wing is just so stylish. There are probably few of them, so it won’t clash with others and should be quite rare.

That’s what he said. By the way, his current beloved bike, a Yamaha Serow 250, is also a touring-oriented model called the ‘Touring Serow.’

Commitment to the Manual Transmission

The Touring Package is only available with a manual transmission (MT), which also perfectly suited my husband. However, it’s not that he dislikes the PDK.

When I drove a friend’s GT3 with PDK before, I thought it was a world-class transmission with lightning-fast shifts, but since it doesn’t have creep at takeoff, crawling in traffic seemed tough. I didn’t want the amazing PDK to become a source of stress in city driving.

That’s what he said.

With an MT, you can control it freely, and since I’ve already experienced how fun it is to drive an MT in the city with my Boxster, the Touring Package being MT-only was perfect. Also, with stricter environmental regulations coming, who knows when MTs will disappear? Opportunities to handle a 500ps naturally aspirated engine with an MT won’t come often.

That’s his reasoning. I agree with him, but on the other hand, I wonder if I, who struggle even with the Boxster GTS MT, will be able to handle the GT3 Touring MT… that’s my only worry (lol).

Body Color: Crayon

Regarding the choice of the Crayon body color, my husband said this:

I think Crayon started appearing around the time the new Panamera came out. I started seeing Crayon Panameras on Instagram here and there, and then I noticed many photos of GT3 and GT3 RS in Crayon.

Why he was drawn to Crayon:

– At first glance, it looks matte and flat, but actually has a glossy feel
– White can lack a sense of depth, but Crayon gives a sense of depth despite being a light color
– Gray tones have been trending in European car colors in recent years
– It’s unlikely to be common in Japan (though Crayon is popular in Europe and the US)

Also, he felt the dual nature of the GT3 Touring — a GT3 without a wing — matched well with Crayon’s dual nature of looking whitish at first but actually having a deep color, so he chose Crayon without hesitation.

By the way, in the US, this color is called Chalk, not Crayon, and Porsche also offers very similar colors like Fashion Grey and Sport Classic Grey. (There are articles online comparing them.)

Other Options

I’d also like to briefly introduce the reasons behind other option choices.

Touring Package (Black)

He chose the black Touring Package, which means logos and window trims are black instead of silver chrome, and the tail lights are blackened. He thought this design would look great with Crayon.

PCCB

PCCB (Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes) was a must-have for the next Porsche purchase. While braking performance is important, he emphasized the significant reduction in unsprung weight, which improves ride comfort and handling.

Seats / Interior

He chose Adaptive Sports Seats Plus (18-way electric), but honestly, he considered going for the full carbon bucket seats. Full bucket seats look incredibly cool and are only available on special models like the 918 Spyder and GT3 variants, making them very rare.

However, since he bought the car mainly for long-distance touring, not being able to recline or rest in the seat at convenience stores or roadside stations would be tough.

He said that.

He also thought, “Wouldn’t the standard Sports Seat Plus be enough then?” but

he really wanted the interior stitching to match the exterior Crayon color. That meant he had to choose the Leather Package along with the Adaptive Sports Seats Plus.

If he didn’t choose the Leather Package, he couldn’t select the stitching color, and the dashboard and door trims would be plastic, making the GT3 interior look worse than the Boxster GTS with Leather Package, which he wanted to avoid.

Since the Touring Package comes standard with black aluminum panels around the shifter, glovebox cup holder cover, and door trims, which look a bit subdued, he chose the Carbon Interior Package (for Leather Package) — the same one he selected for the Panamera — to upgrade those parts to carbon.

He also chose silver-gray seat belts to match the exterior.

Lights

He chose black xenon headlights with PDLS. Although he had selected LED lights for the Panamera, he felt there wasn’t much difference in brightness and preferred the design of xenon lights, where the four daytime running lights are inside the headlight rather than along the circle’s edge as with LED.

Here is the LED daytime running light on:

And here is the xenon daytime running light on:

Auto-Dimming Mirrors

He wasn’t particularly concerned about auto-dimming mirrors but chose them mainly for the automatic wiper function that comes with them. He regretted not ordering this option when he bought the Boxster GTS because he didn’t know about it then.

Seat Heaters

He chose seat heaters because they’re convenient when it’s cold or when he has a cold. Though I think, “If you have a cold, shouldn’t you just stay home and rest?” (-_-). He also wanted seat ventilation but apparently it’s not available on the GT3.

Smoker’s Package

He doesn’t need the ashtray function but chose the Smoker’s Package because it adds an extra 12V power socket. During touring, he charges various smartphones and camera gear, so having more power outlets is definitely better.

Wheels

He wasn’t fond of black wheels and initially planned to keep them silver, but since the car is Crayon with yellow PCCB calipers, he thought a slightly darker color might suit better and chose Satin Platinum.

His only complaint is that he dislikes that only center-lock wheels are available.

You can’t fix a flat tire during touring, and removing the wheels yourself requires a huge torque wrench, which is inconvenient. RS models might need it for racing, but at least the Touring Package should offer regular 5-lug wheels as an option.

That’s what he said.

Sport Chrono Package

For the GT3, there is no Sport Plus mode, so the Sport Chrono Package basically includes just the stopwatch, digital stopwatch function, and the performance display in Porsche Communication Management (PCM). He didn’t really need it but chose it because the stopwatch adds a nice accent to the interior.

Reversing Camera

A reversing camera is obviously convenient, so he chose it.

Front Axle Lift System

He decided the front axle lift system was necessary for getting over bumps at convenience stores and gas stations. Additionally,

Since I sometimes drive on narrow, hard-to-drive roads that feel like off-road during touring, it’s essential. I couldn’t manage without it.

In summary, he chose the Touring Package truly for touring, and plans to switch the tires from the factory Pilot Sport Cup 2 (shallow tread, dry-focused sports tires) to the Pilot Sport 4S, which offers confidence even in heavy rain.

Delivery Expected Late April to Late May?

Actually, he only had about 30 minutes to decide on the GT3 specs… (One afternoon, the dealer called saying, “If you decide within the next 90 minutes, we can place the order!” so he rushed there and made the decision.)

When I said, “How did you manage to think through and order all this in just 30 minutes?”

He proudly replied,

“Of course! When the Touring Package came out, I spent countless hours on overseas Porsche configurators researching, so I was fully prepared whenever they called!”

For now, the GT3 delivery is expected around late April to late May. It’s probably rocking on a ship somewhere at sea right now. Well… I better start practicing driving the MT too!