The Porsche 911 GT3 We Always Dreamed Of

My husband had long admired the Porsche 911 GT3, and it finally came to our home in May 2019. Ours is a rare GT3 Touring without the rear wing.

Without the wing, at first glance it looks like a regular 911, but it exudes an extraordinary aura. Plus, with its Crayon body color, it gave off the impression of a “grown-up GT3.”

My husband took this GT3 on long-distance tours and even drove it on circuits, accumulating over 11,000 km in less than two years.

With its incredible performance, it gave us countless unforgettable and thrilling experiences we had never felt before.

Recently, we said goodbye to this GT3 full of memories.

On the day we handed the GT3 back to the dealer, my husband tweeted “Goodbye, GT3” and received many reactions. Later, I also talked about the reasons and background for letting it go on Clubhouse. Now, I’d like to share those thoughts here on the blog as well.

Why We Let Go of the Porsche 911 GT3

The reason my husband decided to part with the GT3 is not because he disliked it or thought it was a bad car, but rather because it was just too amazing.

He explained it like this:

There are three main reasons why I let go of the GT3. First, it just doesn’t get used enough in everyday life. There aren’t many roads where you can really unleash the GT3’s performance on public streets. Unless you go on a special tour on great roads or hit the circuit, the GT3 rarely gets a chance to shine.
You might think, “But you drove 11,000 km in under two years!” True, but from my perspective, where I normally drive 10,000 km a year, I feel like I didn’t get to drive the GT3 nearly enough.
It’s a waste to have such a car just sitting in the parking lot unused, so I thought it would be happier with an owner who drives it more regularly.
Second, related to the first, is that the car’s setup isn’t suited for everyday roads.
The GT3 really is a race car. Some might think, “It’s hard to drive on public roads because it’s too powerful and fast,” but that’s not the case.
Turbo or Turbo S models have more power but are much easier to drive in the city than the GT3.
The GT3’s powerband, suspension, gear ratios, tires, and sound insulation are all tuned for the circuit.
For example, when you lift off the throttle in first or second gear, engine braking kicks in sharply, causing a jolt. Since ours is a manual, it requires extra care in city driving.
Also, the GT3’s tires are cup tires, which don’t grip well when the road is cold. Winter is especially tough, and on rainy days, it’s even worse. I remember sliding even when driving slowly on the Royu Driveway.
I love spontaneous long-distance grand touring, but the GT3 isn’t really suitable for that.
You can’t just casually decide to take a different road. If the road is rough, the GT3’s low ground clearance is a problem, and if you get a flat tire, you can’t fix it because of the center-lock wheels. If it suddenly rains and puddles form, the tour is basically over.
Because of all this, the opportunities to drive it are very limited.
Third, the new 992 GT3 has just been released, and Porsche’s GT product line director Andreas Preuninger clearly stated during the online GT3 launch that there will be an announcement about a Touring Package by the end of the year.
When a new model comes out, the value of the previous one inevitably drops. Since I rarely get to drive it, it felt like a waste to watch its value decline. Even if I regret selling it now, I can always buy the new one when it comes out.

My husband truly loves driving. Actually, it goes beyond just liking driving… he can drive for 12 hours straight or cover over 2,000 km in a single tour, and still come home saying, “I haven’t driven enough yet!” Sometimes I think, “This guy is really crazy” (laughs).

I guess the GT3 Touring just wasn’t the perfect match for him.

But he said:

It just didn’t suit my style of driving, but there’s no doubt the GT3 is an amazing car. I can say that for sure.
The sound and power above 4,000 rpm, and how the engine keeps revving beyond 6,000, 7,000, even 8,000 rpm—it’s truly incredible. The tachometer needle climbs at a terrifying speed.
The handling and the way the G-forces hit you are things you can’t experience in a regular 911 or Boxster.
On the highway, it’s incredibly comfortable and stable—just wonderful.
The GT3’s driving experience is so thrilling that once you try it, you get hooked. I think its performance is unmatched by any sports car in the same class.
But if you think about how often you can really unleash that performance on public roads, it’s probably less than 10% of the time. So it feels like such a waste to own it without fully using it.

That makes sense.

That said, the GT3 isn’t completely unsuitable for everyday use. In fact, it’s surprisingly doable.
But when you’re driving slowly on public roads, you can almost feel the GT3 getting frustrated (laughs).
Because it has minimal sound insulation, you hear the stones and gravel hitting the car, the rattling gear and engine noise when crawling in first gear during traffic jams—it sounds like the GT3 is growling in frustration, unable to show its true power… you can tell it’s really unhappy.
So I try to soothe it by giving the accelerator a little press whenever I get the chance, but in the end, I can’t let it perform properly. When I turn off the engine at home, I feel bad and say, “Sorry, I couldn’t give you a proper run today. Next time, I’ll take you on better roads.” (laughs)
Thinking like that, the 964 or Boxster are easier to drive because they’re happy and smiley on almost any road.
So driving the GT3 on public roads while feeling sorry for it and trying to calm it down gets tiring, and I gradually started thinking, “Maybe it’s better for the GT3 to live near great roads in Tohoku or somewhere it can be driven anytime, or with someone who can go to the circuit often.”

I really understand how my husband feels. Maybe it’s just us projecting, but the car almost feels alive.

Who Is the GT3 Best Suited For?

When I asked my husband who the GT3 suits best, he said:

Well, owning a GT3 is definitely a status symbol, so it satisfies that desire for sure. It has an aura, and when you park it on a tour, many people come up to you. For example, if you’re someone who buys a supercar and doesn’t mind not driving it much, or someone who’s happy just parking it in a garage, the GT3 is a good fit.
Also, if you live near great roads and can drive the GT3 on amazing routes or take it to the circuit anytime, that’s ideal.
But I don’t like cars just as status symbols. I love driving for the pure joy of it. I like circuits, but more than that, I love ultra-long tours on many different roads, so the GT3 probably isn’t right for people like me.

We sold the GT3 back to the dealer where we bought it, but we were lucky to find a great new owner. I hope it continues to shine in its new home.

Thank you so much for all the incredible memories!

Actually, the day before we parted ways, we took the GT3 on a last run on the Royu Driveway. I’ll write about that experience in a future article.