Delivery Day of the GT3 Touring Package

Following the BMW, the 911 GT3 Touring (991.2) finally arrived on delivery day. This GT3 Touring came about suddenly last December when the dealer called saying, “a GT3 Touring slot opened up, so if you can decide on the specs within two hours, we can place the order.” My husband quickly placed the order at lightning speed. So, neither of us really felt the reality of the purchase until delivery day arrived.

The weather on delivery day was clear and sunny with not a cloud in the sky. Maybe I’ve finally graduated from being a rain woman, lol. First thing in the morning, Mr. H from the Porsche Center, who always takes care of us, came to pick us up in a Cayenne.

The current Cayenne is so cool. When I test drove it before, I was incredibly impressed, so I couldn’t help but say, “Honestly, I’d be just as happy if the Cayenne was delivered instead…” lol.

That day, the roads near the station and the national roads were clear, and we smoothly arrived at the Porsche Center.

We passed between the shiny display cars and were guided to the second floor. By the way, there was also a new Macan on display. I want to test drive it soon!

Taking the elevator up to the second floor and walking further in…

There it was!! The GT3 Touring in Crayon body color!

Sparkling clean, with a chic Crayon body color that’s neither white nor gray. No wing, but clearly a different vibe from a standard 911. So this is the GT3 Touring. Yet even seeing it in person, neither my husband nor I really felt the reality of delivery. My husband said,

Even now, I still don’t feel like it’s my car. It feels like we just came to look at a display car and I’m just saying, “GT3 Touring sure looks cool~” and might just head home like this lol.

Indeed (laughs). While waiting for Mr. H to arrive, my husband was intently examining the GT3 from various angles. Apparently, compared to the winged GT3, the wingless Touring has a slightly different rear design and is built a bit lower.

(Here he is peeking from underneath, saying “Yeah, the ride height is definitely lower.”)

After completing various procedures and paperwork, we moved inside the car for an explanation of the controls. Used to the large touchscreen in the Panamera, the 911’s touchscreen seemed very small, but I guess the Panamera’s is just huge.

Regarding the break-in period,

The manual says for the GT3 break-in, “do not exceed 7000 rpm,” so you can rev it somewhat. Also, the break-in distance is 1500 km, after which it’s best to change the oil once.

Wow, so you can rev up to 7000 rpm during break-in. That’s amazing. For comparison, the GT2 RS break-in distance is 3,000 km and you’re advised not to exceed 4000 rpm, so even within the GT family, there’s quite a difference.

While I was admiring all this, the handover moment finally arrived. Mr. H started the engine to move the car down to the first floor, and sure enough, it had a distinct engine sound unlike the Panamera or Boxster. It was really happening.

Heading to Royu Driveway in the GT3

We went down to the first floor, and the GT3 was already waiting for us.

My husband’s first words as he pressed the clutch and got in were,

Light! Super light! Way lighter than the Boxster!

lol. The 991.2 MT must be much easier to drive. He started the engine and slowly moved the car, then we left the Porsche Center. With Mr. H waving us off, we headed first to a seaside photo spot.

What surprised me most driving the GT3 was how smooth the ride was. I had imagined the GT3’s ride would be stiff and tiring for city driving, but although firm, it was very smooth. Of course, it did pick up bumps on rough roads, but overall the ride was good. My husband said,

I read in a magazine that it “automatically matches revs on upshifts,” and it really lets you keep your foot on the gas. I think Mina-chan could drive this. But I still don’t really notice much difference with the PCCB brakes yet.

as he drove.

We arrived at the seaside photo spot, but the Crayon GT3 didn’t match the beach scenery at all, so we gave up on photos there and decided to head toward Royu Driveway. Up to this point, we hadn’t even begun to unleash the GT3’s power, just driving normally, so I was excited to see how this GT3 would transform on the mountain roads.

Approaching Royu Driveway from Ashiya, the steep mountain road starts just before the toll booth. There are several sharp corners, and when I drove here before in an air-cooled 911 (964), I thought, “You really need skill to drive this well.”

But with the GT3, no matter the curve, the car turns exactly as intended with zero deviation. Even when thinking, “This corner is tight,” it still carves in aggressively. Tracing the line exactly as aimed—that’s exactly what it felt like. My husband said,

It turns so well! This is the GT3! And the short-throw shifter makes the shifts crisp and super satisfying!

He expressed his joy with his whole body as he drove.

Riding shotgun on the mountain roads, I felt that because the GT3 has very little body roll, people who get carsick in other Porsches might not get sick in the GT3. The driving was incredibly stable, gripping the road firmly. Truly a different class of car.

Before we knew it, we arrived at the Higashi Rokko Observatory. Since it was a weekday afternoon, there were hardly any cars or people, and my husband became a camera enthusiast for a while lol.

However, taking photos of the GT3 Touring proved tricky…

The winged version has more depth in photos, but without the wing, it looks flat. Also, the Crayon color isn’t vivid, so it’s quite challenging. This will need some study.

My husband muttered as he took photos.

First Drive in the GT3

At this point, I got to drive the GT3 a little!

Having gotten used to driving an MT after the BMW delivery, I was excited thinking, “I think I can drive this!” I got in, adjusted the seat, started the engine, and slowly released the clutch, but… it just wouldn’t engage (-_-)

Feeling like I was about to stall, I instinctively gave it some gas, but just a little revving made a loud “Vroooom” sound that scared me and I stalled. Trying again, I pressed the clutch but the engine wouldn’t start.

I asked my husband, “Wait, doesn’t the engine automatically restart after a stall?” and he said,

I thought so too, but apparently not. Or maybe they expect people who rely on that feature not to drive a GT3 lol.

Well, fair enough (-_-)

I started the engine again and managed to move a bit, but I couldn’t get the feel and was creeping along when a fast-looking BMW approached from behind. Panicking, I hit the hazard and pulled over.

After the BMW passed, I tried to start again, but the spot was on a gentle slope and the clutch wouldn’t engage even when released. I kept revving nervously and stalling repeatedly…

“Nope, can’t do this. Totally different from the BMW. I don’t get it. I give up (-_-)”

I got out of the driver’s seat in frustration (lol). My husband said,

Why? You said the Boxster was impossible because it was so different from the driving school car, and now you say it’s different from the BMW… Of course it is. And honestly, the GT3 should be easier than the Boxster, right?

But from my perspective, the Boxster’s clutch was easier to get a feel for. The Boxster’s clutch was heavy, so if you operated it slowly, you could feel it engage. But the GT3’s clutch is light, which threw off my sense of timing…

Also, the BMW we have now has a light clutch and even a hill-start assist feature, making MT driving easier, but Porsche isn’t that forgiving. Looks like I still need a lot of practice to drive a Porsche MT.

By then, it was already past 1 pm. Both of us were a bit hungry, so we stopped at a convenience store for a break and lunch. Usually, when we go for test drives or drives, we rarely eat at restaurants and often just have onigiri or sandwiches from convenience stores. We both hate waiting, and would rather spend that time driving than waiting at a restaurant.

Still, parking the GT3 Touring at a convenience store and eating onigiri inside the car, the two of us thought…

People around might think, “Those guys must be broke since they’re eating inside the car they just bought,” lol.

We finished lunch in about 10 minutes and quickly took off.

Since it was break-in driving, we decided to take the highway route, going from the Chugoku Expressway to the Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway, heading to Taka in Hyogo Prefecture. My husband was thrilled, saying, “Even on the highway, this is definitely a GT3!” but as the passenger, I was overwhelmed by the defeat of stalling the GT3 and the post-lunch fullness, and gradually lost memory as I fell into a deep sleep.

I don’t know how much time passed, but I felt the car stop and opened my eyes to my husband saying, “We’re here.” I said, “Really? Already? (ﾟдﾟ)” and he replied,

What’s with sleeping in a GT3? And the roads were so nice up to here.

He was exasperated. But from a passenger wife’s perspective, it means the GT3’s passenger seat is so comfortable you can sleep soundly (Sorry about that lol).

We arrived at “Michi-no-Eki Sugiharagami no Sato Taka.” When we got out, we smelled the burnt scent of the exhaust and rubber. I remember the Boxster had a similar smell at first.

Afterwards, we took a short stroll around the Aodama Shrine across the street. It was a quiet, pleasant shrine with large cedar trees enshrined.

After the stroll, it was already past 3 pm. To pick up our youngest daughter from daycare on time, we got back in the GT3 and took local roads to the Takino-sha IC, then got on the Chugoku Expressway. Because the GT3’s front looks so aggressive, on the highway, even with a large gap, cars ahead kept letting us pass.

After exiting the highway, we drove a bit on the mountain roads around Arima before heading home.

Our first drive covered about 200 km. But I couldn’t really rev it up to 7000 rpm. Maybe if I stayed in second gear and kept it there, I could reach 7000 rpm, but on normal roads, it’s basically impossible.

Also, after 200 km, I clearly noticed the engine sound had gotten louder compared to delivery day. When we heard the engine at the Porsche Center, I thought, “It’s quieter than I expected.” but by the time we got home, I could somewhat experience the “GT3 roar.”

I’m sure it will sound even better once it’s fully broken in.

This time, I shared the story of our first drive on delivery day, but I plan to write a separate article with my husband’s first impressions of the GT3 Touring. By the way, the day after this, he went on a break-in tour to Shikoku. I’ll report on that later too.