A Long-Awaited Drive in the GT3

The other day, I drove the 911 GT3 (MT) for the first time in three months. I only drove it for about 20 minutes to swap it with another car in the parking lot, but it was great to feel the GT3 again after such a long break.

Our GT3 is a 991 late model GT3 Touring. The clutch on this GT3 is surprisingly light compared to the 981 Boxster, so it might be one of the easier-to-drive manual GT3s.

Also, because the GT3 doesn’t have much low-end torque, when I first started driving it, I sometimes stalled at takeoff (especially on hills) and got overly tense. Each time, my husband would often say this to me:

Don’t think with your head—just drive by feeling it more. Listen to the car’s sounds and signals, like “the car’s struggling” or “it needs a bit more patience and a gentler clutch connection,” and you’ll find driving becomes much smoother.

That was his advice.

At first, even though I understood it logically, I kept staring at the tachometer and didn’t really get what it meant to listen to the car’s voice. But recently, I’ve finally started to understand it a bit.

It’s been a long journey—five years since I got my manual license after only having an automatic license (laughs).

Even though our GT3 is relatively easy to drive, if I step on the accelerator at takeoff like I do with the 981 Boxster, the engine roars with a fierce “Bwoooon!” and the engine revs wildly. On this day, some pedestrians were startled by the engine sound and turned around. Sorry about that…

Speaking of which, Masataka Matsutoya, who once appeared as a guest on the show “OgiYahagi’s Car History,” said, “real Porsche drivers don’t step on the accelerator when starting off.” He said you only press the gas pedal after the clutch is released and the car has just started to move slightly, and that “people who rev the engine right away don’t really know Porsches.”

…That’s totally me (laughs).

Remembering that, I tried easing the clutch and gently pressing the accelerator, and I was able to start off smoothly.

Once you get that feeling, takeoff becomes really enjoyable. Feeling confident, I even muttered to myself, “If this is how it feels, maybe I could even drive a narrow Porsche someday, lol,” and before I knew it, I was grinning ear to ear while driving (lol).

About the Base 911 and the GT3

That day, after driving the GT3 again, my impression was quite different from before. I used to think, “Driving a GT3 in the city is rough and uncomfortable because it’s so stiff,” but this time, I felt, “It’s totally fine even in the city—the ride is within an acceptable range.”

I think this change is largely because I’ve been driving the 992.

Our base 911 Cabriolet (992 model) that recently joined our family has a pretty firm suspension. Even my husband, who prefers a firm ride, said, “When I first drove it after delivery, the suspension was quite stiff and picked up bumps and ripples on the road a lot, so my first impression wasn’t great.” So it’s definitely on the stiff side. (Apparently the 4S model isn’t like this; it’s the base model that’s firm.)

However, after about 300 km, the 992 started to feel much more supple, transforming into the firm yet smooth ride my husband loves. (He’s been raving about it every time he drives it lately.)

Since I’ve also gotten used to the 992’s ride recently, when I got back into the 991 late model GT3, my perception shifted to, “Huh? The stiffness isn’t that different from the 992, is it?” and I didn’t feel as uncomfortable driving it around town. (Also, not being a heavily pregnant woman anymore might have helped.)

That said, it still feels a bit over the top to take the GT3 out just for a short city drive, so in reality, I think I’ll mostly drive it on tours or special occasions. But from my recent experience, my impression that “the GT3 is totally fine for everyday driving” has grown stronger.

My husband also said this about the feeling:

I thought so too and carefully drove the GT3. On well-paved roads, the GT3 actually rides quite comfortably and isn’t much different from the 992. But when you hit roadwork patches, big ripples, rough surfaces, or manholes, the GT3 definitely shakes you up more vertically and laterally. Still, after driving the 992, I feel like the GT3 is pretty manageable. Human perception is really strange.

It’s amazing how much your impression changes just by switching the car you usually drive.

That said, the GT3 truly shines when driven on circuits or roads where you can enjoy spirited speeds. Ah… I can’t wait to drive the GT3 on those kinds of roads again soon!