A Road Trip with Boxster Owner wata

My husband has long looked up to wata, a well-known blogger who writes about his Porsche Boxster (and previously, his BMW ALPINA). His 981 Boxster, which he bought new, has already covered more than 160,000 km, and he’s driven just about every road in Japan—many of them more than once. He’s an incredible enthusiast.

My husband has always said:

I love driving and going on road trips, but I can’t hold a candle to wata. He’s amazing. I hope I get to meet him and go for a drive together someday.

That wish finally came true when a mutual acquaintance invited us to join wata and the others on a tour. Beforehand, I asked my husband, “What car are you taking this time?” He replied:

What else but the GT3! If I’m going to drive with wata, I have to show up in the GT3!

He was clearly fired up and got everything ready with unusual enthusiasm. (Laughs)

The trip was a two-day, one-night tour with nine cars around Mount Ontake, which straddles Nagano and Gifu prefectures. When my husband got home, I asked him to write up a report. We hope you enjoy it.

Heading North in a Porsche 911 GT3

Lately, I’d been driving the 992 almost exclusively to get through its running-in period, so it had been a while since I’d taken the GT3 out. This might even have been my first really long road trip in it.

Our destination for the Japan “Center of the Country” Meeting was Yumotokan, at Nigorigawa Onsen in the Mount Ontake area. It was a road trip where members from the Kanto region in eastern Japan and Kansai in western Japan met up—apparently, the event had been held several times before.

I set off the day before, planning to explore Fukui, Kanazawa, and the Toyama area before heading to the meeting. First, I took the Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway toward Fukui. The GT3 felt exceptional on the highway, especially after a long break from driving it there. The 992 is wonderful too, and comfortable even at high speeds, but the GT3 seems to add another level of stability.

That difference is especially clear through fast corners. The car turns with astonishing precision, staying planted as if glued to the road. The lateral G loads your body cleanly, with none of that sensation of the car sliding or losing grip. It’s a feeling you don’t often get from a regular 911 model.

For high-speed “stability,” the GT3 is unquestionably a five-star car. The 992 might be more like four and a half. But when it comes to high-speed “comfort,” the balance reverses: the 992 feels less fast and more comfortable.

So, if you want to cover long distances without getting tired, I’d choose the 992; if you want to feel an exceptionally capable chassis and power, the GT3 is the one.

My first stop was the Eiheiji-Daihonzan area’s Angel Line in Fukui, where I took photos in a parking area near the summit. The road itself isn’t in the best condition, but the summit is a rare spot where you can photograph your car against the sea without guardrails or other distractions in the frame.

Next, I headed north on Route 162 to enjoy a superb stretch of winding road along the Sea of Japan. I kept the GT3 in second and third gear. I could accelerate through the upshifts, then let SPORT mode handle the rev-matched downshifts.

“Bang! Bang!” The engine note echoed through the hills as I reveled in the GT3’s incredible handling. This kind of handling is something you can really only experience in a GT3.

After that, I took the Hokuriku Expressway to Chirihama Nagisa Driveway. A little nervously, I drove the GT3 onto the beach and along the sand. I wondered how many people had ever brought a GT3 here.

ポルシェ911 GT3で千里浜なぎさドライブウェイを走る！

I spent the night in Toyama City. The next day, it was finally time to meet up with wata and the others.