How to Shift Up Properly in a GT3

In a recent article, I shared some advice on how to shift up properly in a manual GT3. I headed straight to Royu Driveway to try it for myself, and today I’m sharing how it went.

ポルシェ911 GT3（991.2）マニュアル車の正しいシフトアップ操作方法

My husband was away on a fairly long business trip to the U.S. at the time, but before he left, he gave me this assignment:

Try driving the GT3 and check how it shifts up. You can do it properly even in Normal mode. Even if you have to arrange childcare, go give it a try.

A reader also sent me a video of a professional explaining steering technique. I watched it and did a little practice in our BMW, so I was reasonably prepared.

That morning, I dropped our eldest daughter off at kindergarten, then worked on the blog. I finished sooner than expected, and with the sun shining, I decided it was a perfect day to go for a drive.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to put our younger daughter in daycare just for this (little ones can pick up bugs so easily in winter), so I brought my two-year-old along. That meant no spirited driving—safety came first, of course!

After getting used to the clutch in our 981 Boxster, the 911 GT3’s clutch feels very light. But the GT3 itself still has that unmistakable, solidly built feel.

This was my first time driving the GT3 entirely on my own (my husband usually drives alongside me or comes along for the ride). Rather than psyching myself up with a “You’ve got to do this!” pep talk, I tried to stay calm and relaxed.

I think I’ve learned to approach it that way thanks to taking part in Porsche Track Experience, Porsche’s driving school (Porsche Track Experience).

I used to feel so intimidated by the clutch and gear changes in a manual GT3 that it was almost laughable. But there’s really no need to get nervous. The one thing that did worry me at first was that, although the car has an auto-hold function for hill starts, I couldn’t find a green “HOLD” light anywhere.

Every time I stopped on a slope, I’d set off wondering, “Is HOLD on right now?” Once, on a gentle incline, I simply tried to pull away normally—and stalled. The GT3 doesn’t restart automatically after a stall, so I switched the engine off, started it again, and set off more carefully.

I thought I was getting pretty good at driving the GT3, but it seems I still had a thing or two to learn (laughs).

Taking the GT3 to Royu Driveway

On the public roads leading to Royu Driveway, I tried the kind of satisfying upshift that’s said to feel almost like a PDK shift. But my instinct kept making me lift off the accelerator. There also weren’t many places where I could rev the engine enough, so I practiced a little and decided to wait until I was past the Royu toll booth.

The road to the toll booth has a series of fairly tight bends. It’s narrow, too, with plenty of raised road reflectors, so I’d always felt a little nervous driving the Boxster there. This time, though, what I’d learned about steering technique at Porsche’s driving school made the bends easier to handle. I could turn the wheel decisively without feeling scared.

Well, having a GT3 under me probably helped a lot, too.

At one point, I raised the front axle, wondering, “Will I scrape the underside?” My husband had told me, “Royu is no problem at all. There are only two or three spots on the way back where you’ll want to take it slowly.”

Once I was through the Royu toll booth, I gave the upshift a try. But sure enough, I lifted off the accelerator again (-_-). Even if I could keep my foot down, the thought of shifting up while still accelerating made me worry the car would lurch.

I knew what I was supposed to do, but it was hard to shake a deeply ingrained habit.

I gave it a few attempts, but although the shifts were smooth, I never once heard that satisfying “pshht!” sound.

Hmm… (-_-)

Then I decided to try again on a long, gently uphill straight. “If I can’t do it on this long straight, I probably can’t do it anywhere!” I thought. So I took a deep breath and kept my foot on the accelerator. On the shift from third to fourth, I heard it: pshht!

Oh! So that’s it! (ﾟ∀ﾟ)!

Then I realized how tense my shoulders had become. I drove past the overlook, then tackled the next series of bends, recalling what I’d learned in the slalom exercises. The GT3’s handling is incredible. It turns so eagerly and feels so smooth. It has a different kind of brilliance from the Boxster’s handling.

I tried shifting up a few more times, but only three attempts really felt successful. Most of the time, I chickened out and lifted off the accelerator. I don’t think I can commit unless there’s plenty of room to accelerate. Maybe it just takes practice.

When I stopped at the overlook and glanced over at the passenger seat, I found my daughter fast asleep (laughs). How on earth could she sleep through all that vrooming?

After that, we took a little break at the overlook, which we had all to ourselves.

The GT3 and Air-Cooled Porsches

On the way home, I drove with the window open and was surprised by how much the engine sounded like an air-cooled Porsche. It wasn’t the big, dramatic soundtrack of a Boxster GTS. Instead, it had a mechanical, raw-edged sound—a reminder that even in a modern 911 GT3, a little of that air-cooled character remains.

My husband once told me that after driving a ’73 Carrera, he got into the GT3 and thought the two cars felt remarkably similar. I can see why.

伝説の911、73カレラについに乗る！もはやポルシェ界の重要文化財、いや、世界遺産だ！

When I got home, I drove our Panamera Turbo. The Panamera’s usually substantial-feeling ride seemed almost light by comparison. The pedals and steering felt so light, too. It was a good reminder that the car you drove just before can completely change how you experience—and judge—the car you’re driving now.

I emailed my husband, who was still away on business, to tell him what I thought (Why am I emailing him while he’s working?!). He replied:

It’s easy to ease off because you’re used to doing that. You can do it pretty well in second to third, too. The important thing is to commit to it.
And the GT3 sounds like an air-cooled, doesn’t it? That one isn’t built to feel light like a modern car, so I think it still has a little of that old-school solidity.

Every time I drive a different Porsche—the GT3, the Panamera, the Boxster (I haven’t driven an air-cooled one lately…)—I discover something new. I get a better sense of each model’s character and the things they have in common. Cars really are endlessly fascinating.

I’m grateful to have the chance to drive so many different Porsches. And I’ll keep working toward buying one of my own (Wait, you’re thinking of adding another one?!)