GT3 Company: Which Generation of Hardcore Porsche 911 is Best? Car News

So what can the 997 offer in return? A sense of intimacy that, despite all its capabilities, the 991. No amount of Porsche magic can synthesize the thrill of an electric steering rack and conventional Porsche hydraulic steering can pick it up right on the road.

And the best gear shifting ever does not provide any leg or left hand work, a problem exacerbated by the fact that there is no gearbox in the world larger than the one on the 997 GT3.

Even the workload created for you by its obvious shortcomings – its uneven chassis balance and relative lack of balance – makes you feel more involved, as the car needs to be tamed in a way the 991 doesn’t. . It’s curious to say, but the 997 is great to drive, not despite its flaws but very largely because of them.

Would you expect the 996 to drop out of the calculation almost immediately? I did. While the 997 could counter the overpowering of the 991 with its appeal to your senses, the 996 seemed unlikely to offer more fun than the faster, more grippy, and more beautiful 997. Yet it was the 996 that offered the surprise of the day.

Now I will say that the car provided by Cambridge based Autostore is a great example and you may or may not get similar results with a longer, less well maintained car. But the first surprise was that this 11-year-old car was no more prone to squeak, rattle, growl or whine when thrown onto a tricky B-road than the nearly new 991. This 996, from most ill-constructed reputation of all. 911, as if it had been built last week, not 11 years ago, and by Rolls-Royce.

But the shocking thing is that on these roads it was at least as much fun as the 997. Performance and traction differential were irrelevant. What mattered most was how it would rush around corners on its stiff springs and adjust its position so easily based on the throttle position.

I love that the engine is quite asleep below 5000 RPM and then suddenly comes alive, and I love the little thrill of danger that comes from the lack of electronic safety nets. (Even the 997 has traction and stability systems.) It’s an all-analog car that you’re entirely in control of, and with cars like this, that’s how it should be, I think.