Porsche 911UK Forum

Welcome to the @Porsche911UK website. Register a free account today to become a member! Sign up is quick and easy, then you can view, participate in topics and posts across the site that covers all things Porsche.

Already registered and looking to recovery your account, select 'login in' and then the 'forget your password' option.

New 997.1 GT3 owner

MJA911

Well-known member
Joined
10 Dec 2013
Messages
2,963
Given inspirational threads and insightful posts on this sub-forum from members such as roro, slippydiff, senoj, nxi20, freddie44, nick w, Disco, NottsRS....to name but a few were an influence, here's a summary of my journey to being into my first week of GT3 ownership.

I tend to keep cars for around 2-3 years and true to form I started the usual process earlier this year after 2 years enjoyable ownership of my 997.2 C4S cab. Spoke with Tom at 911 Virgin who as always gave great advise about the market and valued my car (which I'd bought from them) very fairly.

After going all round the houses of 991, 981 I started to think that my 5th 911 should be a 'special" and Turbo S and GT3 were in my head with the GT3 in the forefront as the concept of precision and race-derived engineering appealed big time. When I had the chance to go down to Simply Porsche Beaulieu in June, with Sid of Porsche Torque in his 996 GT3 Mk2 and got to drive it the 80 miles back it was a done deal and I was at 911v test driving a stunning arctic silver 996 mk2 soon after. I ended up holding back after being given time to make the call as a 997 is where I like being most and 911v had a black 38k mile 997.1 GT3 Comfort 'due-in".

911 Virgin are obviously well known around here, but I'd like to call them out anyway. That they know the market inside out, only select good cars and prepare them brilliantly is great, but for me what makes them special is they know and value their customer base. When considering the 996, Tom put a package to me that I couldn't have written better in terms of what I wanted myself. When I pulled back, there was no problem, only that Tom was sure a GT3 was the right move for me.

When the 997 came onto the radar, I was given time under no pressure, in fact Tom took it off the market for a few days until I could get to see it and drive it. He had already said he felt it needed a new clutch and when it went for the PDI, Sid at Porsche Torque (who really knows his stuff and loves GT cars, nobody else is going to touch this car) reported that there was a breather housing oil weep requiring engine out and then that it could also do with a new flywheel. All was approved by Tom, along with a service, MOT and geo.

With its new tyres the car was in fine fettle when I went to 911V last Friday for the pick up. Tom was on holiday, but it was handled in their friendly but professional way by Joji and Terry. "New997buyer" was my wingman for the pick up and took some pics and a video of the driving away moment :grin:

In the few days since, I've applied protecting coats of sealant and wax and leather/alcantara protection to the inside, installed the DSC module from my 997.2 (that was sent back to TPC for GT3 firmware) and the necessary 3-axis accelerometer with the fantastic help of 911uk member "spiderlane", put zunsport grills on it that I'd bought from chaser on here, updated the PCM2.1 sat nav maps, got a bluetooth phone clip on the sun visor, connected to the aux connector via bluetooth for listening to apple music off my phone. Looking at using a tune2air from the iPod connection for better sound.

Just awaiting the V5 to come back in my name so that I can put a GT03 plate on and a yellow Porsche key fob to go with the instrument needles! Loving it so far and beginning to cope with front splitter paranoia by just accepting its a consumable :thumb:
 

Attachments

  • img_3675_119.jpg
    img_3675_119.jpg
    307.8 KB · Views: 8,517
  • img_3653_781.jpg
    img_3653_781.jpg
    507.8 KB · Views: 8,517
  • img_0106_781.jpg
    img_0106_781.jpg
    83.1 KB · Views: 8,517
  • image_uploaded_from_ios_190.jpg
    image_uploaded_from_ios_190.jpg
    1.1 MB · Views: 8,517
Nice one Michael :thumbs:
 
A real pleasure to help work on a special car like this. Looks even better in the metal. :thumb:

(Apologies for the driveway slope sanding a couple of mm off the splitter :oops: )

Cheers
Mark
 
Congrats!! Must be weird going from a PDK to something as archaic as a manual :D
 
Lovely motor! Can vouch for Tom, proper gent. Very happy to have a car myself that has come through his and Sid's hands. Not that I've met the latter.

Enjoy the car in good health!
 
Lovely looking car. If anything is in danger of tempting me out of my 996tt, it's a 997 GT3. Enjoy!
 
Well done and congratulations on getting a 'proper' drivers car that involves full interaction and concentration to get the best out of it.

Many happy miles ahead to you.

Pip :thumb:

Ps I thought you were going to say you had bought the high miler discussed - 149,000 miles was it?
 
Congratulations, hope the weather improves soon so you can get out and enjoy it.

Any plans for a bypass pipe or exhaust upgrade?
 
Had the h&s bypass on the 997.2 @m119cars, and thought I might go back to them for the GT3, but now that I have it, the sound is fantastic to my ears as it is.
 
Great stuff, enjoy it.. such fun cars!! :thumb: :thumb:
 
Enjoy! Fantastic cars, got mine nearly 4 years ago now & loved every mile :D :D
 
VPD255M said:
Enjoy! Fantastic cars, got mine nearly 4 years ago now & loved every mile :D :D


And I've enjoyed following it for many miles, despite the fact that the front of my car looks like it has been grit blasted :frustrated:

MJA, car looks and sounds like it is great, congratulations. :thumb:
 
MJA911 said:
Had the h&s bypass on the 997.2 @m119cars, and thought I might go back to them for the GT3, but now that I have it, the sound is fantastic to my ears as it is.

Congratulations on the new toy, sure you will love it more and more as it crawls under your skin..

Do the x pipe (gt3 version obviously) when you've had it a while and the novelty wears off a bit but definitely, definitely do it.

You can also defeat the switchable exhaust fairly easily and that gives you a nicer tone when on a potter about. :thumb:
 

New Threads

Forum statistics

Threads
124,354
Messages
1,439,446
Members
48,708
Latest member
JLav211
Back
Top