Over the past few weeks, I’ve had my eye on a particular car, this amazing LP550-2 Tricolore.

At its heart lies the familiar 5.2 V10 engine but with drive only going to the rear wheels with a deficit of 10PS (hence the 550 monicker), alluding to the ethos Lamborghini is trying to preach about less being more. I’ve read a lot about the Balboni and how it’s the best drivers V10 Lamborghini make and I could quite believe it. As incredible as the LP560-4 is, you really do notice the 4WD system, especially on tight bends on track – you feel a slight hovering on the front and a disconnect that punishes any communication you had with the front wheels.

The Tricolore comes fully loaded with every option you’d need on a Gallardo and also comes with carbon wing mirrors and side skirts together with that very cool Italian stripe both across the whole car and also across the drivers seat.

This all being moot, of course, as I’m simply fulfilling some perverted fetish to satisfy a craving for supercars that has left me utterly malnourished over the past 12 months.

Unfortunately, the car wasn’t at London, having being shipped out to Manchester for some showroom sharing – with Ferrari taking valuable floor space whilst their own dealership is having a massive renovation, Lambo London have scant spots to keep these cars.

Instead, they had some other top line V10 cars. First thing to catch your eye in the showroom is the stunning LP570-4 Superleggera, looking fantastic in white. This car really does look best in either black or white, with the carbon exterior trim and dark wheels complementing the car beautifully. Even amongst a company of Lamborghini’s, the SL looks expensive.

Tucked away at the far corner of the showroom was yet another special edition Gallardo. The big difference between this, though, is a significant amount of engineering change. It’s the £225,000, big breath, Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Blancpain Special Edition. It’s basically a road version of the Super Trofeo race series Gallardo. Boasting even more weight saving courtesy of a carbon fibre diet, the car improves it’s power to weight without any engine changes. Personally, I thought the spoiler looked a little ridiculous for a road car and felt the changes removed the purity of the standard shape.

Finally, a Performante. “What’s this? Another limited edition?”. Well, kind of. It’s a convertible version of the Superleggera basically. Aesthetically, it just doesn’t look right. Appreciate it’s Lamborghini’s response to Ferrari’s 16M, but the spoilers, deep front skirts and horrific stickers across the car, combined with the plastic looking engine cover, make this one of the least desirable V10’s for me. No doubt it’s incredible to drive, but this isn’t something I’d be proud to see in the reflections of shop windows as I drive past. What, I’m the only person that does that?

A short walk around the back to where Ferrari have taken up temporary residence and I’m immediately taken back by the surreal presence of the 458. As the dealer went to great pains to explain, Ferrari don’t evolve their cars, they totally reinvent them – and I can totally believe that.

With a 430 Spyder parked next to a 458, the leaps and bounds achieved in the newer model really does put the ageing car into the shade. I can only describe it as a mini Enzo and even parked it was capable of giving me a little shiver.

However, with prices starting at £200k for used examples, it’s only a matter of time before the bottom falls out of these cars. Incredibly, these cars now come with 7 years free servicing and with Lamborghini now giving 4 years factory warranty to all new cars, it’s about time Porsche took note. Each dealer was also full of encouragement with track usage, citing no warranty dangers as such.

Have a test drive booked in a 458 next week. It’s an incredible car with the most fantastic, driver focused interior I’ve ever seen. I honestly believe it represents the very pinnacle of automotive engineering with so much high tech F1 know how crammed into the car, it presents a very different proposition to the slightly ‘agricultural’ feel of the Gallardo’s. The dealer was very happy to remind me that the V10 Gallardo’s were now based on 10 year chassis technology. It’s a huge fact that’s worth considering when buying these cars.

When talking Ferrari’s, it’s clear you’re buying into a club, more so in fact than Lamborghini. The Red car dealer doesn’t want to sell you a car, he wants to sell you 10 cars over 10 years. As you take delivery of your car, he’s determined to take your deposit down for the next one. This is pretty typical of an average Ferrari owner frankly, demonstrating that he’s more interested in owning the next best car, rather than a subjective decision based on individual merit. Even as Louis Walsh walked in, newspaper in hand, I was for a split moment completely ignored mid-conversation as the dealer walked over to him instead.

We eventually concluded that everybody loves a Lamborghini, but Ferrari’s are either loved or hated, despite their obvious game changing car, the 458. It’s clearly a massive step forward and is no doubt a better car dynamically than the V10.

Couldn’t help feel though that as impressive as the soundtrack on the new V8 was, it sounded quite artificial and I wondered if in doing so, some spark in its soul was lost? Just can’t beat that V10 sound really.

I’ve been driving around in a Mini Cooper S for about a year now and it’s actually quite a good car. It was nearly £30k new (not what I paid) so it’s impressively loaded. If anyone wants to know more about the roller skate let me know and I’ll throw some words together.

The Alpina is pretty much ready. Nearly.

As you may know I collected the car from my nightmare garage earlier this year and drove it straight into my garage, made it SORN and completely forgot about it.

Recently, I’ve been more interested in it. I think the lack of a more dramatic piece of exotica has forced my attention to it’s quirky nature. Getting this car done was a complete nightmare. It went from company to company, from one side of the country to the other. The workshops working on the car would eventually call me, begging me to take the car away as they were sick of seeing it. Neatly 18 months of stress and tears.

So here we are. As you can see from the photos, the car is pretty much immaculate. The body shell is almost without fault with not a single piece of rust anywhere. The whole car has been completely resprayed from a bare shell. Any consumable component of the car has been replaced with many other items changed too. New suspension system, complete new braking system, all pipes, replacement original Alpina exhaust system and an engine rebuild.

As I said, it’s not perfect. There’s a strong smell of fuel in the car (almost certain there’s a leak on the fuel lines), there’s lately a lot of smoke too from the exhaust – that shouldn’t happen with the new gaskets etc. I also think the engine could do with a proper good map. It seems a little down on its power, but that may have more to do with the fact that with all the holes filled, the car weighs more!

Official figures:

Source: http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk/alpina.html

Other than that, I’m still desperate to find a replacement drivers seat. The ‘houndstooth’ cloth trim has been damaged over time and I cannot get a replacement anywhere. Also, one of the scumbags who worked on the car has stolen the original Alpina wooden gearstick.

Otherwise, I love it. It sounds fantastic, that 2.7 really does have a unique, honey smooth sound to it that is very typical of the E30 six cylinders of that era. I also think it’s one of the best looking E30’s on the road now.

I would gladly take some recommendations for a good workshop who I can trust to do some mechanical work on the car to complete it.

My neck hurts, so I’ll also be sending Nissan a bill to ensure that I am treated by expert masseurs in ensuring my spine has not encountered alignment issues from the brutal centrifugal forces at work at every roundabout, shifting the very fabric of my tissue, muscle and sinew to such an extent, I feel like a Hellraiser demon with all exposed internals etc.

Furthermore, it was a gross inappropriate expectation to have me spending more time looking at my rear view mirror than out of my windscreen in anticipation of the impending arrest and subsequent media circus frenzy that would no doubt have escalated from having turned myself into the first road user to ever discover time travel from a chance encounter during some unholy speed and g-force combination to provide some until now undiscovered mathematical equation. This irregular impact of stress upon myself should not go unnoticed.

I have spent the past three, glorious days in a 2011 Nissan GTR. Most of you know the drill by now. What’s different? More power, up to 523BHP, bigger brakes, better aero (less drag better MPG) and new wheels. See here for a complete list of changes. 2011 GT-R – THE BEST GETS BETTER – GT-R Register – Official Nissan Skyline and GTR Owners Club forum

Quite simply put, this is an astonishingly fast and competent car. I can end the review right now by saying, if what you want is the quickest point to point car in the universe, then look no further. To compound matters by pricing it under £70k does nothing other than send super car owners into fits of apoplexy.

What makes it so devastatingly quick is beyond my comprehension. My Lamborghini LP560, with 550 BHP and less weight, is not this quick. Nor is it so damn well equipped, with every luxury conceivable thrown into the mix. Sat nav, dual zone climate control, cruise, bluetooth, iphone integration, heated leather seats – and four seats with a boot.

It makes a compelling argument against the supercar establishment. Certainly, in pure performance figures, if you remove the Nissan name, you have a car that can destroy all but the most functional track devices on road and off. So why do we still aspire to the illogical, impracticalities of super car ownership when the GTR gives us more than we’ll ever need? We’ll come back to this later. It’s a conundrum, make no mistake.

Let’s talk about the performance of this car.

Every time I left the traffic lights, I became more and more paranoid that I’d just inadvertently launched before the lights had turned green again as I’d look in my mirror and see that I was over 100m down the road and the other motorists were still static at the lights.

Forget first gear. Just….forget it. It doesn’t ever hang around long enough for you to notice it actually exists. But the speed and efficiency with which it engages second and continues a relentless, tireless, committed and stubborn urge, sucking up small children and causing tornados in its wake is utterly frightening. One cannot sympathise with the constant Baby Veyron comparisons, it really is a monster.

I have never driven a car so utterly effortless in its devastating capacity to lunch every other car on the road. It is a force of benign nature that offers relentless levels of competence and aptitude to such extents that one cannot help but feel a little complacent about its performance. It’s so easy to do.

I still begrudge Nissan for not making the car sound a little more menacing. Aurally, it’s up there with Dyson. But then that’s the car summed up. It’s the most functionally competent car I’ve ever driven. Its goal was to smash the ‘Ring title and make a car that strikes fear into the hearts of the establishment. And it has done this, repeatedly. It has literally done everything it set out to do.

And that ferocious urge doesn’t get tired, ever. Any gear, any revs, punch it. Motorway slip roads become moments of pure, red tinged frenzy with slight banks to roads causing periods of light speed comedy. But as your confidence develops, so do the accumulating speeds. It is an exercise in restraint, as any nonchalance surely will lead to some dramatic finale.

Ride around town and things are a little different. The damping, though not perfect, does a better job of absorbing the harshness of city commutes. It’s got good ground clearance too, avoiding any damage from speed bumps throughout London. This compounds a scary conclusion in that the faster you go, the better the car becomes, but the threshold of this car is so high, your buffer for mistakes equally become thinner.

Rear seats are token, too. Strangely enough, you can fit two small adults in there but not any children. The short base of the seats mean their feet don’t quite drop into the gap, but instead end up pushing up against the front seats.

I still am quite confused with the interior of the GTR. At first impression, it appears that it has been designed by at least half a dozen people, each person given a responsibility for each section. It doesn’t seem to work in any form of unity, lacking the cohesion necessary to make an occasion for the driver. But spend a few hours here and all of a sudden it makes sense. Bar the electric windows, everything is within the reach of the driver. It’s quite a usable cockpit. And the sat nav is amongst the best I’ve ever used.

A combination of dozens of different screens, the unit shifts intelligently from one display to another, switching clever instructions as it sees fit. Combined with the 3D landmarks, it’s a fast, effective system which was a joy to use. iPhone integration was amazing also. With my unit plugged in, I had my phone paired through bluetooth and my playlists up on the touchscreen unit within seconds. A classy well done to Nissan for that, thoroughly good job.

Sunday morning, 7am and I’m driving up to meet friends in supercars. I’m in a great environment, the R35, and strictly speaking I don’t know if I’d rather be in anything else right now. It’s comfortable, surreally quick and has all the mod cons you’d want.

This time of morning allows for swift progress and liberties to be taken. Mostly, shifting down is unnecessary as the car will swallow tarmac, regardless of gear, in full automatic. Arriving shortly after at our meeting point, the fast moving convoy is in progress after picking up more cars along the way.

By the time we arrive at our first petrol station, we’ve got 4 Lamborghini’s, a 458 Italia, a Zonda F, a Mercedes AMG CLK63 Black and a Porsche GT3RS. Despite the obvious performance adequacy (the GTR is more than a match for all these cars in real terms), I am completely invisible. Especially when we get to our final destination where we’ve picked up another Zonda, an F50, a Murcielago SV, Carerra GT and a host of other supercars.

Whilst paying for petrol, I overhear a few people at the queue talking about the collection of colour out on the forecourt. Every single car is mentioned apart from the GTR – and I won’t lie, this was a little damaging to my ego. Why wasn’t I being noticed? Didn’t they hear about the 523BHP engine? The 7.22 Ring lap? I knew exactly how to show them. When I start my engine, they’ll see.

As the whole forecourt erupted into life with various forms of Italian exotica celebrating the progression of the modern combustion engine, I sat there and started my engine, slightly embarrassed with the relatively silent contribution my gigantic exhausts were making. I’ll just do my windows up then…

Back on the road, and the visual payback is repeated. Every car gets photographed, pointed at, commented on – except mine. Again, I’m a silent witness to an orgy of car exotica and despite me being able to play with the best of them, I felt like the last guy picked for the football team.

The lack of aural and visual impact is indeed a problem in such esteemed company. A supercar is all about the drama. It’s about the excesses and necessities (or lack of thereof) of over-the-top extravagance. It’s why Lambo’s start engines with at least 2000 too many rpm’s. And why when you downshift a Ferrari you get a strangely gratuitous throttle blip.

Things that can’t be measured and can’t be reasoned with any form of logic. But therein lies the appeal of the GTR. It is unfazed by the spectacle of supercar characteristic. It attempts to do what it does best in the most efficient, unassuming way possible. It doesn’t feel the need to bark before it bites, instead opting to deliver its key message in a calm, controlled, almost mature manner.

Its performance is massive. Its offering is delightfully rich. And there is its character laid bare. It’s a loyal dog, always there for you when you need him, never questioning your motives and continues to provide you with the best relationship you could ever have.

As the sun dipped over Rickmansworth on a fantastic Sunday afternoon, everything suddenly fell into place for me and I suddenly understood the Nissan GTR.

I think if Nissan spent less time trying to force the GTR to become a supercar, it may eventually find itself placed in a unique pigeon hole without peer. It’s not a supercar, but it is a supercar slayer. With a boot.

Thanks to Terry Steeden at Nissan GB for the loan of the car. You’re lucky you have the car back. Nissan security were willing to take a bribe.

Due to mitigating circumstances (this sounds like an excuse for late homework) I found myself in a position to sell the LP560 with minimal impact. A temporary change of address has left me without a garage and an LP is not the kind of car to leave out in the street in central London so it had to go. Sad face.

It was the most ludicrous affair ever. I actually took the car back to Lamborghini London three times and each time I ended up getting back in the car and driving back home, I simply couldn’t bring myself to part with it. I was in a state of turmoil, that’s how much I loved the car.

The first time I returned the car, I sat at the dealership with my documents in hand and did not part from the reception counter for 45 minutes. I was ushered out by the salesman, obviously empathic to my inner turmoil. Each time I returned home, the mrs curiously bewildered to see me sat in an LP again when I should be returning by taxi.

You see, the LP is simply not a car. It’s a lifestyle. There is a TV commercial for the LP560 which accurately reflects everything concerning Gallardo ownership:

Example 1. I once parked up in Piccadilly Circus, central London, in the interests of research, of course. During that time, I was approached by a least a dozen people of various sexes, ages and enquiries! It is a fast ticket to either big joys (if you’re single) or big trouble (if you’re hooked up!). I’ve had an unholy interest in people just wanting to know you, most of which actually think that they already do. People put their heads in your window, wanting to take photos, some convinced they’ve papped a celebrity.

Example 2. Any exclusive club, restaurant or hotel is immediately an open door for you. I rarely made reservations anymore, opting instead to simply turn up and park the car bang in front of the door, double yellow lines or not, the valets going out of their ways to ensure your experience is special. Zuma, Nobu, Dorchester, Bungalow 8 – simply turn up, walk out of the car, straight in. There is simply no better ego massage. I was once stuck in a traffic jam outside an exclusive night club. I was just driving past but the doormen walked up to the car, opened my door and said in an unassuming tone ‘Welcome sir’. Despite their embarrassment, the sentiment was welcome.

I could go on, but you get the drift. Do not let me misrepresent the car, however. Despite its shallow provisions, it is a remarkably competent car. I would not have it any other way. It has a deliciously rewarding attitude to driving. Ignoring its weight disadvantage and four wheel drive deficiencies, it’s quick to react, deftly balanced and stupendously fast. A very different attitude to the GT3’s I’m used to, this car does not tip toe, nor does it grace itself with balletic delicacy. It is unfazed by a surefooted attitude, inspiring confidence in its will to simply take a corner with little effort, providing instead a stage for expert dramatics by way of a soundtrack crafted by John Williams and a vision of unmistakable beauty.

Whilst the prima-donna of the car world flirts from one spectator to another, you are left to reward yourself with one of the most exciting gearboxes I’ve used. What initially comes across as an agriculturally inept proposition soon rewards your patience and experimentation with sweet and punchy shifts characterfully suited to the LP. Initially, there’s no glamour nor subtleness to gearshifts, punishing amateur naive driver operated gear shifts with aggressive lurches accompanied by thumps and bangs from the drivetrain. Although the fastest method of changing gear, it makes any hot number in your passenger seat suddenly quite undignified – we can’t have that gentleman, can we?

Choose to understand the ‘box, lift off just before you accelerate again as you upshift and all the success in smoothness feels very much your own doing, quite an achievement for a paddleshift system. And once you’ve tasted that downshift, there’s absolutely no room left for a manual gearbox to shine. It’s loud, brash, uncouth and totally unnecessary, yet I simply couldn’t stop myself from taking advantage of that outrageous throttle blip on every downshift, it’s a gloriously addictive way of letting people know you’ve arrived, if that haven’t seen you yet that is!

It’s not all perfect though. The seating position, although fine in itself, is partnered to the most absurdly offset pedals I’ve ever seen. The brake pedal is where the clutch usually is and as a result, the throttle is where the brake pedal usually is. It takes some good getting used to and is cause for some embarrassing cases of miscommunication between car and driver.

Also, the entertainment system, although fully kitted, has some strange compromises. For example, if you are using the Sat-Nav, you can’t play a CD and vice versa. And don’t talk to me about fuel consumption either (8MPG).

But then if this isn’t truly representative of Italian idiosyncratic engineering, I don’t know what is. It’s a glorious statement of beauty without compromise, engineering without budget and drama without shame.

Since having sold the car, I’ve spent almost every day scanning the classifieds. I even window licked the Lamborghini showroom this weekend just gone, together with the tourists and general public, oblivious to my qualified Lambo exploits. God I’ve become so arrogant…

I simply cannot wait to get into one again. Thank you Ferruccio.

One of the fastest circuits in Europe, Spa gives plenty of opportunity for the LP to properly stretch its legs without fear of social or legal persecution.

Having owned the car for a scarce number of weeks, I’ve already read reports and heard through the grapevine gossip about my car having been heard in all manner of places across London! The right pedal pulls in attention from both appreciating and condemning individuals in equal measure.

After first figuring out how to get to Europe and back again without a passport (another story for another day!), the pleasures and joys of anticipation start to filter through. I have not experienced any better viewpoint from that of the LP. Despite the shared Audi switchgear, it really is a pleasant environment, combining classy chrome components with cross stitched, quilted leather upholstery and dashboard. Coupled with the dynamic, agressive Lamborghini typography everywhere, the intent is not discreet and the business of arriving to your destination in both speed and style is encouraged.

The journey to Spa is not as enjoyable as you would imagine. It’s a combination of French Autoroutes and Belgian ring roads which, during rush hour traffic, is a chore as British number plates are always a fresh target to local police. We were chaperoned in Belgium by a police car for approximately 45 minutes at one point. It makes progress monotonous and frustrating. At the helm of a Lamborghini, however, it could be worse…

On the road, the LP560 monsters progress (away from police escort). Any enthusiastic action is an exercise in restraint. Not only is the 550BHP bewildering, but so is also the noise it makes. Every time you overtake somebody, you are constantly wondering if you have just given the driver of the receding car a triple cardiac arrest. It’s also a car of liberties. Queues matter no more on motorways and junctions are just a simple exercise in arrogance, just putting your nose out allows you to take advantage of everyones caution, making for motorbike-like filtering through busy traffic. I know, I know, it’s so wrong.

Get the right Autobahn though, as we did on entrance to Germany, hit a de-restricted part and nail it. I’m not sure, but I think I saw over 210MPH on the speedo. It’s not the top speed, but the phenomenal rate of acceleration getting there. That 5.2ltr engine is a monster. I suspect that if I were to have more space, that car would continue to accelerate to at least 400MPH.

I had made no preparations for the car and I was slightly nervous that the car was simply not ready for track use. Normally, I would have set the geo and suspension accordingly and ensured at least that the brake fluids were uprated with sufficiently capable brake pads. I had good faith in my tyres though as they were the excellent Pirelli Corsa Systems. Not the magical ‘R’s as we have used consistently on the GT3’s, but good enough all the same. Although most of my fears are unfounded as the car is surprisingly competent off the shelf. More so than my Gen 2 GT3 ever was.

The morning was covered in fog around Spa, which lifted my spirits somewhat as I was looking forward to a damp track to evaluate the off limit handling characteristics of the LP, but the tyres made that very difficult, providing excellent grip on the circuit with expected traction from the 4WD. Nothing other than vulgar, aggressive provocation could put the LP out of line. Aside from some gentle understeer, turn in was accurate and predictable. You can enjoy some serious advantages on the straights with that savage speed and power allowing you to reel in the cars that have an edge over you on the twists.

I’m not going to lie, for pure track use, it’s outclassed by the GT3, even if it could get faster lap times. It lacks that on-limit finesse that defines the Porsches from their Italian counterparts. It is heavy, absurdly thirsty (I was getting 8 MPG) and very very expensive to run on track. It IS a Lamborghini after all.

Very few cars outperformed the Lambo on track. Only a super quick trick Corvette and a few of the champ racers in GT3’s, otherwise it was devastating. But no other car sounded or looked as good, if I may say so :)

However, I did not buy this car as a dedicated track car. For the first time in a long time, I had just as spectacular time out of the track as I did on it. The eGear makes for a great companion after a tiring track day, even if the auto-mode is a little too agricultural. But find that road, no matter how short, that allows you to take advantage of a few manual downshifts and thumps of the accelerator and it all makes perfect sense. As we left Spa to drive to Nurburgring, we set the Sat Nav to ‘avoid motorways’ and ’shortest route’. This takes you across some of the finest roads Europe has to offer as seen from some of the pictures below. Even if it cost me a new windscreen (£3200) and a new front respray (£1800) that your friend (Glenn) refused to pay for because he has a disorder which protects him from being anything other than in front of the convoy. Now the Lambo is simply unbeatable as it offers power, noise and looks – at absolutely no compromise.

There’s a distinct attitude present in the Lambos every action which acutely represents its multi-layered characteristics in stark fashion. From the very moment you unlock the doors, there’s an angry hiss as the fuel pumps go to work to prep what is possibly the LOUDEST ignition and engine start noise ever (video below). It’s absurd that a car like this can pass noise regulations without a £50 note shoved into an envelope.

Lamborghini London made the sale pretty much irresistible for me really. After a test drive in the black LP560 (no more than 50MPH in built up areas), I had pretty much made the decision to buy it. I’d actually gone to see an R8 V10 they had in stock, but what a ridiculous notion to assume that I’d walk into a Lamborghini dealership and drive out with an Audi….

Trepidation meets anticipation as you gently pull the e-gear to first, not quite sure what to expect for the first time and as you prod the throttle through its obscenely offset pedals, the car lurches forward as you’d expect an angry bull to do so just before a charge. And unless you’ve mastered the e-gear shifting, then expect an impolite reprimand from the Lambo as it angrily shifts into the next gear, unceremoniously jerking your passengers head. Take your time to learn the system, however, and you can learn to lift off before each gear change, allowing for far smoother upshifts. Prepare, also, for the savage acceleration which can, if not controlled, can spin all four wheels into the direction of the nearest solid object.

So initial thoughts? It’s a simply stunning road car. I mean, just look at it! I strongly believe that we have a future design classic. The lines are so pure and compact, the car is a moving eye magnet. I have never seen a car attract so much attention. I thought the Green RS was a show stopper, well the LP is in a different league. Passengers get taxis to follow you, pedestrians change their mind when crossing the road, opting instead to sit by the traffic light to hear the car go. Dogs jump out of their skins on downshifts and have to figure out what the fuck can be so big to chant a 110db bark.

Dynamically, compared to a GT3, it’s a heavy weapon. The RS, a surgeons scalpel, is a precision tool designed to sow one bend to the other with effortless consistency. The LP, on the other hand, is a carpet bomb of destruction. It’s so devastatingly fast and ruthless, a mash of the loud pedal takes gigantic lunges out of the road. WIth a comedy 8500 RPM redline (I mean for the love of Christ, have you heard a 5.2 V10 do 8,500RPM? It’s unholy!), the temptation to constantly wring the neck of the LP is frankly way too tempting. Especially given the approving gestures of joe public! And then there’s the downshifts, each pull of the left paddle accompanied by a satanic bark matching revs, it terrifies and delights the public in equal measure. I’ll never forget the sight of the dog turning on its owner after a particularly close downshift in Bond Street!

So far, I’m utterly enamoured by the car. It’s stunning to look at, it sounds incredible and has one of the greatest engines ever. Accompany this with a true, italian style leather interior (somebody was quoted as saying “It smells of Gaucho Grill in here!”), and interior ergonomics which tick all checkboxes (despite Audi switchgear!), and we have a multi-dimensional offering that acts as a benchmark for all super cars.

Been a while since I had second thoughts on selling a car. Looking around on forums, it’s quite clear that this green car had touched more than a few chords. It went in today for an inspection at JZM and it passed with flying colours which perversely, made me more upset. Knowing the car was immaculate and, I quote, “The cleanest RS I’ve ever seen”, made me want to just keep it forever.

I had cherished and worshipped the car with much wax and tears. In the 5000 miles I did over the past 6 months, it made me smile at every mile.

It was also the most dramatic 911 I’ve owned as it garnered enough attention from the public to make it a minor celebrity. I will be back in a 911 GT3 before long, they are too good to be away from for too long.

So, no more spine tingling at 7500 RPM. No more expertly crafted, precision engineered cornering characteristics. No more drifting on bends at 45 degree angles, carefully balanced by throttle and steering input so delicate and flexible that each 500rpm on the rev range provides another +/- degree of attack. No more raucous sport button induced reverb off low, brick walls as you pass them. And finally, no more staring at perhaps the finest green ever placed on a car after applying a thick layer of expensive wax.

Right, enough tears, what’s next?

Sport chrono
Centre console painted body colour
Harnesses
Alcon JZM discs
RS29 pads
Uprated brake fluids

The car has had no expense spared in my care and is set up already by Fearnsport for geometry. It was also inspected by them prior to my purchase and Matt said it was almost showroom condition.

What’s wrong with it? Not much really. It needs a touch up where there are a couple of small stone chips on the bonnet and it also needs a new set of tyres (still on original set). I would replace them myself, but a new prospective owner may have a preference. Other than that, it wants for nothing.

I’ve just had a stamp from Porsche East London for its recent service and I’ve also just taken out the all important Porsche International Warranty together with the roadside assist module. My recent bill there was almost £3,000.

I’ve also just purchased a new front splitter so the car looks fantastic.

Looking for £77k.

I hope Nathan doesn’t mind me using his images.

It’s that situation that plagues me now, where only a couple of days ago, in fact only a few hours ago, the mere thought of a new car was but a distant impossibility. Now, having evaluated my boredom, I’ve come to the conclusion that I need at least another two cars. Let me explain….

Anybody who reads these inane ramblings will no doubt understand that nothing is ever rational, nor is it borne from a school of logical thought. Our ideas are as fleeting as the British weather so they carry neither rhyme nor reason.

However, it is quite clear that I need some form of every day transport. No, I do not drive to work, but that is, of course, irrelevant. I simply need to have transport that would carry me with comfort, style and not without some power. I was at a petrol station last week late into the night at the motorway services. Anybody who’s familiar will know that these can be ghostly arenas late at night devoid of traffic both in mechanical and human variety. As I pulled up to the pumps, there was a car in front of me that had overtaken me a short while ago on the M1. As I got out, the driver was getting into his car having filled up and paid his duties and made to pull off.

The sound of his engine starting was a cerebral shock. How could such a once respectable, mass manufacturer of quality executive class cars be so irresponsible in their creation of something so unholy. Not only did my trousers vibrate in its wake, but I also did not notice that I had embraced a fierce smile that would have placed my sanity to the duty attendant into question.

The car, of course, was an AMG C63. 6.2ltrs of V8 goodness. SIX POINT TWO LITRES. How did that thing get through planning stages at Mercedes? Was it an April Fools joke, played upon the board of directors that someone was forgotten about as it got passed onto product development??

Regardless. That night, I was on Pistonheads classifieds pouring over these immense, German hot-rods. I’ve given up trying to justify it to the wife and have already considered contract hire rates versus 2nd hand options. Having chatted to a few ex-owners, it’s quite clear that they leave a positive lasting impression where they often regret the sale. One friend said his C63 was so awesome, he actually got run over by his own car as someone attempted (successfully) to car jack him during a faux sale process.

Am I certifiable?

I’ve decided to sell the RS and it’s time for something that isn’t 911 shaped. I’m on my 5th GT3 and I’m getting bored of hearing myself wax lyrical about them. It really isn’t very becoming of me to continually bleet about a car so obviously brilliant. It’s sickening, really it is. It’s also utterly mental that I want to sell something that is so obviously brilliant too. It’s superb to look at, utterly intoxicating to drive, aurally stimulating and people love to watch, listen and ride in it. So why on earth am I thinking of selling it? Because, my non-existent, imaginary, binary friends, the grass is always greener.

What were my choices then? In no order of preference:

Ferrari 599
Ok, let’s just get this one out of the way. I like my V12 Ferraris, except I can never seem to afford them until they are at the end of their cycle run. Sub £100k is where I’m at, so Mr. Fiorano, another day perhaps.

Audi R8
Now that prices are down to sensible levels, there’s a lot to like about Audi’s offering. There’s also a sprinkling of choice, from V8 to V10 to the Spyder. Each model has its merits and they all make for a compelling argument. There’s real world practicality to consider, then there’s the every day accessible supercar performance coupled with a fantastic soundtrack. Aesthetically, it’s a bit of a disappointment in certain companies.

Porsche (insert a billion acronyms here)
The whole reason I have itchy feet is because I want to try something different. So that rules out a GT2, which I’ve been eyeing up for a while. I haven’t been as excited about a car in a long time as I have about the GT2RS. By all accounts it’s a monster and one of the fastest production cars ever. Georg Kacher, awesome Car journalist, recounts:
“I’m not sure that there exist enough Walter Rohrls to fully realise the true portential of the ultimate rear-wheel drive 911. Porsche can guarantee that the GT2RS has every piece of technology to humble any Ferrari, Lamborghini and Bugatti. Except, perhaps, an adequately talented driver.”
Colour me shallow, but that’s just a red rag to me. I fancy myself.
As for the GT3RS, I’m still a bit pissed with Porsche’s attitude to the whole sales process. I sent another email to Porsche GB asking them why, when I had been denied a car, were there well over a dozen cars currently for sale at speculators. I got no reply. Still, I shouldn’t cut my nose off to spite my face and it takes a fool to deny the GT3RS the merit it deserves – it truly is a spectacular car, I will have one next year I suspect when the prices settle down. At the moment, it’s not £40k better than my current car.

Which leaves me with only one other option. A phone call was made earlier today. :)

“But Dawg, the VW is a train wreck of a car, what the Christ?”

I know the Touareg was awful, but this is the new 2011 car completely rebuilt and redesigned. It’s got the 3.0TDi, mated to an 8 sp auto gearbox. With over 200kg shaved off the car it replaces, it can only be a major step forward.

It’s ridiculously cheap too as VW have introduced the car to the market with some excellent contract hire rates – it should make for relatively cheap motoring. Fully loaded with sat nav, full leather and a host of other mod-cons, I’m looking forward to it.

Oh I’ve also gone for pimp white with pimped windows. God have mercy.

Best image of the car I can find here

In honour of this tradition, the 997 Turbo Convertible and I did check each other out in the reflection a couple of weeks back, when the weather was glorious, that one weekend where we had 32 deg sunshine all day. Yeah fine, shoot me, but it was a perfect day for many reasons and glancing at that oversized Gap shop window, I couldn’t help but feel I was blessed with the luck of the gods for that afternoon. And I felt that the bond was complete.

There I was, sat in that car, good looking woman sat in my side, the shopping bags of excess in the back seats, hood down and the world at my feet. Suddenly, I understood the joys of owning this car. Granted, that kind of day comes once a year, if that, and you need to weigh up the incredible sense of wellbeing generated on that one summers day, versus the remaining 364 days of depressing rain in the UK. It has, after all, been a cloudy summer ever since that day and I’ve not seen a clear sky since.

Of course, that’s a harsh assessment, but it does imply some truths. Life’s all about balance and that sliding scale is adjusted according to the kind of person you are. For me, that one particular day, cruising around in central London, posing in a car pretending to be 2011 summer-wear catwalk model, judging by the sheer number of photographs taken of the car, was so obscenely awesome that the compromise was almost worth having to drive the car with the hood up for the rest of the year.

And it is a car about excesses and perfectly suited to the life of someone who spends a lot of time in central london. The black wheels really set off the car and it gains both admiration and derision in equal measure, probably for the same reason. It demonstrates a type of lifestyle which even I succumbed to, even if it was out of my own reach in reality.

The lazy tiptronic gearbox works terribly when in pursuit of raw thrills, but for cruising around town, soaking up the sun, it was merely sufficient as it gently shifts from one long ratio to the next, allowing you instead to bask in your own glory.

Make no mistake though. Even though the tiptronic makes brisk progress difficult (the gears were way too long for a turbo charged car with such a specific power band), once you did get those turbos spooling, it really was a very quick car and I suspect there’s no more effective a way of giving yourself a scalp massage. I remembered later on when I drove my RS again I was almost slightly underwhelmed by it’s power delivery. Almost.

Frankly, the only reasons for disliking this car can be very quickly made better by adjusting the options list. Dump that awful gearbox in favour of PDK, get a better, thick rimmed steering wheel and maybe even add the letter ‘S’ to the boot.

I was actually quite upset to see it go, even if i was comforted by the approach of imminent rain. Since then the weather hasn’t been anything like it was for that week I had the car and that’s consolation in itself, as I’d have been truly depressed if it was.

Would I swap my RS for one? I’d almost certainly consider it. Given how few track days I’ve done this year, the RS is almost wasted on the driveway. Lately I’ve been needing to drive to work in the City a lot and in the RS that’s been an exercise in self control and tolerance. Only today I attracted the unwanted attention of City police again, driving erratically, swapping lanes often and doing, wait for it, FORTY miles per hour. I’m just a giant animated bill board on wheels selling crack cocaine to small children. The Turbo in contrast was a joy with it’s compliant suspension, four seats, auto box, sat nav and Bose sound system. I will stress though, this car needs a companion in the passenger seat, perhaps even in the drivers seat. Just make sure he/she is good looking!

It’s a fabulous car and if you can afford such a luxury as a second toy, nothing really ticks as many boxes. It massages your ego, tickles the senses and fools you into a false sense of delusional grandeur. I know, I’ve changed my tune somewhat. But I guess that’s what a few days of awesome weather does. It puts this car totally into perspective. It’s not a pure drivers car in the manner I’ve come to judge. A quick drive in the RS yesterday up and down the road had me reversing back into my garage with my heart beating and my legs shaking – no joke. But the Turbo offers itself as a driving pleasure that can only be truly savoured at the right time and the right place. Reach that zenith and you’ll have your awakening.

Excuse me whilst I engage in the pastime enjoyed by all car enthusiasts the world over, I’m just going to pour over the classifieds.

Have always been curious on the merits of the 911 Turbo. Having driven a GT2 a few years back, I remember the ferocious power delivery of that scarcely manacled beast. However, time has moved on since then and our perceptions and benchmarks have shifted somewhat.

Glenn has just taken delivery of a Gen 2 Turbo S Convertible. In an almost unbelievably coincidental display of fate, my courtesy car has ended up looking identical to Glenn’s Gen 2 in all but detail. His car is positively savage and it’s one of the few 911’s you can hear before you can see it, with the most unholy induction noise you’ve ever heard. Coupled with a PDK gearbox, his car should be criminalised. To think that you cannot buy alcohol in an unlicensed place, but you are able to walk into a showroom and buy this missile is surely a parody sketch on the state of modern day society?

Regardless, “Speed is relative” I remind myself as I set into my ’standard’ Turbo. It’s a Gen 1, which means it’s a 3.6, rather than a Gen 2 3.8. It’s also not an S, which gives leaves it with 40BHP less at 480BHP. It’s still a powerhouse of an engine with each overtake acting out as giant lunges through traffic, chomping huge chunks of road and cars, sucking up every object into its airbox, tied down or not. It becomes comedic and you have to shift your sense of what’s possible when you overtake cars as everything is SOOO easy.

Select gear, nail throttle, wait for the lag, count to one, two…whhooOOOOSHH and you’ve got warping stars, Millenium Falcon style. With the hood down, tears start to stream as you realise you way past triple figures and you’re desperately trying to readjust your sunglasses that seem to have made their way around to the back of your head. As you haul hard on the brakes (because you really had no idea just how fast you were approaching that car!), you repeat the process again. Over and over and over.

The brakes work fantastic, if a little out of sorts with the chassis. I’m not certain if this was isolated to this particular car, of if I’ve been warped by the rigidity and hardness of a GT3, but the 911 Turbo can’t seem to escape a somewhat lofty personality under hard braking, with the nose dramatically pointing downwards under heavy braking. Also under hard throttle, the car does the opposite with your headlights pointing to the birds in the sky.

But the one thing that kills the car is also the one thing that I cannot forgive nor ignore; the gearbox. I’ve never driven a tiptronic before, why anybody would spec such a magnificent car with such a travesty in technology is an enigma. If you see any Porsche’s with tiptronic gearboxes, I’m telling you right now, the owners can’t drive for toffee. It’s simply a glorified automatic.

Shifting it to manual mode, you are granted with two steering wheel buttons. Up and down. When it carries out those actions, however, is really down to how the gearbox is feeling at the time. Shifts actioned by the button rarely get carried out exactly when you want them, especially if coupled by an urgen, nailed throttle. This delay in shifting gears often has you bumping on the rev limiter, forcing you to recalibrate as you end up having to shift 2 seconds before you really need to. Electric, eh?

We live in a colourful world filled with subjectivity. That’s why I can comfortably say I could never buy a Turbo. It has none of the electricity of my GT3 that allows me to enjoy and cherish each hurried gear shift and subsequent pinning of the throttle, giving out that scream, filling my ears with ecstasy and meaning. The Turbo also doesn’t have the immediacy that you come to expect from a N/A car. Accelerating in the Turbo almost requires forethought and planning as you end up acting out all movements 2-3 seconds before you need to, just to get around the turbo lag. That is huge fun at times, but rather dangerous at others, as you occasionally try to take advantage of small, immediate gaps in traffic.

And I tell you what, nobody let’s you out of traffic in a white turbo cab! Big drive this weekend, I hope the weather’s good so I can respond with an informed decision.

Four days at the Nurburgring, two of which would be on bikes, two days at Spa, an incredible cross country drive demonstrating some of the most verdant, beautiful coniferous green lands between Germany and Belgium and a solid helping of 30 deg heat throughout is surely a recipe for any petrol head.

Include the tools of surgery, them being two green GT3 RS’s and two Nissan GTR’s, and we’re either going to get into a massive fight or gain divine insight into the makings of automotive heaven.

The bravado had started months before, of course. Depending on which car you owned, the GTR was either an extraordinarily advanced automotive equivalent of HAL, leaving very little for the driver to do, or a revolutionary step in motoring, raising the bars of expectation. Similarly, the GT3 was either a prehistoric remnant of a romantic ideal no longer suitable for today’s audience, or it was a precision, scalpel like device that rewarded it’s drivers as much as it demanded from them. Either way, hearts would be broken, egos bruised and lap times championed.

It still surprises me just how much attention the green RS gets both on the road and in the paddocks. Put two of these cars together and the effect is amplified further. On motorways, other enthusiasts jostle, sometimes dangerously, as they undertake, overtake and pull over, with cameras in hand, just to be part of the convoy. The two GTR’s equally attractive, doing their bit for the decepticons, resplendent in their high tech paint work echoing shadows of Transformers-like aggression.

The three evening sessions Thursday to Saturday at the Nurburgring are to be the most sane of the whole week. As the weather showed signs of glory, every car club in northern Europe descended upon the place creating both a Mecca for car fans, but also frustration for those wanting to do some laps. Most people choose to use the ring carpark for posing, with many others having to queue for up to an hour just to get into the car park. Saturday we couldn’t even get on to the track as some banzai driver binned his car on his first out lap, causing the circuit to close for the whole day.

That’s the risk out there. I must have counted at least 15 trashed cars in 4 days and countless ambulances ferrying drivers to the nearest hospital. Its both a problem and, perversely, part of the attraction as adrenaline addicts flock to do the (£15!!) laps, oblivious to the threat of death. With tyres squealing at 165MPH, there simply is no time to contemplate mortality.

Sunday, being the only true all-day tourist day, open from 8am until 7pm, was a true comedy day. To think that our actions were completely legal must have been a sick joke upon the Germans. As a group of four, we bullied our way across the ring as we raced, raved and raped the german track and its inhabitants. Back into the ring car park, I removed my sweat drenched helmet and felt with guilty pleasure the buzz of having enjoyed yet another eight minutes of knife edge recreation unavailable anywhere else in the world.

So which car is the ring daddy? No doubt about it, the GTR is simply unbeatable. It quite literally has been built with a single purpose in mind, to dominate the ring and it does with aplomb. The GT3’s are out powered, out handled and out techno’d by a car fit for the 21st century. Not only does it have enough power to rotate the ring around the car itself, but its clever 4WD system makes the deploying of that power so damn efficient, it does not waste a single BHP in transition. The ring has many uphill sections which makes mince meat out of the normally aspirated GT3’s, without the torque, they just cannot compete.

Still, there’s no doubt that the Nissans are one track wonders. With soaring transmission and engine oil temps, the cars are unable to do more than one lap effectively. Add to that a 4 lap fuel tank, melting tyres and overheating brakes and the allure starts to diminish.

If lap times are your ultimate goal, then the GTR is unbeatable, but there are huge compromises as mentioned. The RS’s in contrast are bulletproof in comparison. Respectively, the Porsches are back-to-basics cars with little technology aside from chassis and handling expertise.

Incidentally, we did two laps of the ring on our mountain bikes. If you have a cycling interest then you MUST attempt this opportunity. We did the bike ride during an endurance race at the ring. It really was a spectacular, challenging and unique ride that had you following the 24km circuit around the outside.

Spa was a totally different story and all were amazed at the stark differences in car performance between the Nissans and the Porsches. To put it bluntly, the GT3’s were right at home as the cars were surgically woven from one bend to another in the fast, rapid switchbacks offered at Spa. The 1800kg weight on the GTRs could offer no comfort to any amount of technology as the GT3’s danced from one section to the next, deftly balancing braking, power and chassis dynamics.

Finished off a wonderful day at Spa by destroying a set of rears with some synchronised drifting with Richard Meaden. He was at Spa with a Porsche GB Gen 2 GT3 press car, Dickie can peddle and made for many awesome laps. When my fuel trip computer showed “– miles” in range, I then stayed out for another 5 laps, thats how much I was enjoying myself at risk of coasting the starved engine to a standstill. Got some nice drift footage which I’ll put up as soon as I get the DVD.
Edit: here it is

But the most memorable snapshot I brought back with me is an insanely beautiful drive across Europe as we took a scenic route between Germany and Belgium. Suddenly, lap times don’t matter and all we’re interested in is the noise of each others’ downshifts and throttle blips, no matter the car of choice. As we briskly accelerate between narrow tree lined roads, the sound of our exhausts reverb off the low walls bouncing back into our open windows hand in hand with the glorious sunshine of middle Europe.

It really is a defining experience of what makes the perfect motoring moment. The unnecessary heel and toeing, the intentional aggressive throttle between 3k-4k rpm, forcing the butterfly valves on the exhaust silencers to open and close at will and the physical leaning into each and every bend making the travel across this time locked land a magical experience as we chased the sun into the west.

I am naturally biased but with £100k in the bank, would I choose a GT3 again, or buy a GTR and put £40k away? Let me just say I have no regrets.

Edit: First video posted. Host car is Glenn’s, chasing mine.

Saturday morning and I’m browsing Google looking for any firm that provided convertible hire. Finding firms that catered for this wasn’t hard, but finding stock was impossible. The good weather has lasted all week so people were way on the ball and way before me.

Prestige Car Hire in Hemel Hempstead came up with the goods though, providing me with a choice of either a Z4 or a 330ci, with the Z4 coming at a killer price making the choice an easy one. Besides, I’ve always found the new shape really handsome and this pretty much hit the spot for the weekend.

After a super quick transaction, I was out on the M1, hard top electric roof down (rather slow mechanism, but effective transformation!) having my scalp massaged at speed. It’s a liberating experience that is savoured by those of us unfamiliar with convertible ownership. In the three days I had the car, the roof only went up when the car was parked. I never even got to sample the car in its coupe form.

I love the design of this car, I rank it one of the best looking roadsters on the market. It’s a quality car that demonstrates BMW build standards that hark back to the 80’s. Ruler guided shutlines with roof open or closed, switch gear that feels punctual and components that want using. As an ownership prospect, it ticks all the right boxes and looks fabulous parked up on the drive with the roof in either position. Not sure black is a good colour though, the remnants of Bangles flame surfacing need a brighter colour to exhibit its lines. Personally, I’d be brave and go for a white Z4. And those wheels are amazing, filling the arches gracefully giving the effect of a very modern roadster, together with its short overhangs.

Boot space is generous when the hood is up, but once in convertible mode, the roof sits on top of any luggage as the photo suggests, making access to your gear very difficult. In order to properly get your stuff back out, you need to put the hood up again, which wouldn’t be so bad if the roof didn’t take so long to go up and down.

Otherwise the interior is very comfortable with shapely leather seats and a nice, chunky steering wheel completing the GT feel. Unfortunately my car wasn’t equipped with sat-nav which was a pain, but the sound system provided great entertainment with the punchy speakers complimented by the AUX cable in. Although the bloody sound compensation thing was irritable to say the least as the volume kept self-modulating, making for inconsistent volume.

Driving this car is a mixed affair and I get the impression it’s trying to maintain a split personality but failing at both, it’s neither a proper GT, nor is it a sports car with dynamics to match. It’s a 6 speed manual and the gearbox itself is a slick affair, with each shift smooth and easy and heel and toeing working best from the ball of your foot. However, there’s no reward to your hard work and despite the classic BMW silky smooth 3.0 6 living up to its reputation, it didn’t ever feel like anything other than an arranged marriage between transmission and engine.

Frequently I’d feel the effects of chassis lag as the elastic feel of the engine would be working against my perfect gear shifts. Whether it be wobbly engine mounts or some sort of weird gearbox bounce, the car would often wobble when startled into acceleration. It’s a throbbing lump and sounds meaty, but without menace. Sport mode would sharpen up throttle response and would exacerbate the strange chassis lag rather than fix it.

The engine felt lethargic and with a fairly 2010 average weight of 1500kg, shouldn’t have felt so. I never quite knew how to get the best out of it as it didn’t feel comfortable being revved, nor did it ever feel like it had the tractability of low down torque, sometimes even getting bogged down at low revs.

This feeling of disappointment is compounded by the inert handling. I’d imagine this is how the American classic cars handled, heavy at the nose and very little feedback through the over-servoed steering. No matter how much I’d lean into the car, it would never communicate its limit to me, feeling often unsafe and unpredictable, even in Sport + mode. It was, strangely enough, remarkably difficult keeping it in a straight line as the car would often graze the lane on the motorway, from one dotted line to the other due to its overly sensitive dead-ahead steering. And dammit, if I want to do a burnout from the slip road and paint black lines on the tarmac, that should be my prerogative. I don’t want an ECU doing the decision making for me by cutting power!

In comparison to the 2.7 Boxster I drove, it’s not even close dynamically. The Z4 makes up a lot of ground with that modern roof, but it had none of the chassis brilliance, nor did it have the perfection of engine and gearbox union that always distinguishes a Porsche from its peers. The Boxster was a car that I simply wanted to drive right out into the middle of the night in winter. I never had the inclination to do that in the Z4, despite its better looks, superior build quality and modern design in ergonomics – but BMW are masters at that.

So, if you want a cab to pose in (and who’d blame you), the Z4 is the more appealing, aesthetically. But if you want a rewarding, engaging roadster that tickles the spine when nobody is looking, then the Boxster is for you.

EDIT:
Bart has emailed me pictures of his new Z4. As I said, if I were to have bought this car, it would be in white and here’s the evidence. It looks spectacular!

Enjoy Bart.

Have eventually pulled the Alpina out of the workshop it was in. After a whole year in their care, all they had done was a respray on the shell. It’s the same story all over that 99% of people doing what I am will recite with almost pin point accuracy. The temptation to pull in new jobs whilst working on a major project is too great for the small workshops, so deadlines are never met.

I’ve now moved to a new firm who have guaranteed a 3 month turn around on the car – I really want the car back by summer, hoping not to have to pack it away for the winter. Really looking forward to this, hope the new firm do a good job.

Meanwhile, the Q7 is about to be dumped in May. It’s time for a replacement, but as always, nothing ever goes to plan. I’ve had repeated call back failures from two different Audi dealerships. I’ve literally left half a dozen messages, I’m actually shouting down the phone “Guys, I wanna give you some of my cash!!” but it’s to no avail. I often wonder if the car industry have any clue as to why it’s crashing and burning. Even Nissan have been awful. I’ve been looking into Qashqai’s as a possible ’sensible’ replacement, but again, they simply do not return calls. In fact, I’ve left 4 messages for Porsche too! No call backs. Either my phone’s fucked, or I’m on some kind of car dealer blacklist!?

On top of that, some dickhead went into the side of me on the North Circular. He came out waaaay worse, but irritatingly, said he would be defending his case. I didn’t bother pursuing with notifying insurers. Today, I found 2 beautiful, massive door dings. And all my tyres are shot. Lovely, £300 a corner.

Finally, had the RS detailed by Nathan at Cambridge Autogleam. Always does a wonderful job, but I think the car needs a proper 2 day restoration job. Still, took only a few days before some twat decided to use my front bumper as a parking sensor. I mean for christ sakes, how can you not see a florescent green Porsche GT3 behind you?

Drove the car into work Friday and decided to take a tour of the west end on the way back. The weather was glorious and the RS was magnificent, resplendent in its new coat of wax. It was a surreal experience as the car attracted an immense amount of attention. Last time I had pedestrian traffic like this was in the Nissan GTR. But this was something else. I stopped off at the awesome Princi at Wardour Street for a chocolate eclair and I swear, I was frozen in the car. I simply could not get out as I counted at one point 5 people taking photos of me.

Eventually, I plucked up enough courage and stepped out, walked into Princi only to see the car getting a ticket on the windshield. A £50 chocolate eclair then. In front of 1000 people. Awesome.

It’s a given that at any time I have an organised event involving the car, I can almost always guarantee rain. Let’s not forget that this was my second scheduled visit as the first one was canceled due to snow. Regardless, I’ll not let the process of precipitation ruin a drive in one of 2010’s most anticipated cars, the new GT3 RS Gen 2.

The Experience Centre is a fantastic place, it’s a very cosy, intimate environment housing very expensive cars such as the LMP Spyder, Carrera GTs and the odd Silk Cut car. Each visit has a different set of cars so it’s a dynamic, changing place with great hospitality and even better food.

My instructor and I enjoyed the fantastic roast lamb lunch and soon made our way through a rather simple briefing session which is catered quite clearly for people who’ve never driven a fast car before. The centre provides experience days for every new car purchase from Cayenne Diesels to 911 Turbos so the diversity of character and experience is vast. 15 mins later and I’m sitting inside the new (soaking wet) RS.

Initial impressions are of course, wonderful. I challenge any petrol head to maintain a consistent BPM just looking at it. It’s one of those few cars that looks fast just parked. With an exaggerated aerokit promoting downforce by way of its massive, beautifully shaped carbon fibre spoiler and its deep, sculpted front skirt, it’s a candid car that simply does not hide its intention.

Stepping inside and here some cynicism prevails. Going from a purely functional aesthetic on the outside, seeing some of the minor gimmicks made me chuckle. Such as the cord pull doors (which really save nothing but add consternation when closing the door) and the delete air-con function, no sat-nav and lightweight car battery are weight saving features that cannot beat a pure and simple diet!

Starting the engine and we’re introduced to a fantastic baritone note that is ever more prominent thanks to the perspex rear window. In note and pitch, it’s the same sound as my red Gen.2 GT3, but slightly louder, owing mostly to a titanium exhaust and perhaps a more liberal carbon airbox. It’s a delicious note and I couldn’t help but constantly prod the throttle when at idle throughout the whole day, you cannot tire of it. Notch one to the RS.2.

Snick the gear lever into first, release clutch and you also notice that the car has become civilised. There’s less clutch chatter, the gearbox is well behaved and the new carbon seats don’t creak. Naturally there’s a lot to be said for a brand new car, but this had 1500 miles on the clock versus my 3600, so it’s not a huge difference. Also, this was a pre-production model, the only RHD car on the road – or not, as it’s not legally allowed on the road.

The first thing you notice is the new front end – with that wider track, it offers a near elimination of understeer. Even in the wet, once the tyres were warm, it had tenacious grip, allowing that oh so familiar delicacy of balance between front and rear wheels. Oversteer is also on demand, typically in lift off fashion again, but the over zealous protection of the instructors refused me any deselection of traction or stability control. Irksome to say the least, but from the hard forced tail out moments that even went beyond the intervention of any technology, it’s quite clear that the car retains its progressive and benign nature on and off the limit.

That 3.8 is a magnificent engine. It’s a true spiritual sibling to the retired 3.6 lump, sharing all the characteristics of its high revving nature without any of the set backs of capacity increases. You can notice the difference between the Gen 1 and Gen 2 cars, that extra 200cc makes some small, but noticeable, difference with a more tractable low revs pick up, leading to slightly punchier mid-range making some of the high rev shifting typical with the previous generation GT3’s a little redundant. I found myself short shifting a few times, apart from that delightful howl, there really isn’t a valid reason to wring its neck all the time anymore.

There’s even better stability in the harsh left – right switchbacks too, with the balance of the car remaining unprovoked. That wider track providing excellent reassurance. There’s a wonderfully poetic moment when you get a bend right in the RS called the slingshot. Get your angle right, as you wind off your lock coming off a bend, hit the throttle at the right spot on the apex and the car is slung with supernatural efficiency onto the straight, reinforcing the slow in, fast out methodology of the GT3. It’s devastatingly rewarding and demonstrates the absurd levels of mechanical grip offered by an off-the-shelf car. I can only imagine how insane it could be with a track geometry set up.

After an hour and a half of abuse, the heat build up in the car brought on a sweat in me (no air con guys, c’mon!) so I decided I’d had enough. As I pulled it in, it was quite clear by the onlookers which car was getting the most attention. And who’d blame them? The RS really does look fantastic. Incredible given how the internet was so scathing of it when wraps were first taken off. Can’t help but feel I’m smitten.

Walking away, I stepped towards my car with those comparative thoughts of ifs and whys. The most comforting thought is that I’ve got £30k sitting in my bank – ultimately, is it £30k better? Probably not, no.

But then that’s a logical, pragmatic decision out of sync in a world born from passionate ideals. And who wants to be sensible when you have a Grey and Red in the garage?

That wasn’t so much of an issue, most of you will know that I have no fear of the rain and in fact can take great enjoyment out of it. Thankfully, the rain cleared and we were blessed with a dry circuit for the whole day. But there were high stakes at play here, with most of my fellow racers come track day regulars were here in force to prove superiority over one another.

Oulton really is a unique circuit and is a great shame that it’s so far away from my house (about 3 hour drive in clear traffic). It’s got incredible, sweeping undulations, with more blind crests and bends than any other place I can remember, bar the Nordschleife. Like the 911 RS, it’s a multi-faceted place with layers of difficulty peeled off the better you become. It can reward and punish with equal measure, with very little run off on some of the massively hard braking areas, requiring you to depend on your hardware more than any other circuit I know of.

However, I simply was not on the pace. Good friend Glenn McMennamin, who recently won his ProAm 2 championship title in the Porsche Carrera Cup, was always a great benchmark. Even though he was always faster overall, I was able to at least make comparative judgment on the differences. At Oulton, however, I don’t know what happened, but he was simply in a different league, as was Ken, who competes in the Lotus Elise Cup. All three of us in 997 RS’s, I just simply couldn’t maintain the pace. I’d also just picked the car up from Fearnsport after a track geometry and suspension set up, together with that, I exchanged my standard discs for a set of awesome Alcon discs and Pagid RS29 pads all around. The discs, although expensive at £1600 for the pair, provide absurd levels of longevity, with my last set on the white car having lasted about 15 trackdays. The pads are also standard GT3 fare. Finally, brake fluids are changed to high boiling point Castrol.

No matter, I couldn’t get my power down, brakes just weren’t biting and ABS was not cutting in. It doesn’t take a genius, but at the time, I couldn’t see the problem, even though I was staring it down the face!

This was a major dampener for me so I consoled myself by resorting to drifting everywhere. Even on and off the circuit as I went out to buy petrol from the local Shell garage. Unfortunately, this earnt me two different warnings, both outside the circuit and inside! “Compliments of Race Control sir, but please could you stop your tyres from squealing everywhere?” Game over for me…

The GT3 comes with the Michelin Pilot Sport Cups (the tyre on the right) from factory. I knew that my tyres were original from new, now over two years old. Although they had some tread good enough for the road, Cups really need to be fresh to get the most out of them on track. I still wasn’t convinced until I stole Glenn’s spare set from the tyre support crew and got them fitted to my car. These were the new Pirelli Corsa R’s. Not only are they a better compound, offering some high tech science behind its grip levels, but they were also oversized, comfortably fitting a 325 section over a regular 305.

Oh. My. God.

It quite literally felt like a different car from the very moment I turned my first corner on track. Sure footed, solid, extraordinarily grippy with an almost total elimination of understeer and oversteer. It felt so amazingly different that I immediately knocked at least 5 seconds off a lap with them, perhaps even more. It truly was a revelation and I’ve never before felt such a stark contrast in tyre performance and technology.

The curious thing is that I’ve actually had these tyres before on my white GT3, but I do not ever remember being so blown away by them.

There are, of course, caveats. They cost £1700.00. Got back up yet? Here are a few alternatives for your £1700.00 :)

Are they worth twice the price of a set of R888’s? Are they worth a 50% premium over a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cups? Well, how much do you value those seconds? And to be frank, it’s not just about the laptimes either, they are soooo surefooted, they present a new dynamic to your car previously unexplored. For me, there simply is no question, they are a necessary investment for anybody looking to get good performance on track.

I’ve waxed lyrical about them, so I’ll just end on saying the day was finished on a high note.

Full album can be found here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blowdog/sets/72157623613201356/

Highlight photos:

Pros
It has one of the best 3.0TDi’s in the business. The BMW unit is more modern and the twin turbo more powerful, but they don’t hold a light to the smoothness of the Audi unit. Dishing out 400 lb/ft, it’s also a surreal proposition. Seeing a 2.5 tonne car being hauled with such ease is off-putting at best of times.
Fabulous gearbox. The six speed auto is smooth and responsive. Sport mode is very effective too, with a far more dynamic use of gears, preferring to hold gears much longer, giving better response. Paddle shift available also for those pretending it’s of any use.
It is very comfortable. With the standard air suspension, it’s a cruiser on all types of terrain. Its high seating position also giving it a naturally comfortable vista, allowing even the wife to navigate the car with suspicious ease.
Surprising agility for a behemoth with adjustable suspension settings providing flexibility based on your mood.
Mountain bike fits right in, no problem. Don’t have to disassemble anything.
Oh, can also fit motorbikes in there too

Cons
Fuel consumption is horrific, averaging 25MPG, making fuel stops a frequent and irksome pastime, especially as each tank costs £100.00, taking absolutely forever to fill up at some courts.
Size is intimidating at first, but even after getting used to the fact that it doesn’t drive like a big car, you realise 80% of parking spaces suddenly become unavailable. You cannot fit in anything other than a completely empty space.
Build quality is typically Americanised. It’s got thin paintwork, exposing tiny scratches. I’ve had trim fall off, minor electrical components fail and fascia dent very easily.

What’s my shortlist? I’m going to hell, but I really like the concept of a roomy, 4×4. With two kids, both with car seats, and a pushchair permanently in the boot, it’s either a 4×4 or people carrier. And I’m not quite the quaker yet.

Audi Q7 – the new ones have engine modifications so they incorporate stop-start tech. This will help the fuel bills no end.
BMW X5 – The dynamic class leader. Not as big as a Q7, but that isn’t such a bad thing
Cayenne Hybrid – too expensive!

Whatever I choose, I will miss this car. It’s been fantastic and easy to live with. A true fire and forget car.

Full set here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blowdog/sets/72157623431857407/

I’m both terrified and extremely excited by the prospect of driving this car. Naturally, I’m as keen as anybody to see how much difference there is between not only my current RS, but also the Gen2 GT3, and the new Gen2 RS. It’s all getting complicated. However, I’ve also placed a mind-block upon myself, I’m psychologically blocking all RS.2 related material from cranial considerations. If I can’t get one, then they don’t exist right? Why torture myself!?

Autocar have just launched what is probably the best review of the car I’ve seen. Not only is the guy well informed, but we’ve got some real nice video footage of the car. :

There are a multitude of other video and magazine reviews out now, Porsche have no doubt just done the Press launch. Keeping a media black out on these reviews is proving to be very very difficult and I just hope that I’ll get in it and, well, hope it’s not all that better.

To boot, weather is looking spectacular :(

Having suffered an irksome spell of snow and bad weather over the past month, I was happy with anything other than more snow. So when the weather report said ‘Heavy showers all day’ I was jubilant. I’m no alien to a bit of damp and as I hadn’t yet had time to change my discs and pads to more powerful items, what better way to consummate my relationship with my latest GT3?

So the soldiers with me, Henry in his beautifully pristine Cobalt Blue 997 GT3 and Guy in his powerhouse Dark Grey Metallic Nissan GTR. Warriors into battle, not a shred of fear amongst us. As a threesome we’ve together done a multitude of international events. We’ve probably travelled to Europe together dozens of times. We know the best viewing points at the Nurburgring (They’ve done the Scuderia Hanseat 3 times each) We’ve done trackdays together in the 100’s. And this has been going on for nigh on a decade. It’s this experience that we’ve collated, not only as trackday drivers, that allows us as a trio of guys to anticipate each others moves in such a safe and fun experience, regardless of environmental influence. I remember once in Papenburg, northernmost Germany, I had severe tyre damage on 2 wheels. I had to drive back from Germany to London at 30MPH through the night. It took me 9 hours to get home. Henry and Guy (with chest infection) did not leave my side and stuck with me the entire journey.

It’s this trust that allows the three of us to attack a trackday employing the ferocity we desire, with zero visibility, without risk to ourselves or others.

Enough with the pleasantries. How was the RS? [broken record mode]Absolutely bloody brilliant [/]. I have no other word to describe it. Rain or shine, this car is the king – undisputed. It really was non-stop rain all day and the GT3 is not a car to take liberties with. But I know this car, I’ve lived with it for years. I know its habits, its foibles and its idiosyncrasies. I know when to press it, I know when to submit.

The RS was so similar to the cooking vanilla GT3 that I’m really struggling to find some difference. I do notice an eagerness to rev – this is down to both the free-revving nature of the lightweight flywheel and also an effect of noise driven by the lack of rear window insulation (it’s made of lightweight plastic). I also noticed that when provoked into a drift (which was practically a permanent state yesterday), the car had a tendency to snap back into your line of sight with aggression. If not checked, this can lead to snappy fishtailing. I’m blaming this on a number of things; Firstly, the road conditions were totally chaotic – with the deep freeze over winter, this was followed by monsoon-like weather. What this did to the track surface is anyones guess. Secondly, I hadn’t had a geo done on the car yet, so I’m not sure what kind of camber this car has out of the factory. Rumour has it that camber settings from factory are often inconsistent and need adjusting, regardless of setting. Finally, and almost obviously, we have a wider track on the RS. This would possibly account for more grip on the rear, something you’d notice when coming out of an oversteer/drift moment.

Two other things I’ve noticed about this car. There’s the noise. It really is a stupendous, epic, shrieking banshee wail that entices at 3k rpm, exhilarates at 6k rpm and brutally rapes the senses at 8.2k rpm. Halving the thickness of the rear window and turning it into plastic has amplified the acoustic brilliance from inside the car and the pursuit of revs continues over and over again. The other thing to notice is the fantastic braking stability with that spoiler. It has none of the shifting, fidgety nature the GT3 has, allowing you to haul in under hard braking time and time again with sure-footedness. It’s reliable, dependable and controllable right up to the stopping inch, allowing you to focus on your approach line with clarity.

As it’s thinner brother proved before it, the RS is a delicate tool. The GTR a crushing carpet bomb of excellence as it devours anything in its path with utter abandon, the RS choosing instead to surgically remove its targets one by one, micro-managing inputs, gracefully crafting a line from one corner to the next and allowing itself to be adjusted minutely as it communicates the level of each and every wheel, one by one. It really is a revelation in driver communication and the low level seating of the fixed carbon seats places your arse right bang in the middle of the front and rear wheels. I have full dolby 7.1 DTS surround and I’m watching Avatar from the best seat in the house. It’s still no match for the GTR’s power on the straights, nor its incredible technology when juggling drive distribution through its four wheels. Coming out of a chicane onto a straight, the RS is no match for the GTR as it just opens its maw and chews through metal, tarmac, flesh and bone combined. The only hope you have is to fix up a number of consecutive bends – at this, the GTR struggles to contain it’s leviathan weight as gravity simply cannot be overcome – regardless of how many GB of processing power you throw at it. Still, I know which car I’d rather drive home in and the GTR is no doubt worthy of the many international accolades it has collected. Speaking of, has anyone questioned why Michael Bay hasn’t used one in Transformers? It’s perfect!

What was surprising was the wet weather ability of the RS – especially given it was on Michelin Pilot Sport Cups – horrible wet weather tyres. I suspect with the Pirelli Corsa R Systems, the car would have ripped a hole in the fabric of space time continuum. Although grip was severely restricted, the sheer level of communication allowed for healthy progress.

Henry in his GT3 provides the comedy. We’ve always enjoyed the odd black flag at Snetterton as we cannot resist the odd showboating. Today was a little different with the marshals as they appeared to be quite laid back and relaxed, considering there were only 20 cars on the track that’s no surprise.

I still maintain that there’s very little difference between a GT3 and its RS stablemate. It’s just as competent and equally effective in both rain and shine. I really am loving the colour scheme though, as loud and offensive as it may be, it’s quite suiting really. The ultimate test will be on a dry day after I’ve done my track geometry set up. Then I will be in a position to compare and that day can’t come soon enough.

My name is Cem. I am a GT3 addict.

As my predecessor elected to retain the car upon the inverse of his garage, I came to the car and discovered it buried underneath 2 inches of snow. Anyone who’s anyone knows GT3’s hate the cold for long periods. They are wild, feral beasts that choose to dance upon warm environments and work themselves into sweated frenzies. Anything more than a couple of weeks in sub-zero temperatures, the battery dies.

And my battery was dead.

First trip to Halfords and I bought another trickle charger (typical when you REALLY need your trickle charger, it’s actually 50 miles north because a friend borrowed it). This was plugged into the car and after 6 hours, ignition turned. Great, still nothing. Another trip to Halfords and I returned with a new battery and £120 lighter of pocket. Official Porsche one costs £300.00 – I hope I will not need it come warranty inspection time, later this month.

At last, I’m out, winding down doing 40 mph on the North Circular with pleasant satisfaction upon myself. Not much can do this, I find being in a familiar car environment is the great antithesis to stress.

This is my first 997 in RS guise. After periods of ridiculing RS buyers for having too much money to burn, I find myself open to revenge criticism.

Comparisons between the two inevitable of course, but I’ll not be qualified to do so until limits are explored on track. What I can say from the off is how incredible susceptible the RS is to tramlining, the wheels finding solace amongst the rutted valleys within the tarmac. Especially so of late, as the snow and low temperatures have made a mockery of UK asphalt. I inadvertently went over pot-holes tonight that were violent enough to shatter my spinal column.

Noise is also amplified. Not only is the rear window made of plastic, so less able to insulate noise, but also the single mass flywheel makes for a very noisy clutch. The acoustic effect is there to accentuate the ‘trackday’ aspect of the RS, but what I found it does is make the standard GT3 so much more hospitable in times when you aren’t on the racetrack.

But these are minor negatives to what is, of course, a staggeringly good car. Perfect heel and toeing – not because I’m a heel and toe master, but simply because the car’s been built to allow me, nay, entice me to do it. In the same way the steering wheel position, relative to your seating height and arm length is just spot on and even when you’re at a traffic light you can’t help but feel you’re on the grid. It feels like that scene in Avatar where the Na’vi connect with various animals via the nerve receptors at the end of their hair. It’s just a raw, primal, fleshy connection between man and car.

Tonight’s weather conditions were treacherous, given the amount of crap on the roads, that wasn’t surprising. But the GT3, being the delicate tool that it is, is subtley attuned to these variations in road and weather conditions. Care and attention is required to avoid any heart in mouth moments that require quick flicks of the wrist and brave maintenance of throttle and steering alike, lest you end up like the poor Z4 driver tonight who inexplicably buried himself into the very foundations of Hammersmith flyover at 50 MPH. I couldn’t find the front of that car for the life of me. It simply was no more.

2009 was an appalling year, both commercially and personally. After having been subjected to countless burglaries and various episodes of the law working against me, it’s nice to be back in something that is familiarly excellent.

It doesn’t make 2009 alright, but it does make it easier to swallow.

Spot the coffee cup.

How quaint

It’s the one true time in the whole year where I can relax, in the purest sense. The type where I can run a bath in the middle of the day and turn my phone off, knowing I’m under no pressure.

It’s also a dangerous time as idle hands become the devils tools and I can demonstrate better than anyone that a fool and his money are easily parted.

The week before Xmas, I gave Porsche the bird. I will be publishing an open letter in the new year, unless they get in touch with me which will be as miraculous as seeing Jesus Christ come out of my garden shed as I’m reaching in for another pack of kitchen rolls. As a result, I decided that I no longer wanted £10,000 in their care so I also asked for a refund to my deposit. Right now, my toys are being thrown everywhere. I’ll get over it, but right now I want them to know they’re being dicks.

So. I went and bought a car. A deposit of £7k has been placed and I hope to pick it up on Wednesday. Can’t wait :)

However, in my deliberations concerning the continued reasoning of these opportunists, I’ve come to the conclusion that they are perhaps after the Focus RS. As a result, I made a rather hasty decision and sold it back to Perry’s Ford.

Hindsight always does cast a rose tinted projection of the past as I’m already missing it, despite hardly having used the car in the past few weeks.

I still maintain that it was one of the best and most dramatic looking cars on the road. It is positively overflowing with aggression and machismo with it’s bulldog like stance and flared and winged decorations. I wonder if it actually shares any panels with a normal Focus.

I do have a disadvantage, however, in comparing this to other cars of this genre. Fact is, the last hot hatch I owned was back in 1992 when I owned a Mk2 Vauxhall Astra GTE 2.0 8v so as a result, I have no experience in casting any benchmark comparison. I do, however, understand the concept of driver involvement and fun and for that reason, allow me to place judgment…

There seems to be a lot of press lately about the gross exageration of the Focus RS power figures. Although stated at about 305BHP, many journalists are claiming to have dyno’d no more than 275 – bringing it down by 30BHP. Coupled with a 1500kg weight, you’d expect a minor struggle, but it simply isn’t case with a ferociously addictive lunge that reels in cars in the horizon far quicker than any figures should give it credit for. It feels powerful, weighty and absorbed and does not let any of those qualities deter its delicious turn in. Even in the wet, sharp, quick turns of the wheel are followed by obedient, crisp adjustments. It feel dialed in completely, even with my tyres part worn.

But it’s also in the wet where the frustrations start to creep in – unfortunately, it’s pretty much rained the entire time I owned this car. Anything over than 50% throttle will spin the wheels in 1st, 2nd and sometimes 3rd gear – even with traction control on. Now, I don’t normally mind wheelspin, in fact I find it challenging. But in a FWD 300BHP car, it’s simply annoying. You see, the wheels don’t just spin away, the entire front section of the car jumps up and down like an agricultural pile driver. It makes an awfully embarrassing show of itself and I often wonder if people on the outside hear the massive bangs the suspension arms perform as the chin of the car makes out like Bruce Forsythe. It really is unseemly and all it does is stop you from accelerating hard again which kind of ruins the fun.

Another really annoying thing is the bloody mindedness of the entire lux pack 2 system. For a start, why oh why does it not come with the iPhone connecter cable from the begining? I mean what’s the point in providing all the technology and then leaving the owner to then subsequently go out to Ford and buy a £20 cable? No sense. However, that’s only the start of the problem as you try to define some logic in the arbitrary success of the unit. Sometimes it recognises your iPhone, sometimes it doesn’t. Today I spent 30 mins trying to fix the bluetooth, then realising that I’d arrived at my destination. Except the sat nav dropped me off 10 miles away from where I wanted it.

Finally, there’s the build quality, which is appalling. First, I had a large piece of plastic fly out from under the sat nav and land on my lap. I couldn’t fit it back on again so back to dealer. Except this time, the whole dashboard kinda punched itself out by about 2 inches on the left. So it went back to the dealer again, but not before deciding to vomit out all the screws that keep the inner wheel arch linings together (apparently a Ford recall).

However, get a few choice moments behind the wheel where you’ve connected up a couple of tight bends and it simply doesn’t matter anymore as the Focus RS bathes you in waves of comedy character. It’s boisterous fun, it sounds superb and just knows how to show you a good time.

I’m certainly going to miss its immense practicality, with its full 4 seats and massive boot space, with reversing camera, keyless ignition, pray-and-beg bluetooth and ipod connectivity, sat nav and telephone module. If I was in the market for a £25k hot hatch, there would be no contest! But I’m not. I’m in the market for a GT3 aight?

Huge thanks, meanwhile, to Perry’s Ford in Aylesbury who were cracking to deal with.

There were three cars there on view, photos below (Many thanks for the assumed permission for the photos from Layo, a user on Pistonheads). They really are quite abusive and shocking in their appearance with the GreyBlack and Red appearing the most suitable. White and red looking fantastic, but I’ve done White way too much lately with the last 997 for two and a half years.

That carbon spoiler is a work of art, though, and it is a fantastic combination of sculpted carbon and crafted alloy. All in all, the car is a sharpened tool that leaves no doubt in the mind as to its intentions and capabilities.

I managed to enjoy some good lunch with Geoff Turral, MD of Porsche Marketing GB, where we had a good head to head about Porsche’s current ordering and vetting processes which have caused me much deliberations of late. No promises were made but good headway was reached regarding my issues.

There’s no question, there has been a LOT of work gone into the recent RS with considerable effort to make the distinctions between GT3 and RS. However, there is also pressure on the driver now. If you turn up to a circuit with this, nothing else than ‘fastest’ should matter.

For those who didn’t know, my Alpina turned out to be a toffee apple. It’s a term used in the trade to describe a delicious looking skin that disguises rotten bodywork underneath. My car turned out to be a bit of a dog. So we went right back down to the shell. The whole car was stripped, cleaned, galvanised, sanded, wielded and repainted in its original Lachs Silver glory.

It’s starting to look fabulous again, even though it’s just a shell. Next step is to rebuild the original Alpina C2 2.7 engine.

Update soon.

1) I place order for a GT3 gen2 at Porsche Reading
2) Car arrives, I’m deliriously happy – so much so, that I want to go for an RS gen2
3) I get an opportunity to take a friends order for a 1st place RS. Dealer in question agrees to the swap.
4) I decide to sell the GT3 in anticipation of the forthcoming RS. Porsche Reading make me an offer and I accept.
5) Porsche ask questions about this ‘RS’ I’ve organised. I say very little. Shortly after, a memo gets sent around to all dealers – “No order transfers are allowed”.
6) I lose my slot on the RS
7) I ask Porsche to sell me back my GT3 – they agree on the Friday. I ask for some short time to arrange finances
8) I call back Monday multiple times and email them to arrange transfer
9) Tuesday I receive email that explains car has been sold to somebody else.

This makes me sick to the teeth. I’m pretty much convinced Porsche Reading have had a hand in ensuring that this RS order got rescinded. Still, having just purchased my 3rd GT3 (only parted £90k with them a month before) I’d have expected a little common courtesty over the weekend by way of “Hi Cem, I’ve got somebody interested, do you definitely want the car back?”. Nothing.

Even now, I am sending emails to them asking for Dealer Principle names and I am being ignored.

Perhaps I should have done what any other budding opportunist would have done by way of making a massive premium on the car when I sold it. I could easily have put a £10k sticker on top.

Ugh…

That’s a saying we laughed about as kids when we were young. It came after a period of relative wealth during my early teens which had us in BMW’s, Jag’s and Merc’s for a few years. Leading out of the recession of the 90’s, I was in a 4 gear Corsa 1.2.

So it was with some frame of reference I was able to refer back to the Equidaen saying from 20 years ago. Having nurtured a GT3 for the past two years to a point where I experienced Zen every time out on the track, venturing out in the Focus RS was…….enlightening.

Forgive me. For many people, the Focus RS represents a real world aspiration wrapped up in a real world car. A sub £30k hot hatch that wraps up violent design, murderous ambition and uncontrolable urge in a socially unacceptable package. It really is a comedy sketch.

The day at Silverstone started wet, which meant the Focus RS really doesn’t know what to do apart from ensure that its driver is shrieking at every minor indescretion. Understeer, oversteer, drifting, torquesteer, bumpsteer, scrub, grind and many other popular latino grooves. You name it, it will throw it at you. Thankfully, it’s still a lot of fun and any of those crazy dance moves are delivered with full notice as you’d expect from any fwd hot hatch.

It feels a little cumbersome with its full 1500kg weight apparent on the high speed bends such as maggots, but otherwise has a delicious turn in that works well until you need to drive out of it. In the dry, you can moderate throttle and adjust steering each time the wheels start spinning to pull you out of a turn but in the wet, it’s just a hopeless balance of throttle and a few prayers.  Otherwise you just witness the revs shoot up and the car drift way off line, sometimes dangerously off the tarmac.

Which brings into question the traction control. Ford have done a fantastic job with this. On the road, I’m often looking at the dashboard for any signs that it is intervening, it’s so subtle. On the track, it’s obvious. With traction control on, it works pretty well accelerating out of the wet bends, but get the car into oversteer or any drift, it’s intrusive and stops you from pulling the car back into line again. With TC off, you can play with some ridiculous angles, but forget about those bends.

As the day dried out, so did grip and all 300BHP can be put to effective use. It’s a really fast hatch, no question. Naturally, it loses its punch after about 110MPH when things start to slow down a bit. On Silverstone, that’s noticed as all the GT3’s start to thunder past, providing me with reasons for not wanting to be in the Focus. The odd tussle with R26.R’s were great fun though, with the Focus RS more than a match for the track focused hatches. The closest to a fight was with a car chipped, giving it more power than the Focus RS.

A comment needs to be made about the brakes though, they were fantastic. They offered great peddle feel, did not fade at all and maintained their consistency throughout. The car behaved wonderfully in fact. But it still left me longing for my GT3 as I came out of it feeling as though I’d taken the car as far as I could – there really was nothing further to learn.

Henry, having seen the look of melancholy in my face, handed me his keys to his GT3 and said “Go knock yourself out”….. I really didn’t need convincing and what followed was 10 laps of pure, undiluted, non-filtered bliss. It was an utter joy and within minutes, I was again exploring the many depths, peeling layer after layer from the GT3, only to find new aspects of its character that had previously as yet been undiscovered. “Do you mind if I showboat a bit, Henry?” preceeded some 60deg drifting, naturally for the crowds, in what is the greatest car ever made (TM).

Driving the GT3 after a whole day with the Focus RS was like finding your children after having lost them in a shopping centre. The Focus RS is a magnificent hot hatch, but the GT3 is a touch of divine glory.

Have always loved this car from launch. Even after having seen it at the Geneva motorshow for the first time, I was smitten by how ridiculously agressive the design was, from its drooping fat chin, to its over exaggerated spoiler on the boot. It was basically a charicature of the hot hatch and in no way could it be launched in concept trim!

Except it was.

I need a car to enjoy over the winter and what better way than a White Focus RS. Nearly new with 2k miles on the clock, the Focus RS is a pretty special play toy. With over 300 BHP and 325 ft/lb torque, any hard acceleration can simply be regarded as nothing other than comedy! I know for a fact that I’m going to be chewing through tyres in this car. Slam your foot down in 2nd, 3rd or even 4th and your arms suddenly start wrestling with the wheel as it tries to break free from its shackles and throw itself out the window in a glorious escape to freedom. It’s also ridiculously cheaply made. I’ve already had bits of plastic trim from the facia fall off in my hand. But then, this is a £26k car. It’s basically a Ford Focus 1.4 underneath, only with anabolic steroid abuse.

Have you ever seen such an aggressive front before?! It’s positively drunk and off its face and you look it in the eye and you’ll be guaranteed to house a bottle in your temple before the nights out.

So, agressive looks, hyperactive steering – is there anything that is vaguely normal about this car? Actually, no. Weirdly enough, it’s about 100kg heavier than the GT3, weighing in at about 1500kg. So it’s not light, but without appearing blatantly predictable, it’s actually pin sharp in delicacy and pointedness. Even in damp conditions, roundabouts are adhesive and it’s only with aggressive use of mid-corner throttle does the car look you in the face and shout ‘LOL PHYSICS’.

There’s something wonderfully endearing about owning a £25k hot hatch. With a 90k GT3, you can’t talk to people about it without them thinking you’re a wanker. The Focus RS is the Barry McGuigan of the car world, a people’s champion, not concerned about false pretences but merely tasked with getting a job done without compromise.

It’s also got a wealth of toys that put the GT3 to shame, especially given its price tag. Reversing camera, touch screen sat nav, keyless entry and go, ipod connector etc. Those seats are also pretty darn rad.

I’m at Silverstone this weekend with a bunch of others in hot hatches – the GT3’s are being left at home. This time, I don’t mind so much :)

Oh and watch this bleeding video!

After my trackday at Snetterton, my brakes developed an unpleasant noise and vibration. An appointment was made to Porsche Reading to rectify said problem, although my fears were cemented by then – it was obvious the steel brakes were simply not up to the task. A huge disappointment, given how Andreas Preuninger waxed lyrical about them at the launch. Frankly, they’re a huge disappointment and I decided at that point to never spec steel discs on a GT3 again (more on that later!).

Regardless, I was told by Porsche, after countless photos and videos sent to Porsche Germany, that the brakes had been subjected to abuse and would not be covered by neither goodwill nor warranty. I came away perplexed, if there’s one thing I do not do, that’s abuse my cars. I know better than many the cooling cycles necessary for discs during trackday use. So I came home and after some careful consideration, decided to put the car up for sale. I figured winter was coming, it wasn’t going to get any good use and I had the RS coming in March (more on that later!!).

Within a day of putting the car up for sale, Porsche called me and offered to buy the car there and then. Deal done and sold. The car was already at Porsche Reading having the brakes investigated, so it was simply a case of coming to my house to collect the V5 documents. However, after having committed to the sale of the car, I shortly got told that due to dealer process restructuring, I also wouldn’t be getting the GT3RS!

The temptation to cancel my sale on the eve of the buyer turning up was immense and took a number of phonecalls to trusted colleagues to sway me from one side to another. In the end, it took a sensible approach and I let the car go. It’s a MASSIVE shame and I’m more upset about this epic trackday booked for this Sunday at Silverstone. It’s practically a who’s who of trackdays. Still, I’ve just bought something else for the weekend….

As for the RS, I’m going to have to hunt one down in the new year come spring time. I’ve heard there are very limited numbers planned with only about 40 cars due to the UK. This is going to make it very difficult to source one without a premium, but I’ll keep looking.

And my Guards Red GT3? Well, given that it was only in my hands for a few weeks, it’s difficult to really justify the £30k premium over the Gen1 GT3, which, let’s face it, is a stupendously good car. Really, it’s utterly magnificent. And the Gen2? Well, it’s faster, that much is certain – the fact that it can now keep up with a Nissan GT-R on full chat says a lot. It’s also very good looking with significant improvements to it’s overall aesthetic – that rear spoiler is truly epic. It’s also updated with mod-cons such as touch screen sat nav, ipod connector etc.

I’ll miss this car for sure, I didn’t get to really bond with it – I guess I’ll leave that for the RS. Speaking of RS’s….

Regardless, it wasn’t long before a dry line appeared on track and as traffic increased, so did traction, allowing me to further push the GT3 into the farthest reaches of our universe. I’m near on 500 miles with the new GT3, but I can really start to feel the increase in power – not as an absolute, but the minor changes to the map making an overall improvement throughout the whole rev-range. With an unnamed friend in his Nissan GTR (warranty blah blah) acting as reference, I was quite expecting to be left behind, only making time up on the straights. But it didn’t quite pan out that way with a frentic number of sessions consisting of nose to tail action, cementing the fact that the new 3.8 is more than a match for the massively fast GTR.

A forever changing cat and mouse game, the GTR would make progress on the two straights of Snetterton, but the light weight nature of the GT3 made a killing under hard braking and sharp turns. Again the Nissan would take large chunks out of the GT3 from some of the very tight chicane exits, where its four wheel drive would aid exit traction when I’d be crossing my arms trying to keep the car straight (which has been immense fun!).

Where are the improvements? Well, the overall speed of the car is a minor, but noticable difference. There’s also a better connection between steering wheel and front wheels under hard acceleration and turn. I always used to notice a lack of gravity up front as though the steering was searching for some feedback, in vain. That appears to be remedied with some real proper feedback, including less understeer and better communication. But the most significant improvement has to be in its aerodynamics. Hard braking in the Gen1 used to be hugely amusing with sweepstakes trying to determine the direction the car would take – quite often at the point where your braking pressure is at the maximum point before the ABS cuts in. I remember quite clearly in the Gen1 at the huge long straight at Snetterton (Revett straight) you’d be coming down from 140MPH really hard on the brakes, perhaps harder than any other circuit – and the car would jitter and swerve all over. The deep front dam and the exagerated spoiler seem to have given the car impressive road holding that has ultimately aided its on-limit stability.

So, not a huge amount of differences. I have to ask my dealer if I actually got my dynamic engine mounts, because frankly I can’t feel any difference and I’d be mighty pissed off if I’d been sold a marketing gimmick that had no functional value. It’s still a ridiculous car and there really is nothing like it. It’s supremely quick now for a 3.8 normally aspirated car and still retains that unique nibleness and litheness that makes it the envy of cars with twice its horsepower.

Just a word, meanwhile, to the people on trackdays who seem to think it’s OK to piss fuel/oil all over the circuit and remain on the racing line while plumes of smoke destroy your chances of credibility. I know sometimes ‘things’ happen that are outside of your control, but please for the love of god use some common sense.

It’s proper quick. There’s an added sense of urgency now, low down. I remember a slight latency at low revs, but that appears vanquished as the car offers a typically relentless banshee howl. And what a screamer. I’m positive this car is louder, it’s certainly more vocal and I’m really digging the opportunities to bounce sound waves off of low walls.

It also appears, unless I’m mistaken, that Porsche have placed the engine back into the front. That sense of disconnectivity the car had with the road in the first gen GT3 when hard accelerating and turning has all but evaporated, with a real added feeling of weight way up front. Real confidence inspiring stuff.

Snetterton booked for this weekend coming, although not sure I’m going to have a geo set up in time. I’m curious to see how these dynamic engine mounts are on track. And why the hell can’t I play video on my TFT??

I originally expected this car to be ready for pick up sometime yesterday. It’s amazing how much of a drama queen you become when that estimate doesn’t become firm reality. However, pretty sure it was due to happen today, so I took a day off in anticipation.

8.03 am the photos of the car started to trickle in to my mobile phone from the dealer, with the car having just been unloaded from Germany. Generally, a Porsche dealer needs about 3 days to do a full and thorough PDI on a new car. Mine was completed in about 6 hours and they did a sterling job – no doubt a driving factor was my incessant communications trying to establish where exactly the car is!

My initial thoughts after driving about 150 miles (most of which were admittedly horrible motorway miles) are a little surprising. Can I say “The same, but better” without appearing to recite from the Book of Cliches? It’s very very close in character to the original car. The main big area of change is in the aesthetic. Considering we’re taking about an evolved Porsche, that may come across as an oxymoron, but for someone who’s lived with GT3’s for a collection of about 4 years, these are big changes.

That spoiler is the money shot. It’s big and bold without being at the expense of cohesion, there’s no indication that this may well be an aftermarket bolt on option as often the RS models appear to be. The added height and size does make a minor difference to rear-view visibility, but I saw that as a bonus as it hides many of the flashing headlights I seem to acquire shortly after overtaking someone…

The wheels are also spectacular in form and function. The single bolt effect has 2 benefits, one being lighter rotating masses and second being a fast wheel swap, great for trackday tyre swaps. Looking down from above the wheel, the blades have a protuding style that makes them look big. Coupled with the gun metal finish, they look fabulous as a contrast to the red. And what a red. I’d not have thought that guards red would look so fresh, but somehow this GT3 gives it a new lease of life and today it looked vibrant and alive in the sun of our indian summer here in UK.

The daytime running lights give it an air of quality as some of the Audi’s often do. They are LED’s, as are the excellently designed rear clusters, and do a brilliant job of announcing the car as a ‘different’ 911. The main xenon’s are so powerful that they annoyed the hell out of my fellow GT3 driver who I drove up the M1 with today. On full beam they practically wake the birds at night from their peaceful slumber.

Otherwise, apart from the added vent in front of the bonnet, deeper, longer front skirt and reshaped rear bumper, it’s business as usual with the classic 911 tear drop given added menace from an emphasised addition of wings and aerodynamics.

Inside, things are familiar and despite the new PCM3 (sat nav and comms), everything else is predictably Porsche. There is no design in the interior as you’d find in an R8 or an Aston Martin, but the layout of the switchgear is usable and easy to find. They’ve removed a lot of the buttons from gen 1 as the interface is now touchscreen. Coupled with my iPod connection option and the telephone bluetooth module, my iPhone now sits tucked away in the glove box with all my functions available either from the PCM screen or my stalk. The interface is well designed, easy to use and is fast processing too. There were no delays in browsing music or indeed navigating the awesome touch screen sat nav which has a fantastic POI integrated too. With my telephone module I was also able to utilise live, dynamic traffic reports on the fly.

Club sport, light weight buckets are business as normal with the only difference being that they didn’t creak anymore like my old ones! A minor problem with carbon fibre seats. The steering wheel has changed, it’s not very pretty to be honest, but the size is good and with fresh alcantara, felt very comfortable in my hands.

How does it drive? Well, the cars come ready run in on bench dyno’s so the car is good to go, despite some prudence required to run in gearbox, clutch etc. As the new starter motor quickly chirped over, the first thing I noticed was how much smoother the gearbox was with the gearstick moving effortlessly into it’s pockets with satisfying clunks, unlike the gen 1 which had a tendancy to grumble a little – especially from cold.

Power is certainly noticable, mostly in the mid to high range there’s a sense of added urge. It’s still a brand new car so despite the obvious tightness of components, there’s definitely a nice power improvement, at least you can feel the extra 20bhp. Not sure most people would, but having spent 2.5 years with a gen 1, it was nice to see a subtle increase to power without compromise to balance.

The exhaust appeared to be a lot more vocal than before too – I assume a result of managed airflow. It’s louder, no doubt, even at idle, and strangely enough, with the windows open, there seemed to be a lot more driver focused noise. It’s great to hear and the provision of the sport button allows this noise to be modulated.

Brakes were superb on the road. They made for difficult heel and toeing, but this might be because of an elevated pedal height due to brand new pads. On heavy braking, heel and toeing is much easier as you’re pressing the brake pedal much harder. The feel was great, with a touch of the brake pedal returning an appropriate response with feel modulated all the way down to the stoppers. At the moment, I’m happy to have not opted for the PCCB’s as the steel’s have proven excellent on road. How they perform on track is a different matter but I fear they may melt into oblivion.

Suspension too is even better sorted. There’s a feeling of utter compliance and it appears to be a little better than the gen 1 at soaking up undulations and changes to road surface. Whether this is an actual revision or an effect of placebo is unknown. The front ARB is from the GT2 which now has adjustable settings. This will be explored soon, together with a better track day geometry and suspension set up.

Didn’t get an opportunity to play about with the stability control. There were 2-3 eerie moments today when it appeared there was some over zealous control of the traction with power appearing to be cut down on slow speed bends. The old car would not have needed traction control at these points so I’m wondering if it’s because the tyres are still new. I hope that this sorts itself out otherwise the installment of the new stability control will be switched off by me.

All in all, an accomplished car that is pretty much identical to the previous car it replaces, but with a whole catalogue of very small changes. There’s a sense of tightness with the car, a lack of any slack, that allows you to extend on its immense repertoir of capabilities knowing full well that there is a clear line of communication between car and driver that is always vibrant and energetic. In my opinion, the original 997 GT3 was a perfect car. To elaborate and improve on so many areas has led to the development of a car that is yet again without peer.

I have a couple of trackdays booked, that’s when I’ll test out the new dynamic engine mounts. Can’t wait.

At some point today, it’ll be ready to pick up. I think I’ll just head down to the dealer today and lick the window all day.

Frankfurt show was huge and I must have walked at least 10 miles today, glad to have got off the plane and into home. Some truly spectacular stages were set, especially the BMW stage with its elevated circuit across the stages. Some fantastic design and use of video and audio created a wonderful motorshow experience. Some of these sets must have cost in excess of multiple millions, it shows that the car industry is not quite knocked out yet and showed how important the German market is.

Porsche GT3 RS was fabulous. In the flesh it’s looking the proper tool of function we’ve come to expect from Porsche, as you use a hammer to drive a nail in, so you use a GT3 to best circuits with. Previously, the GT3 was good enough, but this new iteration has a wealth of differences between cooking vanilla GT3 and RS to warrant my interest. I’ve got a first place position and cannot wait.
Colour is interesting, it’s called ‘Black Grey’ and is one of the four options. However, it HAS been confirmed that there WILL be colour to sample, which means a variety of different colour options. However, these will not be offered before early summertime 2010. LHD deliveries are expected to start November / December with RHD UK deliveries due February time.
The good: That spoiler is a work of art.
The bad: The cloth door pulls are really wrong.
The ugly: Clashing colour schemes?

Panamera had the most ridiculously big brakes.

Ferrari 458 looks much better up close and personal with some dramatically futuristic design cues. Very angular, very sharp – it’s a future proof design, but often they’re the kind that age quickest.

New BMW 7 series looked fantastic in white. Really loved that car and a proper highlight.

Sanity is still fighting with emotion, but for the first time in many years, the RS appears to inherit all the characteristics of the GT3 but with a key number of added wow’s.

Not an exclusive list, but:
Short ratio, short shift gearbox
15bhp +
Titanium exhaust
Wider front track
RS specific PASM suspension
Bigger wheels
Dynamic engine mounts as standard

As for looks, opinions are divided. At first I was bewildered by the choices afforded, but time has been sympathetic and now I want one pretty badly.

I’ve rang pretty much every dealer in the country and the order books are already filled. My dealer says he can get me one – but I’m looking at 5th place in the queue there. I guess it serves me right for not acting quickly when I had the chance!!

New YouTube version (I think I’m gonna migrate to YouTube all my vids)

Great article in Evo a month or two back where Henry Catchpole wrote:
The ‘So what’s your favourite car, then?’ question is tricky. I get asked it a lot. It’s a staple query from random, well-meaning people at christenings and engagement parties, most of whom like watching Clarkson & Co on Sunday evenings. I used to launch into a small speech about why it’s simply impossible to pick a favourite and how you need a big barn with at least ten parking spaces so that there’s room for a car for every situation. Five minutes later, just as I’d be explaining why an F40 is not really a choice but a necessity, I’d realise that their eyes had glazed over – they didn’t like cars that much and this wasn’t the quick, satisfactory answer they wanted.
Then I drove a GT3. I still maintain the ten-car principle, but now I always say that if I won the lottery I would walk straight out the next day and buy a 911 GT3

Evo Magazine Review of GT3

I concur old boy, I concur.

Regardless, I must go on. This car is MINT guys, you will not find a cleaner example at this price.
so….

In anticipation of my new arrival due end of September, I am now putting up for sale the best car I’ve ever owned.
Most of you know this car, but for those that don’t:

• 997 GT3
• White
• Club Sport spec
• Carbon bucket race seats
• Red belts
• Drivers and passengers harnesses
• Centre console painted in white
• Bi-Xenon lighting system
• Porsche Communication Management (PCM) including navigation module
• Sound Package Plus incl. CD storage box
• Carbon kick plates
• Porsche floor mats
• Wheel centre set
• Windscreen with grey top tint

Brakes
FRONT: PF Discs and pads on front (over 75% life left)
REAR: OE discs and RS29 pads (over 75% life left)
18,500 miles
Remainer of extended Official Porsche Warranty (8 months)

Full Porsche Service History

In addition to this, there’s a suitcase full of receipts, some I’m proud of, some I don’t like looking at! They represent the level of care that has gone into this car.

It’s just had another service at FearnSport, supplementary to service schedule requirements.
The car has also recently had a non-essential gearbox oil change. RMS was done recently under warranty and has been replaced by the now indestructable metal piece. All GT3’s will need this at some point.

It has gone through it’s entire life with vinyl protection (this has been replaced fully once a year). The front skirt is brand new and the front bumper is resprayed (as all OPC cars are).

Wheels do not have a SINGLE mark on them, no kerbed alloys.

This is a car that looks and feels like it has just come out of the showroom and needs not a penny spending on it. Matt at Fearnsport has brough this car to new condition and I daren’t see it in case I drive it again. It’s even got a brand new windscreen dammit!

Price to release car is £65k. No further offers as I have committed considerable spend on the car recently to ensure it’s showroom fresh. It has literally cost me thousands.

Inspections welcome. It’s currently sat at Fearnsport and will remain there until it’s sold.

For some of my more memorable exploits with this car, you can read here:

why-the-997-gt3-is-the-best-car-ive-ever-owned

1000-miles-and-my-honeymoon-period-is-over

200mph-the-world-sideways-and-conquered-fear

monza

We eventually found an awesome spot in the back of the Tesco’s distribution centre. However, the shelf stacker got an opportunity to demonstrate some authority and had us out of there too. Essentially, the whole night was a failure. Even Guy was pulled over by the local police, not for breaking the law but simply because they were curious about ‘whether this was the new GTR?’.

Despite the lack of success throughout the night, as each minute passed I became more enamoured by the sheer presence of Guy’s GTR in the night roads. I had the same feeling watching the car cruise in the midnight light, with it’s rear LED’s, as I felt when I used to watch Knight Rider as a child. There’s this sense of scale and competence that was quite overpowering. I couldn’t help but follow in it’s shadow as it’s rear lights painted red lines across the evening landscape.

Photos were scarce, but here’s one for kicks.

Today I attended the special GT3 preview event which discussed the results of the survey and also went onto disclose a whole host of detailed information about the next gen. GT3. This was coupled with breakfast, a number of hotlaps in a 997S, skid pan, wet plate in a Cayman S and also an ‘ice-hill’. All hugely fun and the best memory is of the 997S. It was a manual with the GT3 carbon bucket seats and was a real revelation. It’s all the car anyone would ever need really and with Carrera S’s in the £30k’s now, they are a far more attractive alternative to the Caymans. Also drove the PDK in the Cayman today and boy that was weird. Not sure if it simply wasn’t suited to the Cayman S (perhaps not enough power?) but the whole set up wasn’t attractive to me.

As for the colour debate, I’m almost positively kind of sure now that Guards Red is the colour to go for. With the harsh, motorshow spotlights absent, the car was at last shown in a normal light and really did look excellent. That spoiler is the best looking spoiler I’ve ever seen and the small subtle changes work really well, such as the change in wheel design.

Andreas Preuninger, 997 GT3 and RS project manager was there to answer some questions and teamed with the rest of the organisers, really did put on an informative, entertaining day out. He also leaked out some information about the forthcoming Gen 2 (Mk2) GT3 RS:

• More power (14BHP more)
• RSR Front suspension
• Titanium components (Exhaust)
• Wider front track
• ‘Stealth look’ colour schemes – not so brash or loud this time
• Hinted at string door pulls
• New decal scheme
• Shorter gear ratio’s
• £15k – £20k price premium over vanilla GT3
• October unveil, February production
• Frankfurt Motorshow unveil.

All in all, enough to warrant a premium this time over the normal GT3. It appeared the heaviest criticism levied on Andreas’ team was the fact that there was not enough differentiation between the two models to justify the premium. I’m almost tempted to transfer my deposit. Almost….

Now, I’m all in a kerfuffle as I’ve seen another option, Riviera Blue (yeah thanks Glenn). It’s a shocker, for sure. But it does hark back to a time where Porsche’s came in all manner of inappropriate colours. What do you guys think? The wife thinks it’s hideous and called it a bubble-gum car.

EDIT – First two pictures directly below are from another source and allegedly a more accurate representation of the colour.(Thanks Alex)

Images below courtesy SportAuto (German Car Mag)

It’s currently getting pampered with some TLC in preparation, but before I surrendered my car to its next owner, I wanted a parting memory that would be fresh for ages. I made this decision very last minute and decided to take a gentle drive to France and back.

Journey started by punching a random location into the Satnav – taking me about 50 miles north of Paris. As always with France, the Autoroutes aren’t much to write home about. Apart from the obligatory launches from each toll-booth (encouraged behaviour by the booth operators), the otherwise monotonous activity of covering ground space across 100’s of miles of concrete road is pretty dull.

After a night in a local hotel, my return journey would be back home, but with some choice options selected on the sat nav – notably ‘avoid motorways’ and ’shortest route’.

What followed was a medley of beautiful roads, stunning weather and idyllic French rural countryside. A combination of A and B type roads, most were furnished with what appeared to be newly laid tarmac. This made it possible to really stretch the legs on the GT3, allowing me to cruise and coast from various speeds between 100 and 150mph (all private roads, bien sur!). As if planned, turned out this day was a French national holiday so the roads were practically deserted. It really was a fantastic, low effort, fast paced drive across beautiful pastures.

I stopped at one point at this fantastic master-bakers in some villiage in the middle of god knows where and had some incredible olive bread for lunch. I added to my car a huge loaf of local, fresh bread for delivery back home, put on my ‘Urgent Bread Delivery’ stance and made fast progress across the remainder of the journey.

As always, I am utterly in awe of the car, with it’s sweet exhaust note punching holes in the otherwise quiet ambience of French countryside, soundwaves bouncing off trees as I pass them creating a gausian blur photoshop landscape. Flashbacks of computer games are momentarily provided as I see similarities between some of the arrow straight roads and their digital representations.

I’m also forever contemplating the freedom we actually enjoy on the roads. Despite cries of opression, there is still a lot we take for granted. Most of Europe is wonderfully unpoliced and free from the technologies of capture and prosecution. I wonder that if we were to look back in 30 years time, how much will we live for the past?

Still, it’s the now that counts and I’m having a hoot enjoying one of life’s most rewarding experiences.

May 22nd 2009

A massive undertaking this car, but the results are pretty neat. As car makers continually strive to maximise profits and cut costs, a recent trend is to cut depth of paint reducing the protective nature of the laquer. Finger nail marks, scratches and swirl marks appear so quickly it dulls the otherwise deep black shine. After the treatment, the results were hugely impressive.

The GT3, resplendent as always, triggered thoughts of sale and closure. With an operation to my shoulder due imminently, there’s going to be very little use for the car in the coming weeks/months. Sale ad up soon :(

Cue, super-Cem. Had no idea if the bike would fit into the back of the Q7 but some rumaging around and it was a super easy fit with space to boot (ho ho). Thankfully the leaking of fuel was sheltered by the canvas lining I placed underneath it.

Picture below of loltastic escapade.

After coffee and biscuits, we’re sat at the order kiosk and go through a whole host of options and specifications for the next GT3. Right about now, excitement starts to snowball and bringing Guy with me was a bad mistake as he seems to convince me to order ever spec going. For what it’s worth, here’s what I went with:

• PCM 3 (Porsche Communication Management touch screen Sat nav)
• Bluetooth
• Sound System Plus
• Universal Audio Interface (iPhone/iPod plug in)
• Centre console painted exterior colour
• Lightweight Carbon bucket seats
• Club Sports package (roll cage, fuel cut out, fire extinguisher and harnesses)
• PCCB (Porsche Carbon Ceramic Brakes)
• PADM (Porsche Active Dynamic Mounts – magnetic engine mount dampers)
• Carbon outer door sill guards

Only problem I have is colour! I simply cannot decide and I’ve rounded it down to either Guards Red or Carrera White. Red looks fantastic in photography, as seen by the excellent Drivers Republic write up, but remarkably dull in the flesh. As for white, it is de rigour, but I’ve done white for 2.5 years now and, well, I’d like a change.

There’s always Reims blue…(see pic below)

After the hard work, we were taken around for a tour of the grounds, which really were quite surprising. Porsche Reading are the only official dealers trained to service the 959, Carerra GT and the GT1 – all of which were there in the workshops. There must have been 5-6 GT’s in the back. The million pound GT1 was quite the sight too.

Walking back to the car, conversation turned to my current car. I’ve been advised to sell it prior to the trackday season so I may get a good return in advance of my new car arriving. This was naturally a prequel to sad thoughts as I have had such ridiculously good times with this car, I will be heartbroken to see it go. It’s a great spec and the dealer mentioned it would fly out the doors, based on club sport + white.

I’m also first to take delivery in the country, due in September. Can’t come soon enough.

Some great write ups already:

Drivers Republic
Autocar
Times Online

This week, Henry realised a life long ambition of mixing it with the big boys by getting rid of his E92 M3 and rolling up in his replacement 997 GT3 in Cobalt Blue, a unique colour for this car. His spec is freakily identical to mine with the only addition the PCCB carbon ceramic discs. Jokes all day about his brake dust free alloy wheels, we scoured the beautiful area of Slough for Mcdonalds drive throughs and trading estates for some photo opportunities.

Nerds amongst you should recognise the building on stilts! It was like a visit to the holy land for me!

It’s quite a lethargic powerplant, but this time round I’ve realised this car is just desperate for a 6 speed box. The given five gears are simply way too long and does nothing other than accentuate the lethargy of the engine. Still, it’s not without character and coupled with the energetic, somewhat surprisingly masculine soundtrack, is sufficient in encouraging a sense of conflicted urgency. The gearing makes for comical heal and toeing though, the blips in throttle followed very quickly by a low rev engine note out of tune with the action.

Handling is of course class leading, with a lithe, nimble approach to every road condition and a reactive, accommodating chassis that communicates and follows instruction without hint of debate nor complaint. It really is quite a funky little pet. £17k gets you one of these and for a quality, well built convertible that is used strictly as a second/third car, it’s hard to beat. Its lack of toys and in-cabin luxuries are offset by a chunky, quality texture to controls and input. The roof control is as simple as is efficient, with the roof coming up and down in a matter of seconds.

I have to say though, coming from a white GT3, it may come as a little strange to admit to feeling a little ‘exposed’ when driving the car. Not in the sense a convertible would leave you feeling ‘exposed’, but a genuine feeling that everybody else on the road thinks you’re a total and utter wanker.

It was just a feeling, that’s all.

I’ve never been a fan of Silverstone, often treating it as nothing other than a large expanse of asphalt too boring for anything other than F1 where cosmic speeds require such wide expanse of runways. However, having destroyed Silverstone this weekend, it is with much regret must I revoke my prior claims of boredom and malcontent as with an increased pace and confidence have I discovered that Silverstone is far more technical than I have ever given it credit for.

I’m using my oversized Corsa Race tyres on the car which have proven to be a revelation in tyre tech, but more importantly have given me the freedom to depend reliably on the tyres enough so I may focus on improving lines and absorbing the very characteristic of my car, which continues to be the utterly benign and predictable beast I’ve come to expect from it.

It’s funny as this week I’ve also had a GT3 specific survey from Porsche. It’s sent to current owners and goes through about 8 pages of very interesting questions – some of which really do prove that Porsche are extremely focused in ensuring this car is very different from the other 911 models. It gladdens me to see Porsche continue to cater for the minority and I hope to god no idiots checked the boxes which suggest owners need more ‘comfort’ or ‘on road civility’. I humbly ask Porsche to ignore any such requests.

So it is with huge respect to Porsche that I continue to gape and gasp at the sheer capability the 997 affords and entertains me. Naturally, the car isn’t a puppy as is often demonstrated – another white 997 GT3 on the same day unfortunately blended in holy matrimony with the tyre wall and, I suspect, cost its owner dearly by way of writing itself off the planet.

But I digress, my car and I are still in love; even after I drive home from an exhausting trackday 100 miles from home, unpack my bags (helmet is permanently left in car) and reverse into the garage, opening said garage the next day to polish out the black rubber marks off the bodywork by turning the key and driving 10 feet out to my drive for a wash, I am filled with a sense of euphoria and complete and utter satisfaction.

I was offered a good price for the car today – a very good price. And I refused it. On what grounds? I hear you ask. Well, there simply wasn’t another GT3 on the market that I wanted to replace it with. Even though Porsche claim ‘Everything has the capacity for improvement’, when asked to list things that disappointed me about the GT3, I was digging for scraps in a barrel and came up with “No iPod connection”. It really is utterly perfect.

When on circuit, in your GT3, when in the ‘zone’, with the alcantara steering wheel working in association with your clammy hands and beads of sweat dripping from your helmet down the side of your temple, the soft chirp-chirp of tyres working at their absolute limit, disputing with the laws of physics as to how lateral grip is working beyond the call of duty, there is absolutely no other place I want to be when chasing that extra percentage.

997GT3 at Silverstone chasing Baff in his RS from Cem Kocu on Vimeo.

GT3 at Silverstone chasing Ken and Pete from Cem Kocu on Vimeo.

GT3 chasing a race 360 at Silverstone from Cem Kocu on Vimeo.

GT3 at Silverstone from Cem Kocu on Vimeo.

VIP sections visited:

Ferrari - That midget Jean Todd was there. At first they wouldn’t let me on, but when I told them who I was they crapped their pants. Pretty lame dining behind the scene. Cars were ok but the Ferrari 599 FXX or whatever was supreme. Scud convertible was pretty impressive and equally pointless.

Lamborghini - As always, great espresso’s and they have simply the best models in the show – the one on the door made me weep for baby jesus. Murci SV was a special piece of kit and the secret GT3  Gallardo upstairs was impressively made.

Porsche - Didn’t try to get into VIP but sat in the new GT3. Felt remarkably nonplussed by the event and the colour chosen was a very bad choice. They needed to introduce something new and exciting for this, guards red just didn’t work.

Bugatti - VIP tour of the cars and the backroom, one of the most charming salesman I’ve spoken to – and extremely knowledgable and winner of countless races too. When the car started up, my spine went weak.

Nissan - Spec V in the VIP room is pretty pointless and only serves to show just how exceptional value the standard GTR is (Spec V is £100k). The new car is spectacular in white with black wheels and goddamnit I’m disgusted to say I’m tempted to go back into a GTR again – it certainly looked more dramatic than the GT3 did :(

RUF - Alois and his wife were incredibly friendly hosts and the new CTR3 reeked of his blood, sweat and tears – it was his child and they were both proud of it. So they should be, as I think it was the best looking car of the show. Really an amazing car, beautiful.

Alpina - The best VIP snacks in the show, some real nice cheesy crisp things and awesome chocolate florentines – went down very well with an americano. Their new B7 is supreme too. Interesting fact of the day – Alpina have a massively successful global wine business.

As spring rears it’s anticipated head, the beehive of activity surrounding this community of events gains momentum and the contagious energy shared by anyone interested in cars and octane reels in fanatics alike to the many locations across the UK, now amongst the most active trackday scene in the world.

It’s not just glory and fame though, with the pleasure gained from the few hours destroying tyres from increased friction, the eroding pads from over-zealous braking later and later by the minute, and the visible evidence of fuel being burnt at alarming rates – not least those who find misfortune and misery buried deep in the tyre walls of our championed locales. No, these moments of memory can be overshadowed by the vast quantities of funds that can be swallowed whole through the pursuit of these sports.

The GT3 is a remarkable benchmark, offering supercar levels of performance, but with relatively low running costs. Employ a modicum of mechanical sympathy, however, and your car is constantly being looked after by independants and official Porsche centre’s alike. Oil changes, filter changes, gear boxes, brakes, pads, discs, suspension, wheels, tyres, vinyl protection, resprays, ad infinitum.

I won’t disclose the small fortune this week has cost me in preparation for this week’s trackday at Oulton Park, but it’s enough to challenge your on-track sympathy. I can also see the logic of using a smaller, lighter, cheaper car for trackday thrills – something that uses smaller brakes, uses narrower tyres, has running costs so low it’d be cheaper to buy a new engine than to rebuild it.

All those thoughts evaporate after another spirited drive in the car. I am actually quite excited to pick the car up from Fearnsport tomorrow. By all intents, it should feel like a new car with almost all consumables refreshed to new standard. Add to this the fact that Porsche have just charged me £1400.00 for one year warranty renewal, I’m on top of the world (of debt).

Titled “From the inner sanctum; The new 911 GT3″, it was not without frenzied demolishing of said envelope and subsequent careful removal of enclosed glossy envelope, I spent the next 20 minutes reading cover to cover and then reading again details of the Mk2 997 GT3.

As ever with 911 evolution, the product is never broken enough to warrant redevelopment from the ground up, but instead a careful considered review of essential upgrades that could constitute some reaction to owner wish lists. The list of changes are healthy enough for me to start deliberating colour choices already, but those that stick out are:

• Bored out engine to 3.8 (0-100mph in 8.2 secs!)
• Adaptive engine mounts (not sure about this – am hoping it doesn’t provide an artificial handling characteristic)
• PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management)
• One piece new design GT3 wheels (excellent for fast race track exchanges)
• Front axle lifting system (great for London driveways and speed ramps)
• PSM (Porsche Stability Management – thankfully it’s switchable)
• Larger brake discs (380mm)
• GT2 style carbon buckets (they recline now instead of one piece fixed)
• PCM (Porsche Communication Management – touch screen sat nav with ipod connectivity)

There are sufficient upgrades for me to warrant the upgrade cost from mine, the only question is – what colour – Red, White or Grey????

After having read the great Car article yesterday as they took a new Abarth 500 across the alps, I had to go see one again. After all, I need a train station car and what better than this?

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see the car in person (I’m a week early) but my interest is peaked. I’ve been pouring over the (incredibly stylish) A4 teaser they gave me, that comes together with pictures of the Assetto Corse package – a track day pack that comes with special wheels, lowered springs, uprated discs and pads, ecu flash that takes power from 135bhp to 160bhp and some other tasty add-ons. Standard car is £13,600 and the package costs another £2,500.

This is a very, very cool car.

So what are my contemplations?

Well, how about this fantastic Gallardo Spyder, in my opinion the best looking open top there is. Its price has dropped pretty violently in the past 3-4 months and with all the right options too – sat nav, white, ceramic brakes, callisto wheels etc. And at 85k before haggling, that’s a veritable bargain! The Spyder is also based on the 06 model Gallardo which came with a whole heap of upgrades and improvements over the original launch car. Only caveat is the launch of the new LP560 – naturally this will have a knock on effect on prices of existing cars. Still, ultimate pose mobile?

Another Gallardo, but with more function. Proven already as a competent track tool, the Gallardo Superleggera is probably the best looking production track car ever! They’ve becoming increasingly popular lately as a result of their sudden price drops from £160k + options down to £90k bargains. Stunning lookers but with a horrible transmission that you just know will betray you when you least expect it. Only other caveat is running costs of a Lamborghini track car. If you need to ask, you can’t afford it. This one is £99k with only 3,000 miles on the clock. Crazy.

“What’s this?” I hear you ask. Yeah, the GT3 is so goddamn hardcore, I’m looking for another. But as with housing, you buy cheap, you also sell cheap. I’m also quite interested in a change of colour and this black example looks rock solid. Only problem is finding a spec that I want (club sport, PCCB brakes and sat-nav). That combination doesn’t come up often. I’m even looking for a possible RS. Still, there’s something to be said for GT3 residuals. For a car that cost me £86k new over 2 years ago and is still commanding £60k + prices, that is an absolute awesome result. This particular example is on for £67k

Or hour about this, the 599 Ferrari? It was only 6 months ago that these beauties were available for no less than £230k. They really were sought after and now, they’re hovering from £125k onwards. Not quite affordable, but a certain bargain for sure? This made Evo’s car of the year don’t forget and as for looks divides opinion, but for me it’s one of the most dramatic cars on the road today.

Still not convinced? I know, this V12 monster is right up your street. An £80k Murcielago can’t be ignored so blatantly, no other car arouses as much interest, especially in this orange. As far as traffic stoppers go, what else for this money? I can think of no other. It is agricultural, uncouth, abrasive and certainly inappropriate in today’s climate – but you can’t deny the Lamborghini daddy.

Best place one can be is with no cars and the cash in bank. But then, who says anybody with petrol in his veins is sensible?

A last minute affair, I pretty much confirmed only the day before that I’d attend which should go some way to explain the terrible preparation. I had no idea if my tyres, pads, discs were up for another session on circuit, but considering the weather and reports, it looked like it was going to be a wet, sodden day so there was no huge risk of overcooking the car. Still, mighty disappointed that I left my camcorder at home, would have had some excellent footage otherwise.

Silverstone in the wet is one of the best circuits in the UK for car control and its wide tarmac and wide run offs are perfect for experimentation and seasoned drivers alike. I was in my element with lap after lap of opposite lock tomfoolery. Thankfully, the marshals were relatively tolerant of this behaviour, despite skill levels they are often inclined to black flag anybody who’s off the racing line.

As the day dried out, so did speeds, but having spent the whole day sideways, that didn’t change my driving attitude. Unfortunately, I am not at my fastest at Silverstone. I’m not a big fan of the circuit and I cite it as having bland scenery, repetitive complexes that are unsuited to cars slower than F1 and wide, open tarmac that dulls your sense of speed. Conversely, as a drift circuit, it’s excellently suited.

PDK transmission
Direct fuel injection
Updated PCM with touchscreen sat nav, ipod connection, tv (don’t laugh – this stuff is awesome when you’re doing a 4 hour journey across heavily policed motorways!)
And this awesome colour!

I’ve had my name down on the Porsche dealer network for 2 years now, but in traditional dawg luck, I will be 10th in the queue or some such.

With true loyalty to its number plate, its pompously cheeky rear is in defiance of society’s willingness and obligation to lean proportions. And does this fat lady sing or what? V8 vocals have come of age with German vehicles of late, from the RS4 to the C63, these slick coupés now come with soundtracks that earn them proper GT status.

We’ve both had some fantastic fun on the circuits, especially one occasion at Snetterton when we were both black flagged for pretty much driving the entire circuit sideways. The race controller was amused, thankfully, but asked us to tone things down a bit! Unfortunately, we’re recognised now at Snetterton as the “two white cars”

Despite some minor problems with his 7speed transmission (sometimes when choosing a gear, his computer says no), he’s still able to enjoy its rear drive characteristics aplomb.

997 GT3 and 535d BMW on Autobahn
Henry in his ridiculously fast diesel carries his speed through as I quickly dip in between cars to allow him to pass all of us. German Autobahn.

997 GT3 at 200MPH overtaking Monaro
Unconfirmed by lack of GPS but indicated speedo of 200MPH. Cars overtaken are CL65 (were it not limited it would have blown me away!) and Monaro which I overtake at 170MPH. Route is German autobahn, conditions good and traffic clear

997 GT3 at 207MPH
This is naturally indicated and in no way proven, although I’d estimate 200MPH based on 8000+ RPM at 6th gear. Car feels remarkably stable at this speed and vastly different to the previous generation 996 at same speed. Route is German autobahn, conditions good and traffic clear.

It’s the 3.0ltr tdi V6 engine and that affords excellent performance and agility for a car that can sustain an entire species from within. I won’t lie, it’s not economical, not as I’d hoped, but I really do love it and 6 months into ownership, I have no regrets.

I’ve been looking for an E30 BMW (80’s 3 series BMW) for a couple of years now and have just been watching them with that kind of passive interest someone has for something they feel they’d never really get in the real world. However, whilst going through the Piston Heads classifieds, I happened upon this almighty Gem of a car.

This model is the C2 2.7. There were only 159 of these cars made worldwide in all the variants, including convertible and touring models. It basically left the factory as a 325is and is then immediately sent through Alpina to turn it into the C2. It’s bored out to 2.7, gas flowed head, mahle pistons, Alpina camshaft, Alpina ECU, Alpina suspension, Alpina exhaust and the awesome body kit.

Now, the car’s not been looked after so well by the last owner who was, quite frankly, an idiot who didn’t understand the unique nature of this car, choosing instead to treat it like a piece of shit 318i. It’s got a few things wrong with it, like it’s been fitted with cheap shit springs, the exhaust is not original anymore and there are a number of cosmetic points that need attention.

Overall, the bodywork – at least externally, is in great condition and I’m amazed at how many heads it turns – more so than the GT3 sometimes. My aim with this car is to bring it to it’s original glory and invest in some good suspension, brakes, exhaust etc. It has been quoted for a full restoration and subject to timing, I will be going through with this.

I’m really in love with this car, it sounds fantastic and looks superb – I’m quite simply amazed by the attention it gets. I’ve had a ridiculous amount of people stop me in the street and ask me to buy the car. I had one person follow me home in his car and made an offer there and then. Only 3 weeks ago somebody left a note on my windscreen with his full details asking to buy the car.

It’s also what’s called a ‘Tech 1′ which is the chrome bumper versions and pre-facelift. Personally, I think the Tech 1’s look better and this car will always command a premium over standard versions. As an example, a nice 325i will go for about £3-4k. I’m hoping with enough TLC, this will be valued at circa £15k.

The latter photos are from the Total BMW cover shoot it was part of a few years back.

The photos were taken in a photographers cove, a unique room that has no angles and is curved throughout – I will only assume this is to stop angular reflection of light or something, but the awesomeness of the photos were realised when they sent me the prints shortly after.

It’s taken me, ooh, 5 years to scan them, but here they are in all their glory. Please try not to distribute them as strictly speaking, they are copyright the photographer – but christ knows who he was. Professional courtesy and all….you understand.

Aside from rain at the ‘ring (that’s a whole different story), I actually look forward to wet conditions as I’ve discovered my strengths have accumulated over the years, especially having done the drift training days at Papenberg. Some circuits are of course more suited to wet conditions than others, but I am found to jump in the car with renewed vigour at the mere hint of changing conditions.

Snetterton is such a circuit where you can approach and loiter at the limits of your car and skill as it affords generous width of circuit and plenty of bends that entertain 90 degree opposite lock activities without endangering yourself nor fellow track users.

As the weather cleared up and dried, so did my overall speed and commitment and the pace that we maintain can only be described as a revelation when compared to my skills only 12 months ago. I know not if this car and I are becoming further ‘at one’, or if my testosterone is increasing by the trackday, but I am surprising myself at just how quick this car is.

Look for the video of this day in the videos section.

Anyway, here’s a video of a chase with the camera in my car and following Glenn who’s a Porsche Cup racer (had to add that in) in his GT3 RS.
Apologies for the stupid camera placement, I’m a recording n00b and I should know better.

Cem’s GT3 + Glenn’s GT3 RS Snetterton Dec 08 from Cem Kocu on Vimeo.

What’s changed? Not much actually. As the credit crunch chews small businesses for snacks, spitting out bones, I try to keep my head low and watch from afar the effects of our decaying economy. People are scared, the city is silent and the phones are dead. It’s an eirie place to be in the city.

Still, the GT3 is ever more the hero with no love lost. If anything, I continue to accumulate my respect as I grow to learn it. I’ve no doubt had plenty time to familiarise myself with this car, nigh on 2 years, yet I still learn something new about it every time I take it out. As a mark of my attachment to it, I actually cancelled my GTR order – shock horror. Multiple reasons for doing this, most notable is my loss of faith in Nissan. I wasn’t even able to get onto a Race Academy day yet as GTR Register forum owner I do nothing but read about the wonderful experiences of others. Aside from that, buying a new car in the midst of a recession isn’t a clever thing to do.

Still, whoever says our actions are dictated by logic is a fucking idiot!

Meanwhile, forgive the layout problems, some major re-writing required, all galleries are dead and do not work.

A friend contacted me by text message “Monza, July”. It was all the words I needed and in my haste, I was the second person to sign up for it. Not only was Monza on the cards, but we were to travel via the Simplon Pass in Switzerland, do Monza, return via the Nurburgring and come back home thoroughly fucked.

Day one was, as first days always are, an exciting, adrenaline fuelled occasion. Date and time set, we all meet at the Euro-tunnel to commence the first part of our journey. 30 Porsche’s, Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s are always a treat for onlookers as when you’re in such an electric group of cars, everyone’s a showman and revs, blips and throttle nailing becomes obligatory. Once through, we’re on our way through France cruising through the Autoroute at relatively low speeds.

Europe has wizened up to the UK exodus that occurs weekly and it’s no longer a green card zone where speed limits don’t apply and the police are simply tourist attractions. Big fines are common with impounded vehicles and overnight stays in lockups a frighteningly frequent occurrence. After first hand tales of totalitarian law enforcement, we are acutely conscious of our speed. Well, for a while at least.

With so many potent cars on tour, it’s not long before the speeds gently start to ascend and whatever the lead car sets is almost immediately followed by the cars in tow. A short while later, radio’s are going and 5 cars have already been pulled over by the French police. We rein our enthusiasm back in again and make a steady beeline to the Swiss Alps.

It’s near impossible, and often discouraged, to maintain a large group of cars in convoy as we attract an unfeasibly large amount of attention. We are not gumballers or Cannonballers and would actually hate to be associated with the neanderthal, retard activity of racing across the continent. We blame them for the recent rise in harsh policing of European roads, and not without merit. They are dangerous, carefree and boisterous and their lack of any financial sympathy means a speeding fine is simply a road toll. As a result, it’s not long before we splinter into a group of 5 cars.

As the breathtaking vistas of the Alps in the French/Swiss/Italian region begin to draw themselves, the hypnotising landscape soon ensures that despite sat-nav technology being what it is, a closed road means we fast become lost in back roads that sat-nav simply doesn’t recognise. And so begins the most incredible two hour detour I’ve ever experienced. What I can only describe as a 150 mile lap of the Nurburgring, we are tossed from side to side as the hot sticky asphalt melds our tyres to become Siamese in an astonishing balletic dance that has us across the finest mountain pass roads I’ve ever experienced in my life – bar none. Fast sweeping 130mph roads meet with tight, 2nd gear hairpin tracks as we negotiate turn after turn after turn.

At the peak of the summit, we park our cars and look across Lake Geneva with sweaty palms, beating hearts and the focused clarity only adrenaline can provide. If I were to die right now, I’d be happy and only now do I truly recognise the term “motoring nirvana”. That night, in Switzerland, I am often awoken just before drifting off as visions of late braking, understeer and miscalculated turns pull me back from sleep in nightmarish fashion as I desperately try to fight off residue adrenaline. It appears to be a common malady over the next few nights.

Day two and we’re making our way to Milan in Italy, but not before we negotiate the legendary Simplon Pass. Our enthusiasm is apparent in our somewhat optimistic speeds through the beautiful valleys of Switzerland and unbeknownst to us, we’d gone through a Swiss speed trap and as we came to the end of the Autoroute, the Swiss Police force had kindly decided to throw us a welcome party by way of presenting a full force of armed personnel. How utterly delightful!

Conversing in French appeared to soften them and they turned out to be friendly and polite, despite the incredibly expensive fines. As I handed over my Am-ex, they ripped the slip in half and gave me a discount from 400 Euros to 150 Euros. Splendid chaps even posed for a photo! In total, from our group of nine cars, we estimate a windfall of approximately 4000 Euros – not bad for an hour’s work. We even made it on to the Swiss Police website

Following the signs to Simplon, it’s difficult to imagine anything beating my experiences of the day before and my fears are largely realised as despite the odd moment of freedom between bends and overtaking opportunities, there are seldom moments of solitude as the road appears to be filled with slow moving traffic generated by lorries and coaches. Reaching the summit, the sudden drop in temperature is violent and t-shirts are no longer appropriate. It’s a disappointing experience but I imagine it had a very hard act to follow from the day before. In its stead, we enjoy spaghetti bolognese on the peak with a cup of coffee.

As we migrate en mass through to the Italian border, the police and carabiniere do their best to remind us that they have been following our exploits across Europe and have strategically placed mobile speed traps from here to our destination in Milano. Turned out to be a sombre drive across the early part of Italy, but the incredible sights and heavy traffic removed any temptation regardless. There was still a lot of entertainment, or rather, entertaining to do! The traffic found great delight in our convoy and we aimed to please by the repeated show of engine song and bravado. Oh, a word of warning. If you’ve a Gallardo Superleggera in tow, tell him to get to the back of the convoy. Suddenly, GT3’s become decidedly average.

Day three and it’s Monza time, but not without some interesting Milano culture. It’s 7am and I’m making a solitary early morning departure from the hotel to get to the race circuit in good time as my rear pads need changing. As I approach a non-distinct corner in my travels, I notice an attractive woman standing on the side of the road. She’s got the smallest mini-skirt you can imagine, long slim legs and beautiful dark hair that has fallen down one side of her face. As she sees me she holds out her thumb in a polite request for a lift and as I slow down for a closer look, I clench my anus in fear, let out an involuntary yelp and drop a gear as I notice her cheekbones are a little too pronounced for the female variety. What attracts all the trannys to Milano is anyones guess but for the remainder of my time in Milan I reserve my judgement in ‘women’ until I’m absolutely sure.

Monza is the fastest race circuit I’ve ever driven on. It’s a combination of absolute throttle and absolute braking with no in-between. There’s no coasting, no feathering of the throttle and certainly no pussyfooting. It’s a power circuit for sure and the Superleggera shows the rest of the group a fast set of heels with its power advantage, balanced handling and outright competence. The GT3’s are also very well suited to the circuit, but it appears the Lamborghini is playing home terms today. Brakes are eventually destroyed by many people in the group as frequent braking down from 160MPH to 30MPH over and over again takes its toll on anything other than the most effective race prepared braking systems.

With the distinct lack of legislation and regulation in central Europe, there’s a much more primitive and uncontrolled nature to track-days. With no overtaking rules and only a polite request to not bump into anybody, it’s not long before it becomes race-like in its concept. Often we’re three abreast leading into bends in a race to outbreak each other and there are many instances of contact between cars – something I’ve not experienced before. Regardless, it makes it exciting and the fast paced race environment becomes competitive and risky, adding to the unique experience of Monza.

As always, I take my car away from the circuit early to avoid mishap. The car is not without injury though as a huge rock is thrown from the tyres of a GT2 in front and catapults itself directly into my windscreen, creating a 5 inch thick bullet-hole. I’m optimistic about it anyway as I needed a new screen having suffered many stone chips.

A sauna, jacuzzi and swim is followed closely by a fantastic meal at the Bulgari restaurant hotel in Milan. It’s an ostentatious affair that has all the glamour and glitz you’d expect from one of the finest diners in the heart of the fashion capital of the world. As we try to distinguish escort from wife, the evening is made complete as I drive Harry’s Gallardo back from Bulgari to our hotel. Driving through the heart of Milan in an Italian bred supercar is an experience I will savour for the rest of my life. As legends have it, I am greeted, cheered and championed as I ensure all ten vertically opposed cylinders are heard by the entire populace of Milan as I send glorious 5ltr notes ricocheting across tight, narrow cobble lined roads like a sound byte trapped in a pinball machine. Each corner has its voluntary marshal gesticulating the famous “wind-it-up” request only happily reciprocated by my right foot punching a hole through the footwell. Disappointment follows as we approach our hotel where my decidedly average white GT3 sits sulking in unloved fashion.

Day four and I’m travelling home. Harry and I leave the rest of the party to their devices as they plan and scheme the next leg of their journey to the Ring and then to Spa. For me, I’ve done both those tracks to death and frankly, I’m shattered. I drive the entire journey home to the UK in one sitting, covering 850 miles in just under 12 hours non-stop. I manage 3 fuel stops and a baguette in the car whilst driving at an average of 120MPH the whole journey, where appropriate.

I’m at home and the car is in need of TLC. I’ve booked it into the car clinic, it’s getting a makeover by my detailer and will soon sport a new windscreen. This is the epic journey of 2008 and I will take this to my grave.

Next stop, Imola?

Enjoy the pics, not many of track action – too busy driving it

Most were from in car, so apologies for boredom factor for some, but the scenery should say it all!!

In the time we had it, the car gave us absolutely no problems and was a surprisingly agile car with a healthy powerplant supporting 2.0ltr diesel power and a dynamic chassis that would entertain and comfort in equal measure.

Just before it was sold, Nathan from Cambridge Autogleam gave it a detailing workout.

Some pictures:

Right now, there simply is no other better sounding car to my ears. With a Tubi exhaust, the car is given lungs to match its design. Volume hand in hand with melody, the Gallardo starts with a bark and continues to blow out angry mutterings under full throttle.

I first heard a SuperLeggera a few weeks back at a lunch party with some friends. It made the free flowing Murcielago that drove out seconds before sound bronchial as it blew out the showroom windows of Maranellos in Egham during a Top Gun fly by. It took a friend to elbow me so I could remember to close my mouth. Great experiences, these, as it’s normally a childhood memory that accompanies such stark, joyous reminders of seeing supercars in action. Aged 34, I’m delighted to see my receptors are still acute to the abusive, intrusive act of using an italian exotic to its full potential.

Harry some will know. Some may also know of his amazing stable of cars that include this SL, an Aston Martin Vanquish, a 800BHP Nissan Skyline R34 GTR and a Holden with a 7ltr Corvette engine in it. Personally, I only like the fella for his Gallardo. I blew him out on New Years Day (my car was stuck up my drive!!) but vowed to go out again with him as my love for Gallardo’s continue to grow. I’ve got an itch and I know it needs scratching soon.

Harry turned up at my house earlier today with a car that looked just spectacular. If I had to make a minor criticism about it…hah, who am I kidding? This is perfection. Designed by someone who just doesn’t exist on the same plane as us, the Gallardo Superleggera is a car that is designed to do nothing other than tell everyone else to STFU and listen. It’s brash, brazen, bold and boisterous. I fell in love with it and all of a sudden, lap times and journalist reports didn’t matter one iota.

With supercars, it’s all about the emotion. The spine tingle you get upon accelerating, the thumbs up you get from fellow road users, the feeling of NOT wrapping somebody else’s £160,000 car around a lampost. Actually, this last bit is easy as the car is a doddle to drive (as most modern cars appear to be lately??). Paddle shift transmission was a piece of cake with only the odd intrusion of computers deciding on the balance between clutch and throttle, causing a little bit of hesitation on hard acceleration from stand still. I still think the Nissan GTR transmission is unbeatable as it was smooth, incredibly quick and efficient. The Gallardo version in contrast was a little harsh and uncivilised. Were it not for the exciting downshifts that were accompanied by a blip of the throttle, there’d be little about it I’d like.

It’s hard to be objective about this car when there’s a mini black hole being generated in the approximate location of the exhaust tips. Following it earlier as I led Harry through the Hatfield tunnel in his SL and me in my GT3, the Gallardo was keen to show its teeth time to time with frequent flashes of lean, unburnt fuel as it ignited on exit. Great fun that tunnel, despite my ears bleeding for three hours after. Without harbouring too much on the noise of this car, it really needs to be experienced by anyone interested remotely in cars. Or mini black holes.

Interior was amazing too as you can see by the photos with liberal use of alcantara and carbon fibre. It’s tastefully done too and the cabin does a great job of reminding you how much money you’d just spent on this piece of automotive art. Suprisingly, though, for a car that demonstrated itself as an easy car to drive, the pedals were seriously offset with both your legs pointing uncomfortably to the left. Harry warned me that if not careful, you could quite easily slam on the accelerator instead of the brake pedal.
LOL THANKS HARRY – just the kind of thing you want to hear as you pull out of your drive with a car equaling the price of an average mortgage.

Speed is academic in these cars. 500BHP + will obviously put a smile on a dead mans face, but there is such a sense of occasion about this car, it’s not just about pure performance – it’s a seat in the pants sensation that can only be measured subjectively and no amount of high tech measuring gadgetry can convey the feeling a full throttle burst a Gallardo SL will give you.

I remember a moment when Harry had obviously been chatting away to me, but I’d been utterly oblivious to his discussion, instead I was bathing in the noise, atmosphere and joyous ambience of the SL. Only on the downshift when the car blipped its throttle did I yelp a cry of joy, eventually waking myself from this moment of euphoria and grabbing the last word or two from Harry’s dialogue. I just nodded in mock understanding, shifted down a gear again and pushed my foot through his awkward footwell for a repeat, drug-free trip down mental-headcase lane.

Is a SL worth two normal Gallardos? Can you afford 2 Gallardos? For me, it’s worth every penny as nothing can make you feel as right as driving a SL down a road with a bunch of people grinning like the joker as a result of a full bore rape of the A1.

It’s expensive, harsh, has a flawed transmission and also does you no endearing favours to the public. Would I swap my GT3 for one? Hell yes.
Thanks Harry – your car is AMAZING.

After Ben Linney (GT Culture) kindly invited me to his abode today, I really was looking forward to seeing the GTR in the flesh for the first time. I’d passed up many opportunities recently to see the car face to face, either in Tokyo or in more local arenas. I’d brushed alongside them many times on the ring during their testing, but never seen one in production trim. Today was an opportunity to finally put to rest my opinion on its aesthetics and hope to grab a ride as a passenger.

As an owner of a 997GT3, I have treated the arrival of the GTR with mixed emotions. Porsche have continually provided its userbase with cars that are exciting, reliable and extremely capable, so I knew if the GTR was to succeed in any way (at least, at a subjective, personal level), it needed to be VERY special indeed. The car market is such at the moment where the benchmarks are very high with a plethora of models available at that price range.

Driving down the country lane where Ben resides, it was only the massive streak of white I passed tucked behind a high wall and bushes that made me slam on my brakes and reverse back up the road. Standing proud in front of the house, there’s no questioning its imposing stance. Butch, squat, wide and fat, it has the presence of an angry gorilla.

It is big, no doubt. But it’s no bigger, at least by first impressions, than the R34 was. In fact, the R34’s boot gave it a slightly elongated look. The 35 by comparison is clean in design and sharp in detail. I figured out what gave it its big look, it’s those wheels – they are absolutely huge and are further accentuated by the dark metallic finish, the whole area around the wheels are lost in shadow.

Looking at both cars from the rear, it’s clear that the GTR wears its size with pride as it makes no attempt to disguise its high back end. In fact, with the boot-line ending high up, it appears to be an exaggerated design feature. It has a look of a space shuttle about it. The GT3 next to it was positively dwarfed. However, the GT3 rides a lot lower as some of the photos show and were it not for the non-existent gap between tyre and wing, I’d say there was a few inches one could lose from the ride height of the GTR.

I’m still not convinced by the interior. As much as anyone would deny it, it’s only really when you sit inside you can see that it is ‘only’ a £60k car. An Audi R8 puts it to little shame, although some may argue the R8 is over designed. Still, we’re talking about a car that costs £30k more at the moment. Despite the budget switchgear, I still don’t like the way the centre console seems to have an air of arbitrary placement about it. No real thought seems to have been placed on the location of the consoles and it doesn’t quite gel together. Gran Turismo dials do give it some credibility though and I look forward to hours of fun tinkering with the touch screen display.

I ask Ben if he plans on ever getting the car dirty by way of hinting for a ride. Next I know he’s sitting in the passenger seat and I’m beckoned into the hot seat. Now, I’ve been given the keys to a lot of cars – everything from Ferraris to Lamborghini’s to every kind of Porsche model made (including GuyR’s 600BHP Ruf). I almost always say no because this kind of thing always ends in tears, but for once in my life I make an exception – there is no way on earth any man would pass up this opportunity.

The GTR has keyless start with the fob needed only in close vicinity for the Start button to be active. Once pressed, I’m overly surprised by what is a very mechanical and certainly menacing engine bark. Strangely emanating from the rear too. I half expected a more electronic feel to this car but the presence of a nuts and bolts car can’t be denied and I’m pleased by this minor observation.

It sounds great and shows a lot of promise. I’d hyped the car up so much myself (no thanks to the massive positive press lately) that I was afraid it just couldn’t match my expectations.

Press the button on the gear leaver and slot into D, release the brake and the car creeps forward. An overly enthusiastic prod of the throttle sends the car leaping forward – holy cow that throttle is so sensitive! A little more discretion this time as a feathered massage is all that is required. Last thing I want right now is to launch Ben’s spaceship into the Oak tree right in front of us that seems to be mocking me.

“Does the front ground?” I ask as we pull out of his drive. “No, it’s quite high” replies Ben, and he’s quite right, it clears with plenty to spare. Pulled out of his drive, I’m impressed by the low speed weight of the steering and I’m so absorbed by the comfort and intimacy of what is a very cosy environment, I’m suddenly shocked to see the gear indicator showing [6]! Have I had a black out, or has this car just gone through all 6 gears in 10 seconds without a hint of ever having done so? I suspect this transmission is going to be quite the toy.

A few km later and I’m really enjoying the ride. It’s firm, taut and incredibly resolved. There’s this sense of gravity about it, but not in the manner of pure weight. It feels absorbed into the very tarmac it rides upon and I am feeling a level of assuredness only possible in a 4WD chassis – every corner of this car is sending a signal through my buttocks.

Ben encourages me to switch into manual mode – you can either pull the gear lever from A to M, or you can quite simply tug on one of the paddle shifts to take control. I do the latter and bring the gear down from sixth to fifth. And down to fourth and finally third. It’s perfect. Immediate, smooth, vocal – I’ve not seen a gearbox so awesome in my life and all of a sudden, I’m a paddle-shift convert.

“You’re in R mode now” says Ben, his grin reminiscent of the devils own. Glancing down I see all the lights are glaring at me bright red. Solid encouragement if I’ve ever seen some.

The road suddenly clears and I have a good view so I bury the throttle and…..OMGGGG holy shit this thing is fast! I mean, REALLY fast. Porsche GT3? Forget it, doesn’t have the torque. 997 Turbo? We’ll stop later and wait for it to catch up. This car is truly, sensationally fast and I have a sudden understanding when Chris Harris calls it a baby Veyron.

Any gear, any speed, press the LOL pedal and your back compresses all the layers of fat from your back, out of your ears in a way that’ll have you reciting school assembly hymns for the love of god. My fear for my license keeps me at bay – I’ll save the top figures for the Autobahn or the circuit.

See, this is the thing about lap times. Essentially, nobody gives a shit as the real world performance of a car is infinitely more relevant. That means in-gear times, torque, throttle response – in this context, the 997 TT is simply playing catch up.

And the car handles it with consummate ease with its trick suspension and 4WD super chassis doing an incredible job of telling Einstein that all his theories were wrong and in fact we’ve been studying the wrong laws of physics. It’s true, the GTR demonstrated that E most definitely doesn’t equal MC squared. How else can a car with 1700KG appear to be so lithe and nimble, so fast and manoeuvrable? That apple was rotten, Newton.

It’s a focused driver’s machine, no doubt. It’s so ridiculously fast I suspect each squish of the throttle will do nothing but fuel an addiction that will have you institutionalised in some form or another.

Oh another thing, this car is not for the discreet. If you enjoy the Hollywood lifestyle, or at least aspire to it, then this is the quickest way of buying into fame. Everyone stares – give this car a few more months exposure and it’ll be monumental. In white, you’re the messiah, returned. With a Mr T haircut.

I give Ben the keys to my car and encourage him to take advantage of the GT3. I’ll leave it for Ben to tell that story, but he appears to have huge fun as you can see by the picture. As I get back into my car, I am by no means ready to dismiss it. It’s a totally different car. The GT3 I suspect is still the king of the circuit based on its infinite feedback. But for an everyday proposition that does everything you could ever want from a car, the GTR is king of the road.

I’m hoping to be one of the first in the country with a UK car, today’s drive was the carrot at the end of the stick and I cannot wait for my car to arrive.

I’m sat here at home writing this and the single memory I can’t shake is the sheer power of this car.

I just wish I could afford to keep both the GT3 and the GTR, in their own disciplines, they’re both unbeatable.

Thanks again Ben, a privilege indeed!