Of Favorite Cars and Kids
The question comes up all the time. Which car is your favorite? As a car share club, of course, the diplomatic response is something along the lines of “they’re like our kids, we love them all equally.” And, as is the case with most diplomacy — hopefully — there’s a lot of truth in that statement. In the recent past, however, diplomacy has gone out the window. The Porsche GT3 stands alone now when I am asked about my favorite car.
You’ve probably read the reviews and comparisons. Perhaps you’ve dismissed the glowing comments as the expected tribute from the media to every new hot performance car that comes along until the next one arrives. Maybe the GT3 will be a passing fancy for the press — the Audi R8 is certainly stepping into the limelight, and the F430 Challenge Stradale isn’t too far out — but I expect the GT3 to remain a favorite of mine for a long time. It really is that amazing.
Porsche seems to have distilled the essence of focused performance. The current Porsche 997 Turbo is a formidable car in many respects, but for me it pales in comparison to the GT3. The compromises for easy daily use of a Turbo — the light control feel, hydraulic clutch and a bit more isolation — seem quite reasonable. After all, it was designed as an everyday supercar. And yet, the way that the GT3 plugged into my nervous system and senses immediately was nearly unique. Certainly there are other highly focused cars out there. For me what separates the GT3 is that it remains highly functional for general use. The firm suspension, bracing clutch, precision transmission and willing motor continually speak of their purpose without being totally unreasonable. Yes, I’ve done 90 minutes in stop-and-go traffic in it and felt a bit like a personal trainer forgot that I had two legs, but so what. Ten minutes on a nice stretch of road wipes the memory clean every time.
Quibbles? Okay, I’ve got one or two — perhaps they’re best thought of as warnings. The first is the ground clearance thing, which is a bit of a bad news, good news story. Porsche has a great front end for the GT3 that reduces ground clearance to effectively zero in the real world. Be prepared to search for new ways into parking lots, driveways, and streets that you would have sworn involved no change in elevation. The “good” news is that the engineers at Porsche designed the lower spoiler piece to be easily replaceable and modestly priced. You might want to consider a six pack. Of course, our GT3 was extra cool with this lower spoiler painted in body color — which looked great. Think of this option like a really nice bottle of wine. It costs about the same and lasts about as long. The other quibble is the painted wheels. They’re neat, they just won’t hold up too well cosmetically to track days or extended miles. Touch-up will be touchy, I expect.
I don’t know how long the GT3 will be at the top of my list (GT3 RS, 599 GTB, 430 Challenge Stradale?). I know it will be right up there for quite a while, though. So much for diplomacy, I really do have a favorite. As for my favorite kid? Well, that’s easy, we only have one.
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