Porsche’s flat-out money spinner
Flash 911 GT3 is a fast little earner
THE stock exchange, hedge funds and government bonds – all are mysteries to me.
The City is something I have no interest in or understanding of, but I do know how to make a few bob on a motor: buy one of Porsche’s limited-edition specials.
Last year’s Porsche 911R had a showroom price of around £130,000 but those lucky enough to be able to buy one immediately doubled their money as demand dramatically outstripped supply.
There were rumours of 911Rs changing hands for over £500,000. Easy money if you had £130k in the first place. The same maths will apply to the new 911 GT3 we’re testing this week.
Not such large gains, but those who managed to order one for the basic OTR price of £111,082 (without optional goodies like carbon brakes) are bound to make a few grand as soon as they get the keys.
I’ve never made a penny on a car and am chuffed to get away with breaking even. If I borrowed £111,082 and bought a GT3 it would no doubt trigger a massive global depression and I’d lose my money. Still, I’d be left with what is quite a stunning car. And an even more stunning engine. The motor fitted to the GT3 is a 4.0-litre flatsix cylinder that produces 500bhp without a turbocharger in sight. This naturally aspirated masterpiece revs to 9,000rpm, at which point the engine should get a recording contract. With the possible exception of Ferrari’s V12
it is the most exciting sounding and dramatic engine in the world.
The last Porsche 911 GT3 was only available with an automatic PDK (an acronym for a very long German word for double-clutch gearbox) because that’s what the computer game generation wants.
Luckily there’s a bloke at Porsche called Dr Andreas Preuninger who’s in charge of making its most exotic products – he’s old school and thinks a sports car isn’t right if it doesn’t have a manual gearbox. First gear will get you a speed awareness course, second gear a large fine and points, third gear a ban and fourth gear a spell in prison. It is a stupendously fast car that is impossible to enjoy to the full on a public road.
It’s a shame because the GT3 is a long way from being just a race track special.
It rides over bumps very well and its racing bucket seats are comfortable for long journeys. You can spend £1,599 for an optional front axle lift system that raises the front suspension to increase the ground clearance so you don’t remove the front spoiler going on to your driveway.
At least if you drive the new Porsche GT3 at legal speeds, more people get to admire it. It’s a stunning car, especially in our test car’s Guards red paint.
That wing on the back isn’t just for show as it produces 155kg of downforce at its 197mph top speed. Our car is fitted with the optional Club Sport package that includes a roll cage and a fire extinguisher which, unlike all the other options, is a no-cost one. Owning a Porsche 911 GT3 and not taking it on a race track would be like owning a stunt plane and only flying it in a straight line.
Because only on a track will you feel the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres at their most sticky, that rear wing pressing down and that gorgeous engine revving its crankshaft out.
It will take guts to risk driving an appreciating asset on a track. But at the end of the day, a car is to be enjoyed and not viewed as an investment. Says a man who’s never made any money on one.
Most exciting sounding and dramatic engine in the whole world