Andy Brookes

Poole, UK

Model 911 SC

Year 1978

Acquired MARCH 2023

I’ve been very lucky in having driven most generations of the 911. However, the 992 had escaped me, only having been a passenger up till now.

We planned an episode of the 9WERKS Radio podcast to celebrate 992.1 before production ends, so I needed to get a first-hand drive so that I could pass on my opinions with some sort of authority. Porsche Bournemouth very kindly arranged for me to sample a 992 GTS Cabriolet with PDK transmission for the day. It took me an age to find out how to start the car – it appears you use the light switch!

Once I got it home I took a photo of it next to my SC on the drive, to give a true impression of the differences in scale. Yes it’s wider, yes it’s longer, but not as much as I had thought. I wonder if having them in the same colour helps to see the true difference.

I picked the GTS up on a rather slimy road condition day, and the car was a two-wheel-drive model. I didn’t check to see what tyres it had on it, but what I can tell you is that the car was very playful! To the point that I felt a little scared to give too much throttle. I thought that the throttle control wasn’t consistent. Sometimes there was a smooth feed in of the power, and other times an abrupt increase in power would lift up the rear wheels. I sampled all the modes from Wet to Sport Plus, but couldn’t find any that gave me the consistency I wished for. I also didn’t like the exhaust valves fluttering about.

I enjoyed the chassis from a turn-in point-of-view, but missed the feel of the steering wheel telling me about the surface changes and the clip of the white lines when going through a corner. The GTS ploughed through details like that.

The spring and damping rates felt good to me. I wasn’t upset by an unpleasant ride or felt that it was too soft. It’s a well-judged chassis on the

GTS model and extremely capable, but I would want more feel if it were my car.

The 992 was a similar exterior colour to my SC, but the interior was a very boring black. Wouldn’t it be great for the dealer to have specced a bright interior to contrast with the grey exterior? Please take the challenge up, Porsche Centres, and let’s bring some colour back into our lives. The centre analogue dial is a delight, the digital dials don’t offend me, but the outer dials are obscured by the chunky steering wheel, rendering them all but superfluous to requirements compared to my SC, where all the dials are easily seen with just a small head movement (the GTS required a shift in timezone to view the outer dials).

Because the car was a Cab there were a few squeaky window rubbers around the place. I would be getting the silicon spray or the Gummi Pflegev out if it were my car, as they would drive me insane. The rest of the interior felt good, but no more special than many other new cars that I’ve been in of late. I’m not a fan of the pop-out door handles. Give me simple door handles any time.

I guess that sums up my feeling on the whole car for me. I’m an old school guy who likes simple. I don’t really enjoy something that drives for me – I want to drive it. I felt like a rag doll at times, thrown around by the inconsistent throttle response, gear changing at any time, not having the full feeling that I would like through the steering wheel. I’ll stick with my old bangers thank you, but I do still hanker after a drive of a Carrera T. If the GTS were my skin I wouldn’t feel comfortable in it. The skin of a Carrera T may well feel more ‘me’.