Tony Mcguiness
San Diego, USA @tonygt3rs @tonymcguinessgt3rs Model 997.2 GT3 RS Year 2011
Acquired February 2011 Model 991.1 GT3
Year 2015
Acquired December 2014 When I purchased my 991 GT3 in December 2014, it was one of the best decisions I had ever made. Those of you that have been following my column will recall I had a 997.2 Turbo prior to the GT3. I absolutely loved that Turbo, but when the opportunity arose to buy the 2015 GT3 I didn’t even hesitate in selling it. There is indeed something very special and emotional about any GT3. When you drive one of these 911 road cars that is essentially made for the track, you immediately sense and understand how sensational this particular 911 is, and why it evokes such emotion.
Earlier this year I persuaded (actually it didn’t take much persuading!) my very good friend Blake to take my GT3 for a drive through the hills of San Diego. Blake owns a phenomenal 991 Turbo S with some mouth-watering options. He is a huge Porsche enthusiast but he had never driven a GT3. Within the first minute of strapping himself in my
GT3 and firing up the engine, he had a terrific smile on his face! As we drove out through an area with lots of twisty roads and canyon walls he pushed the GT3 to 9,000 RPMS, thus hearing and feeling the ferocious scream of the astonishing engine. Piloting the GT3 through some challenging twists and turns, Blake’s smile grew huge, and he began laughing as he experienced the high-revving flat six smash through the gears. He couldn’t get over the superb handling characteristics of the GT3, either. Before returning to his 991 Turbo S, Blake had some final words: “Your GT3 is incredibly intoxicating, Tony.”
The next day he called to tell me he was ordering a 991.2 GT3! If I am honest, I was not surprised. All along I had been saying to him that he needed a GT3.
As many of you will know, the new generation GT3 is very difficult to obtain, but Blake was fortunate enough to get a build slot at a dealer and order his GT3 exactly as he wanted. And what a GT3 he ordered! He was excited as a kid at Christmas as he eagerly awaited delivery of his new epic 911. He was given the name of the ship the GT3 would be sailing on, which was appropriately named ‘American Highway’. He was able to track and plot every movement of his Neunelfer. The hardest part for him was waiting.
In November he received the much-anticipated call from the dealer that the GT3 was on its way from the Port of San Diego to the dealer. Excitedly Blake headed over to be onsite when the GT3 arrived. He had his camera ready and snapped plenty of pics as they unloaded the 2018 GT Silver 991 Generation 2 GT3. Blake had called me on his way over, and even though it wasn’t my car I was as excited as him! As the GT3 was unloaded it was covered in protection material, which was applied before it left Germany.
Blake went flat-out choosing options on his GT3, and why not? Adding options personalises a 911 just how you want it. A few highlights of this GT Metallic silver beauty include: leather Alcantra package in black and grey, side skirts painted, wheels painted in Platinum Satin, seat belts in Silver grey, instrument dials and Sport Chrono dial in white and interior package painted in GT silver, which I feel is a very elegant touch. He did a great job on the options and in many ways they are similar to the option list on my GT3, with a few differences.
As Blake begins the break-in period for his new GT3, there might be a lesson here… if you have a friend who owns a GT3, you may want to think twice if offered a chance to drive it. If you do accept an offer to drive a GT3, be careful, for once you drive it you will probably want one!
Every 911 is special in its own way. In fact, Blake is keeping his Turbo S and has no plans to sell it. Once you own a GT3 though, you realise you own a very special 911 and the new 991 Gen2 GT3 is very special indeed. Congratulations Blake, and welcome to GT3 ownership!