David Grover
Harpenden, UK
@propertypetrolheads Model 991 Carrera S Year 2014 Acquired march 2016
Model 997 Cup
Year 2014
Acquired December 2016
For me, the racing calendar is first focus this year. With the car now fully fixed and mechanically ready for its first test day, we need to find an opportunity to get it out. Meanwhile, the annual process of fundraising is alive, hoping to get enough to warrant a full season in the car in the GT Cup in 2018, with more consistent results as a consequence.
As I submit this article it’s Autosport Show time again at the NEC, a great chance to drool over new racing cars, equipment and kit. This year I want to explore more about home racing sims that could help with track familiarisation, however, the range of costs for these is huge. With VR now taking over I wondered whether a compromise of a bit of kit for home might be worth a try.
I needn’t have worried. At the show I tried four different sims, two of which were full VR, and I am now close on a decision as to the best way forward. These are certainly not cheap, but when you put into perspective the cost of getting a Cup car to a track, with the added risk of wear and tear and damage, the install costs of a sophisticated sim pay for themselves. There’s also the benefit of using VR to play in both wet and dry conditions on every track that I would normally race on. The other obvious advantage is that in those moments when you try a bit too hard and end up leaving the circuit, the worst damage you suffer is a bad lap time!
The other component of the event I was very keen to see, since I couldn’t attend the Carrera Cup test day last year, was the Porsche stand with the new 4.0-litre 991 Cup car that will be used in the GB series in 2018. It didn’t disappoint, and sat alongside the GT2 RS it made for a partnership of two perfect cars. The carbon detailing on the GT2 RS was a particular favourite. Sadly so few of us will ever see one on the road, let alone get the chance to own or drive one.
I was back at the OPC in Hatfield last week as the Cayenne needed a major service and preparation before a sale. We discussed the complete lack of availability of the GT2 RS for interested UK customers, reinforcing my point above, but also the high chance of a
Gen2 GT3 RS coming to our shores, likely to be announced at the Geneva motor show. I am sure our Editor will have some more insight into that for all of us in time (see this month’s cover! – Ed). If it comes it will surely be a hugely sought-after model, possibly the last ever naturally aspirated 911 to be made.
I was hoping to get the blue 991.2
GT3 out from my car club last week, being without my own road-going 911 at the moment, but it ended up being used last minute for a track event so it’s now booked for me as this goes to press. I am keen to share the driving experience in real life compared to many of the nonporsche-focused magazines, who, to be fair, are all highly rating it, but mostly for its ability on track, which I suspect none of us doubt. My intention is to carry out a few hundred miles of driving through London in January and see what it’s like as an everyday car. With a pack of detailed photographs I will provide some personal insight to the car next month.
For now, I had to take a different car from the club instead, and I was given 700bhp on tap from an Aventador Coupe S. What a beast that is. Trying to drive it around London and stretch its legs on the motorway, it is almost impossible to get near to the rev limit in any circumstance, certainly past second gear. Despite a rather unsophisticated gear change, it was great fun and, of course, a real head turner wherever you stopped at the lights. Jumping back into my ‘old’ Italian vehicle showed just the level of sophistication other Italian brands offer by comparison.