Ian Harris
Shoreham, UK @harrisclassics
Model 3.2 CARRERA COMMEMORATIVE EDITION Year 1988 Acquired DEC 2020 Model 911 SC Year 1980 Acquired JUNE 2020 Model 964 RS Year 1993 Acquired AUGUST 2020 Model 991.2 GT3 Year 2019 Acquired MARCH 2021
I’ve been lucky enough this month to drive a few cars lent to me by some friends, and this has opened my eyes as to what we actually need and want from sports cars these days. It has made me realise what I want from my Porsches, and that is driver involvement and feel. With busier roads and stricter speed limits plus safety for myself and others, the latest and greatest cars are just wasted on UK roads for me.
The other car I’ve been driving is a 991.1 GT3 RS, a car I thought I always wanted to own and I have to say for bumpy UK B roads it’s too rigid and ‘crashy’. Within the blink of an eye you are past the speed limit and with PDK it’s lighting fast, but again it’s really just a track car with number plates fitted, so I don’t see the point of owning something you can’t use for its intended purpose.
This has made me think back at some enjoyable drives I’ve had and a few stick out. My little 987 Boxster Spyder, how can I compare a Boxster against a GT3 RS right? Well it’s easy, forget what they look like, the values and what others think, on a summer’s day and a winding country road the Spyder is light, nimble and fun, and that’s the key: fun! All the 964s I’ve owned over the years are a joy to drive and actually make me want to wake up early on a Sunday and go for a drive. 996 and 997 GT3S are both the sweet spot now, with an analogue driver experience and plenty of involvement with a few less driver aids. To add to this all the cars I’ve just mentioned are solid purchases at the moment, with values proving to be very stable. My recently purchased 991.2 GT3 is by far the best Porsche I’ve driven, it’s the most complete car that can do anything, but I feel that’s the problem – it’s too good, does most of the work for me and makes me feel like a great driver when actually it’s the car doing all the work. I’m yet to drive a 997.2 GT3, so I think that could be the next step forward for me finding the perfect balance of a driver-focused car.