Phil Farrell
Cheshire, UK
@mllx8pjf
As I signed off last month I was on my way to Goodwood. And what a day it turned out to be. Aside from the obvious excitement of being able to attend events again, it was the year the new GT3 was launched and so for me at least there was a particular rush to the Porsche stand.
The car does not disappoint, but that was no surprise. What was a surprise to me was that I think I actually preferred the Touring. I’ve more than likely written in this column before that I firmly believe a GT car should have a wing. Race cars have wings, right? But the car sat in the paddock area at Goodwood was a classic combination of Gentian blue (I think) with chrome trims. It looked stunning.
That’s not to say that the ‘normal’ GT3 sat on the Porsche stand, which was in some sort of PTS yellow colour, was not equally as eye catching, but there was something about that Touring that really turned my head and got me thinking that I would definitely have that spec rather than the racetrack-ready winged version. Of course, what spec I would have is somewhat academic in the UK, but if there are any dealers with a spare allocation knocking around that they can’t move, please feel free to reach out!
One slight disappointment for me was the lack of the new GTS on the stand at Goodwood, at least on the day I went. As one of the masses of owners who can’t get a GT3 allocation and therefore must ‘settle’ for the GTS, it would’ve been great to see. I had made enquiries about the possibility of getting the new car but was told it’d be two years and I couldn’t have PTS. It’s the only car I would even consider moving the current GTS on for and I’d definitely want it ‘just so’ in Oak Green Metallic and some form of truffle interior. But alas, it appears as unattainable as a GT allocation, so the 991.1 stays. Not exactly a hardship!
Those that follow our esteemed Editor-at-large on social media and the Road to Redline podcast will know that Lee recently purchased a Cayenne. While not a 911 it was an opportunity to get the GTS out on a little road trip and Lee and I had a marvellous day out, I must say he’s chosen well and has achieved so much car for the money. The GTS as ever performed admirably and it was a scorching day so the pan roof came into its own, keeping the cabin filled with fresh air and allowing that sonorous exhaust note to permeate into my ears.
At the time of writing it’s just been announced that my favourite European road trip destinations have been taken off the quarantine list here in the UK, so I’m going to bring up the possibility of a late summer/early autumn road trip. I’ve recently been watching some back episodes of Rick Stein’s French tour when he drives his 997 around from culinary hotspot to hotspot. So I’m going to be campaigning for a recreation of that.