Model 997 CARRERA 4 GTS Year 2012 Acquired OCTOBER 2018 Model 997.1 GT3 Year 2007 Acquired NOVEMBER 2019

I’ve experienced a couple of issues with the GT3 during the recent cold snap. The Porsche Vehicle Tracking System (VTS) has been playing up again and necessitated changing the battery in the VTS fob after the car refused to start on a couple of occasions. I knew it had nothing to do with the clutch switch when I tried to start the car without depressing the clutch. Worryingly, I think that’s my second VTS fob battery in as many years compared to none being required in the similarly equipped Carrera 4GTS during the past three years of ownership.

Additionally, I only replaced the actual car battery on the GT3 in March 2020. Once I’d replaced the VTS fob battery

I still couldn’t start the car – admittedly after four weeks without turning a wheel – as the car battery had obviously run low. So I had to put it on trickle charge. Fortunately, the car started after only an hour or so of charging so I took it out for a good couple of hours to complete the job. Since then I’ve ensured both the GT3 and my Spyder are permanently on trickle chargers in the garage. I use a hard-wired Banner Accucharger 6/12V 2A on the GT3 and a Porsche-branded C-tek charger on the Spyder via the 12V socket in the centre console, both of which work really well.

Continuing the same theme, I didn’t take the Spyder out for just over four and a half weeks after I had last cleaned it. Like other Porsches of a similar generation, the car had been left in “sleep mode” which it defaults to if you don’t touch the driver’s door handle, which when lifted effectively ‘wakes’ the car up. Despite not being on a trickle charger it fired up first time.

However, even though I’d been through the same post car-clean routine of taking it out for a quick run to dry off the brake discs and pads, I still found the brakes had bound on and made an almighty crack when they were forcibly and violently released. They then made a hideously abrasive noise for the first few miles until I had effectively removed all of the surface corrosion. Note to self: ensure I dry the brakes off more effectively post wheel-wash. Perhaps a leaf blower would help?!

In other news, I test-drove a Lava orange 991.2 Carrera GTS to see how the turbo-charged 3.0-litre flat six motor delivers its power and how this felt on the road directly, compared to my 997.2 Carrera 4 GTS which I had arrived in. In terms of initial observations, I thought that I’d like the interior cabin more, but there’s a certain old school charm about the 997.2 interior which still exudes quality, especially as my Meteor grey example has Alcantara delete and extended leather everywhere!

Back to the test drive itself. There are some cracking B roads that I know really well near the dealer, which provided the perfect playground to explore the smaller displacement, forced-induced engine after it had warmed up. My conclusion was as rapid as the car itself. There’s no denying the absolute performance on offer (450bhp vs 408bhp in the 997 GTS), including noticeably increased torque, but ultimately it only served to reinforce that I much prefer free revving, naturally aspirated engines which provide greater aural stimulation and an increased level of driver engagement to stir the soul while chasing that red line!

I’ve owned my Carrera 4GTS since October 2018 and look upon it as the spiritual successor to my much-loved and much-missed first Porsche: a 996 Carrera 4S. It’s not just because they’re both four-wheel drive or that Meteor grey actually replaced Seal grey in the Porsche paint range. It’s what I use it for, the miles I’ve covered, the similar specifications and breadth of ability, how they both make/made me feel and, ultimately, the memories made. Which is surely all that matters when it comes to special cars like these…