About

This site is about the 996 GT3 mk2 in general as well as a holding place for information about my own car. 

If you want to know the basics as well as get one owner’s view, then read on below.

Otherwise, you can find a selection of articles or links to information about the cars, buyers’ guides and links to video road tests etc.

If there’s other information you would like to see on this site, please drop me a line through the Contact page.

Introduction to the 996 GT3 mk2

The 996 GT3 mk1 was introduced in 1999 as a homologation version of the 996 which had been introduced two years earlier.  

Although the GT3 had a number of differences in its mechanicals and styling compared to the rest of the 996 range, it was the engine which was the most significant difference.

Mezger Engine

The M96.79 ‘Mezger’ engine is is completely different to those used in the rest of the 996 range. It is mainly derived from the air-cooled engine found in the 959 and can be traced back to the GT1 Le Mans race car. It is a true dry-sump design.

Fortuitously, this also means it does not suffer from the Intermediate Main Seal (IMS) issues more common with the rest of the 996 range (i.e. bar the GT3, GT2 and Turbo) and is viewed as being an exceptionally strong design honed from endurance racing.

That strength is a relief as the exotic internals (including forged pistons, titanium conrods and Nikasil coated bores) help add up to a high replacement cost.

Mark 2/ Gen 2

In 2003, Porsche launched a revised version of the 996 GT3 which is generally known as a mk2 (or these days a gen 2 or even .2). Neither is an official name.

The latter car received worthwhile mechanical changes (in addition to styling changes) including more power (up from a rated 360 bhp to a quoted 381 bhp), a stiffer Carrera 4 bodyshell and 6 pot rather than 4 pot front calipers. The mk2 996s had quality improvements more generally and the GT3 benefited from these also.

Comfort vs Clubsport

The Clubsport option consisted of:

• factory fit of a half cage in the rear of the car
• fixed back bucket seats vs the comfort-spec electric recline and height adjustment (manual back/forth)
• a fire extinguisher fitted in the passenger footwell
• preparation for an emergency cut-off switch.

They are not mechanically different however.

You may also see cars which have started as Comfort-spec cars which have had some of these things fitted. If they do, the cage will typically be steel-coloured rather than painted and possibly bear a Tequipment label indicating a Porsche dealer fit accessory.

The Clubsports typically sell for a slightly higher price. I bought my Comfort-spec mainly based on condition (I simply wanted the best 996 GT3 I could find at that time).

However, I’ve since realised that I’m happy to have the standard seats. I know of owners with the fixed back buckets. While these are great for a trackday, the standard seats are more comfortable on a longer trip and have plenty of adjustability and support for comfortable fast road driving.

An Owner’s View

I have had mine since 2010. If you are interested, here’s my opinion in case you’re considering one.

I have been fortunate enough to drive a wide variety of cars (my own and those of generous friends). That includes a number of 911s of various types as well as Boxsters. I had not however driven a GT3. In fact, I also did not get to drive one before buying!

Driving Impressions

The most striking thing about the drive at first is the nervousness on a typical rough British road. The wheel is tugging left and right as the car bump steers it’s way. This can be pretty disconcerting at first. I recall a 997 C4 owning friend driving my car across a moorland road for the first time who said he was sweating and exhausted at the end. No doubt not helped by driving someone else’s car with them in the passenger seat 😉

In reality, once you relax and just let the wheel jink left and right a little in your hands, you realise that the car is not going to leap off the road and you can relax that gorilla grip. The flip-side of this behaviour is that the car is talking to you throughout. If you’re only used to modern cars (or jumping in again after a long period in the daily driver), it comes as a revelation to feel how steering used to be and what has been lost with modern electric steering.

Ride

After the steering, you note the hardness of the ride. Hardness is perhaps unfair. It is firm, and will show every road imperfection, but it does DEAL with them rather than crash into them. And as speed builds, the suspension compliance noticeably improves. On a fast, reasonably surfaced, A road, it feels utterly fantastic. At 30 mph on a potholed high street….not so much.

In reality, you will also have noticed the engine and its sound from the moment you set off even if you are concentrating on steering and ride. You can hear it on some of the videos. Unmistakably Porsche – I don’t think it is possible to get tired of that. Most would admit that the newest GT3s (whilst incredible and objectively superior machines) fall a little short in comparison.

The driving position is great with the skewed footwell compromise of earlier 911 generations a thing of the past. The gear change is mechanical, accurate and a thing of joy. The clutch is heavier than a runabout however so this is no daily city driver (if that were not already obvious).

What else? The limited slip differential means that the car feels slightly strange at very low speeds when manoeuvering and you should notice a ‘chirrup’ from the LSD sometimes pulling out of T junctions. If it does not feel like this, it means the LSD plates are worn (a common issue, particularly for tracked cars, but not the end of the world).

Driving Cautions

Many reviews and tests will build up the mystique and fear factor for the GT3. It’s one of those odd rear-engined Porsche widow(er)makers isn’t it? No, not really. By the 996 and the GT3 in particular, these were thoroughly well developed cars with fewer vices. The GT2 might be the exception to that rule, but my experience of those is limited to a very cautious drive of a 997 variant on frosty roads.

The GT3 has no traction or stability systems so the only caveat to the above is in wet weather.

For some time I was fearful of this in my car. Tales of an acquaintance spitting their GT3 off a road in the wet did not help. Fortunately a friend with a large collection of Porsches (including a couple of GT3s) as well as considerable track and racing experience filled me in on the secret. Do not add throttle whilst traversing standing water or other low grip surfaces – especially when this is only on one rear wheel (e.g. such as a puddle at the side of the road).

The problem can occur with any car fitted with a limited slip differential (LSD) when there is a difference in grip between left and right rear wheels. One wheel slips a little and the LSD reacts by locking up, sending power to the wheel with grip. That then means you have one driven wheel gripping and the other slipping. The car then pivots (violently if you’re giving it a lot of throttle) and…well, hello ditch.

In 10,000+ miles in all conditions, on all types of roads, I’ve not had an issue and just exercise a little common sense in the foulest weather.

Understeer/Driving Style

911s in general are often described as requiring a specific driving style due to their rear-engined balance. This is less the case in the 996 generation and GT3, but still relevant.

If you use a slow in, fast out style (which is preferable IMHO for other reasons on the road anyway), you already have a suitable style for these cars.

I was able to try out my car for a few laps of a damp Bruntingthorpe and at higher track cornering speeds and damp conditions, the natural tendency of a rear-engined car to understeer is much more noticeable.

If you pile in to a turn with only a lift, the front ploughs straight on (I’m talking at track speeds); but give it a little on the brakes to weight up the nose and that disppears. The grip under power on the way through and out of the bend rewards the discipline on the way in.

Suspension Setup/ Alignment

The cars have very adjustable suspension so some of the above will depend on how a GT3 is set up. Some will set them up to gain better turn in on track. Mine is currently set up with standard alignment which I find works for me on the road. The nice thing is that you have a lot of setup opportunity with the help of a good specialist to have it drive as you want.

Ownership

What about the practicalities of ownership?

Fuel consumption will average about 21 mpg in normal use with a little spirited driving as part of the mix. Harder driving will obviously drop that figure into the teens.

Servicing is on a two year cycle unless you’re racking up miles etc. Costs are changing all the time of course. As a guide, a minor service at Porsche including brake fluid is ~£750.

A major service including plugs and polyrib belt would be about £1.6K (at Porsche).

A number of quality independents offer lower costs although this is more noticeable on repair work which I’ll come back to.

Reliability/Issues

Given the age of the cars you should expect that other issues will be found at service. I’ve rarely had a service where there has not been some extra spend either as a suggestion or essential.

Some of these things can be surprising at modest mileages if you’re used to today’s typically very reliable mainstream cars. Things like coil packs cracking and needing replacing, air con condensers failing are common jobs.

If repairs are needed, Porsche parts can be very expensive compared to mainstream cars and also compared to identical quality OEM items. In my ownership I’ve generally stuck with Porsche maintenance and Porsche parts in order to preserve the ability to have a Porsche warranty. As the 996s are now outside the 15 year age limit for the official Porsche warranty, this is of course less of an issue.

Clearly, no one wants to be fitting poor dubious quality parts on any Porsche let alone a GT3, but the cost of items from, say, Bosch vs the identical item with a Porsche part number can sometimes be plain silly. This is less of an issue in my view for routine servicing, but if more major work is needed, it is worth weighing up the pros and cons.

I recently had the a/c condensers changed again (unnecessarily as it turned out – another story). I used Mahle (used to be Behr/Hella) Premium line condensers – part number AC 317000P. These are identical to the Porsche parts, BUT….. watch out, Mahle also sell part number AC 317000 S (usually cheaper). You will see these often sold as Porsche OE parts – they are not, and they’re not even the same dimensions. They are lower quality and will also be a bit of a struggle to fit into the brackets. P for Prächtig, S for Scheiße – or something 🙂

The good news is that costs for all of the above are comfortably better than many other high performance cars and makes. It’s also worth saying that as an appreciating asset, you are likely to get the money back later (leaving aside fuel, this is comfortably the case with my car for example). Good maintenance and condition are key to the value you will retain in this type of car.