In conjunction with Shark Week (hope you guys are all watching) we picked up our Arctic Silver 2010 997 GT3 MKII car today from our friends at Carlsen (Gary Q was great to work with as always). Our car came with PCCB's, black full leather, adaptive sport seats with painted seat backs, self dim mirror and rain sensor (whoopee!), PCM3.0 With Extended NAV (cool for a daily d), sound package plus (for rockin' tunes), dynamic cornering lights, Bluetooth, Sport Chrono +, painted nipples and a gas guzzler option (which I really like!).

A few thoughts since it's early days and I've been driving her around today so here's my first limited impressions... From a visual standpoint you can tell she's still a GT3. Compared to the MK1 GT3 or RS I have to say I still prefer the older nose. I think it's more aggressive looking and I was never a fan of the GT2 vent but I guess it's more integrated that way as opposed to a separate plastic vent. It's good to see that Porsche has been watching all of us MK1 guys with our various aftermarket radiator screen protection kits. They don't look as nice as the Cargraphic we have on the RS but at least we're protected now. I would've preferred black as they're a bit like chicken wire. The rear wing is a mixed bag... A bit like the RS except the curvature means you can't see too much (worse than the RS) but it gets thumbs-up from most folks. I think I prefer the Taco wing on the MK1. The rear bumper is pretty neat and with the vents hopefully expel some hot air. I really like the rear LED tail lights and it makes the newer car look more modern. The front lip is big. It looks like a cup lip. Dan says he's afraid someone might step on it while walking past the car. The day-time LED running lights are cool if you're into that sort of thing.

Power/Transmission
Shifting feels exactly the same as the RS to me and I'm right at home. No change needed there either. The lightened dual mass flywheel does give the car more of the character I like, but it doesn't quite touch a single mass flywheel from the RS or in a GT3. Still I can see why Porsche went that route since there's some of performance of a single mass and with the added dampening of a dual mass you don't get any transmission noise. I'd hoped it revved a bit quicker but I know the 3.8 Mahle Pistons they used do add some weight as well sadly (more on this in another post). Our 3.8 build did feel like it had more torque down low (perhaps to do with the tuning etc...) but there's still a noticeable difference compared to a stock MK1. It's subtle but it's there. Dan's going to post a picture later with the two window stickers but funny how it gets worse mileage eh Probably because of the added Variocam/intake etc..

Exhaust Note. Deeper than a 3.6 and sounds a lot like our 3.8 build that we had in Kermit. Still the best factory 911 sound you can get but as I'm typing this we're installing one of our exhausts on there because it's just too quiet. :P We've already had a few 2010 owners install our exhaust and they seem happy

The wheels are truly slick. Great design and it's neat that they're center-lock as well. Haven't weighed them yet but I honestly think they suit the car really well and the aftermarket wheel industry has their work cut out for them. Not as easy as the old days that's for sure.

The brakes are just brilliant. No qualms there and what you'd expect if you used them on the MK1s.

Suspension... it's more akin to a GT2 in that it "feels" less fidgety than the RS. And in fact a lot like our PDK car. It reacts to the road less- especially in terms of rebound. I think some people will like it more for daily driving but I can see Porsche's progression going from the 6GT3 which was a handful on the street and more raw all the way to this MK2 which can honestly be driven by my grandma. I guess that's a good thing- at least for Porsche since it makes it even more accessible. Haven't played with all the SC, TC etc... settings either but I've spotted the lights/buttons in the center console. More buttons.

Other stuff I do like: no sunroof, and those dynamic lights (geeky and freaky). The price has gone up. Boo.

In Sum, the best modern-day 911 is the GT3 and I think this version is going to appeal to an even wider section in terms of how drivable it is (hardcore guys/gals might not like that). If you own a MK1 I don't think there's any "need" to jump up to a MK2 since it's really not all that different. Yes it's worth a "few" more seconds at the ring with a bit more power and revamped suspension but I can't see MK2 guys blasting past MK1 guys at the track either. It's got a lot more gadgets and might look a bit more modern but it's still basically the same car from 10 feet away, which is a good thing. So very hectic day here for us and thanks for tuning in:P

There she is at home with Kermit:



RS Wing on the left vs baby-RS wing on the right:


MK2 front:



The rear bumper (and that meshy stuff again):


The new steering wheel is a bit naff. A lot of plastic:


Options galore:


Those buttons:


3.9 vs 3.8 (more on this later):



UPDATED Today: Video of the car and how she sounded stock vs with our exhaust on it:P
YouTube - SharkWerks 2010 Porsche 997 GT3 with SharkWerks Exhaust System

 

Great review man, look forward to experiencing the differences first hand

Oh and whats the deal on the new sport seats, I have even less headroom in the 997 than 996s

 

Subscribed! Can't wait to see what you will do this monster.

 

Looks great Alex, can't wait for the Video to hear that exhaust

 

^No kidding, and I LOVE GT Silver on GT3s!

 

I love it in silver !

 

After dinner was served up she goes...


Before we took her apart we did notice a few new "cool" additions. Here are those rear brake cooling ducts that Paul from Canada discovered


One thing that we also noticed was that for the the 2010 GT3's and the "pseudo" light weight flywheel (still dual mass) they utilized the 997GT3RS pulley. Guess it does work after all eh?


Just to compare here's the original 997GT3 pulley (which came off and sheered the pin):


Then in the rear you can see the different style "springs". Using a larger diameter coil with less windings that's capable of supporting the same load (rate) reduces unsprung mass. In other words the spring is lighter but does the same job as before on the Mk1:P:


OK so on to the stock exhaust and bumper...


Off come the bumper:



The bumper comes off in the same fashion (we'll update the instructions on our kit a little):


The center section is very similar to the Mk1:


Off she comes:


Check out the new style ceramic cats:


On goes ze Sharkwerks exhaust by James the Canadian:


Look no cosmoline!


On go the heat shields:



And off to bed... See you local guys tomorrow at Santana Row

 

Fantastic review and write up mate, really enjoyed your perspective on it.

So here's the question:

Stock for stock, what would you take and why - 997 GT3 RS / 997 GT3 mk2?

 

Beauty. Lets see how she ends up.

 

I need a sharkwerksCenter section for my 2010 Alex !!!
when can you send!