As people like
@Gibbo keep on at me to not dismiss a GT3 too quickly, I did the only thing I could do which was to find one in stock in my budget and go drive it. I did exactly that today. A 991 4.0 GT3 in white with the clubsport pack (carbon buckets, roll cage, fire extinguisher, possibly some other bits that I'm not aware of?).
I've not driven a 991 GT3 before, and to the best of my knowledge I don't think I've sat in one. GT3RS yes, GTS yes, but not a GT3. I was surprised by a few things about it - firstly given its a GT3 I was a little surprised at how well it soaked up minor bumps, overbanding, cats eyes etc but the bigger bumps did show it up for what it is. Also a surprise, the road noise was significantly worse than I was expecting. Of course, it is riding on Cup2 which aren't exactly a quiet tyre but there's no way I would want to do a long motorway journey in this car with a passenger, having to significantly raise my voice to be heard over the road noise wasn't at all what I was expecting at 65mph on the motorway. Also surprising, parked up next to a 720S it looks absolutely
massive. It is taller, longer and "fatter looking". On its own or next to something actually big it doesn't look big but still, something I was surprised about.
The way it drives is of course superb. The car shrinks around you to the point where it almost feels like a dinky toy on the road. The noise from the engine really is great when wound out (and like all 911s, IMO awful at idle/low RPM). Steering is great, the weird front end thing somehow didn't manifest itself on my drive out but then again I was on Cup2 tyres on 3-4c roads in someone else's car so I wasn't exactly testing the limits of handling. The interior is somehow both totally boring at utterly amazing - so well built, functional, well thought out. Getting into and out of the buckets was quite easy although the spring-loaded adjuster is a bit of a pain from outside the car.
I think if I had deep enough pockets to buy a GT3 as a third or fourth car I would jump at owning one, but as a car I need to be able to use for all my combined "fun" driving (European road trips, weekend trips, Sunday blasts) this isn't going to cut it sadly.