I Drive The Mythical 911 GT3 That Shouldn't Exist: The 3.8L 997.1 GT3

997.1 gt3 is in my top 3 favourite 911's

Anyone with a 997 GT2 please contact James.

I can't think of anything more predestination than a 911. When is the bubble popping on that one?

As 997.1 GT3 MR owner and have tested a lot of car from this gen, the feeling of the steering and the chassis depends a lot on the setup you've put on it. What a car, what an engine !

Can't he shut up for 1 minute. Zzzz

You need to drive it a bit harder - it's a 911 so up near the redline is best. BTW - it's not as good as everyone says - it's better !

james glen vids are very watchable....i wish i'd went for the tropy r with the wheels :-(

997.1 is my favorite.. unique wing, only gt3 with sunroof option

I love the "drive it like a rental" sticker. Sarcastic, funny, and actually meaningful, hasn't been heard or seen in one short sentence, more appropriately.

That engine noise has such a mechanical fizz, with a hint of grunt, in the revs.

TY J🙏🙏

Maybe I should let you drive my 997 GTS in the spring, I feel it's a much nicer road car than the GT3’s, far far shorter gearing,a nicer road use engine and better suspension. .1 PASM is dire. Gear shift also nicer than GT3 shifter. Plus wider track like the 991.1 RS and much lighter wheels. That gt3 needs a set of plush shocks and the cup final drive really to make it enjoyable for road use, be hard to get that car out of 2nd gear in the UK 😂

I'm favoured financially with Bitcoin ETFs approval, Thank you buddy.$28,600 weekly profit regardless of how bad it gets on the economy.

If you'd said "literally an epic legend" you'd have gotten the holy trinity of over-used words. Sublime car!

Great video! But what about your 987 build? :)

Think you should add a little change to the test route. Go up and over the hill as normal. Keep going all the way to the very end and turn left. The basically just keep going left and you'll end up back at where you started. This is a great little route and one that's got a bit of everything in it. Where you do the last left turn to head back, this little back round is a peach. Tight and twist but one that you can carry just enough speed to keep it interesting, also got a nice yump in the middle.

Been looking forward to this review of Stephen’s GT3 having seen him post the clip of you driving it away a while back 👌

I’ll take the 996.2. It’s a little more track focused. The limited slip diff on the .1 997 got less aggressive when they introduced PASM. Both models have crap LSD’s but 997’s require a way more pricey rebuild vs 996’s. Meanwhile, the PASM tries to compensate the lesser LSD with rear brakes. So, you have to chunk the entire thing and upgrade to the 996 version to out muscle the PASM effect and get the true mechanical diff performance. For the money the 996 is just better value. Uglier, well, of course it is but who cares it drives like an animal.

Brilliant!

*the most satisfying thing you can experience " 😂

It is called Porsche, not Porsch. 😉

The 996 and 997 gt3’s are my favourites

Thank you James. That red 997.2 looks delicious! But I'll have to be content with my 987.1 Cayman for now. I believe it's due to have the fluids circulated and the tires scuffed tomorrow. 🤠

Well done, Jay!

I've owned 911s since 1998 and I was lucky enough to get an '07 997.1 GT3 nine months ago. Greatest car I've ever driven and owned. The car simply makes me feel alive after 4 RPM.

Personally not a fan of the 997.1 (3.6)

Engine is indeed the highlight with tons of character but you really need to keep it on the boil to get the thrills, below 4k rpm you barely call it a sportscar.
Gear shift and pedals configuration is completely spot on, but the ratios spoil the fun - too long.

And this is where it ends for me - handling is tricky. 997's front end was a disaster especially under acceleration and the rear felt like it was trying to follow what the front was doing in slow motion.

I totally get why its got a strong fan base but if I had to go for a gt3 i'd get a 991.1.

That was a sheer delight...accordingly, I have depressed delike button.

I get that it’s an amazing car, but it just does absolutely nothing for me.

When’s the s2000 update coming

What road are you driving on?

Great video James. Bit Alan Partridge with pursed lips at the start tho 👍

£18K for a GT3 motor!? We start off paying that much here in the US to rebuild a 3.6 or 3.8 Carrera engine of the same vintage to a 3.8 or 4.1 respectively. I would gladly throw that sum of money at someone to put a GT3 motor in the back of my 997.1. Tell me more!!!

I had a Manthey 996.2 gt3, then the 997.1 gt3. I didn’t get another till the 991.2. The 991.2 was my favorite . I didn’t like the 997.1 wing Taco Shell wing vs the 991.1/991.2 wing . I much preferred the 991.2 front splitter. Plus it was $150,000 vs $275,000 for the 992. And while the metzger motor was mythical, the 9A1 in the 991 series is plenty strong.
I didn’t like the flimsy oil filter of the 997.1 vs the big Mahle filter in the 991.2
The obvious weakness in the 997 gt3 is the manual transmission vs the PDK. Miss a gear in the 997 or guess the wrong gear and a Honda R type will leave you behind. The PDK solves that issue. The lack of torque means you must be in the correct rev range to take advantage of the power of the engine. Choose wrongly and you’ll be way behind.
The PDK always picks the right gear and you’ll never lose to an M3

I had the 996, 997, 991, 992 GT3 in the last 20 years and they got better with every new generation. The fairy tales about the old models are probably spread by speculators who want to push up the prices of their old models. I drive the 992 GT3 every day, about 15,000 miles a year. For long-distance trips I have another car (company car, Audi A6 Avant 50 TDI quattro tiptronic).

Great video and discussion. Pls could you consider a comparison between the gt4 and 997.1 gt3 - can’t find video reviews of the two anywhere. Considering they are similar price which is the more enjoyable to own and drive on the road 🤓

Can’t afford a GT3 RS… so painted my MX5 2 look like 1…!!! 👍🤣

😍😍😍😍😍

Great video ! What road is that ?

Thanks for the review.

Too bad VAG is a proven criminal organization. Don't give them a penny.

Interesting video thanks ❤❤❤❤

Oh man, this is a dream car for me.

Good to see a manual sports car that's been appreciated and driven. I like Porsche but loving my super rare manual F-type V6. It's so much fun to drive and what a sound track!

I’m sorry but at least check your stats. 996.2 gt3 has a much slower steering than 997.1 gt3 (997.1 were the first to have variable ratio). It’s such a big difference that the first time I drove 997 I was shocked at how much more responsive it felt.

Hmm, prime head clearer… anyway off to the Eurojackpot

Love the 997.1 GT3 🤍 Thanks for the video!
Just want to call out that the 997.1 GT3 RS (997.2 3RS as well) was actually the first Porsche GT-car to include PASM as standard. It significantly less sophisticated though than modern PASM.

Make Mine a Roma!!!

Till this day I think the 997.1 is the prettiest of all Porsche GT products

Nice vidéo, but please : MeZger, not MeTZger. 😉

Thanks for warning me about the front splitter issues