A man and a Porsche GT3 ...

[Mikelly]

So Saturday morning, January 1st rolls around and it is balmy and gorgious in Fredericksburg Va. It finds me with paint roller in hand, on a ladder, with the Missus barking orders at me to paint here, or touch up there... When a little black sports car pulls into the drive... It is a very shiny, nice looking little Posrche with a very large wing on the back... Jim McNemar hops out and I know that my warden has come to pardon me from this day of manual labor... I run down stairs with speed I've not seen in some time, grab shoes and run out side to see this new wonder of german steel, aluminum and composite. WOW... Jim is grinning like the proverbial cheshire cat, complete with feathers sticking out of its mouth... He just at a bird, and it is settling well. We crack a beer (it is 10:00 AM) and chat about the car, his Scarab project, and his new motor. We walk out into the garage and chat for a few minutes, then he says "You are gonna drive this Porsche... You've got to experience it!" OK, so you don't tell a man "NO THANKS" when he wants you to test drive his new toy... So I sheepeshly said "OK!"

 

Jim knows nice cars. He has a very nice Z06 Corvette, and had a nice Porsche Cayen, (The GT3 has taken its place). He also will have one of the nicest Zcars you are likely to ever lay eyes on, so he doesn't need me to tell him how fabulous his car is.

 

But it is. This car is amazing to drive. The power hits and hits hard at 4000RPMs and just keeps rolling on like a freight train. It is simply amazing, the rush of acceleration this thing brings. The steering is light, the car handles so crisply and so exact that you put forth little effort. Jim told me that the sales guys warned him that the ride would be harsh and that the tranny is notchy... not so. This car is a sports car, and the ride is firm, but no more so than the Vette. Brakes got tested as we were on the interstate in 4th gear, traveling about 105mph when a car decided to change lanes into our path... EXCELLENT and FIRM braking that tracked straight and true. We rolled the car up in 3rd gear to about 105mph, and 4th and 5th gears both saw stints at 120+mph. The car simply pulls effortlessly. It was amazing. I did one 6th gear roll on from 70 mph and the time it took to get from 70 to 130 was from the underpass of one exit to the end of the on ramp from that exit...in SIXTH gear. Thank's to Jim for having a Valentine detector on hand for this test drive!

 

This car also drives like a VW around town. Cruise in 3rd gear below 4000 rpms and it is like any other car. The clutch take-up is exact and the Carbon kevlar clutch material is very precise. You feel everything. Clutch pedal effort is a little stiffer than a normal clutch setup in modern cars. The pedal is harder to depress than the Z06, but not by a lot... and you do not mind at all. This car drove very timidly through traffic in town without a hitch. No bucking or peaky revs, or any of the other difficulties some sports cars exhibit. This thing could be driven to the grocery store by your grandmother.

 

What struck me more so than anything else was the jaw dropping stares we got from people as we rolled along at 100+MPH speeds or trundelled in stop and go traffic. People want to see this car, who is in it and what it is all about. We got a kick watching people's reactions. C5 Vettes have become so common place that you don't tend to get that much in the C5 anymore.

 

Words can not express my appreciation to Jim for allowing me to drive a car of such magnetude. I've ridden in a GT3, but never got to drive one. Most owners won't trust the keys of such a car to the hands of someone who thinks he is the next coming of Michael Shuemacker! Jim is a very well grounded, down to earth good 'ole boy done good who isn't stressed about such things. He trusted me with the care of his Scarab, and he trusted me with keys to the GT3... I can NOT express the level of excitement and what a true TREAT it was to go for an hour ride with him, driving his car.

 

Jim, If this is any indicator to how well my 2005 will turn out, I can't wait...

 

Thanks again for the drive! PIcs will be up in a bit... Got to get them online and then over to Doug to host!

Mike

[Guest Magnum Rockwilder]

Great story.

 

My wife's dream car is either a GT3 or GT2. She likes turbos, but likes the looks of the GT3. We'll never own either one, though, because I'm a cheapskate and would rather build el cheapo GT3-killers.

 

We see them every day around here, so they don't even really get noticed. A lady who works at one of the libraries drives one to work every day, and I've seen it at the Public Supermarket... so I cave to agree with you on the "could be driven to the grocery store by your grandmother" part. I asked her about it once, and she said her son recommended that she buy it when she told him she wanted a luxurious sports car to tool around in. I doubt he knew she would park it in the public library parking lot every day (where my bicycle got stolen in broad daylight).

 

So if any unscrupulous characters want to drive a navy blue GT3 that has probably never seen 4000rpm, go to the Largo Library on East Bay in Largo, FL.