I've owned all three versions of the 996GT3, never fancied the first 997, but I think the 997 facelift with it's 3.8 engine has really lifted the bar.
Interesting to note that Evo have the facelift 97GT3 at almost the same time around Bedford as the 997Mk1 GT2, which is reputedly a much beter car tha the 996 GT2 which seems quite unloved, hence prices.
My 996 Turbo X50 was a very blunt instrument.
My first 996 GT3 was a Mk II Comfort with full leather interior, bucket seats, and PCCB brakes, and I loved it (out of a M3CSL). Hunted cambers and was very fast, intimdated a little but the art was always keeping the car in the turn --- like a set of aggressive carver skis, when the car was flowing it was fab and I learn a lot, but somehow it all felt a bit "safety first".
Swopped this for a GT3 RS which had spent 500 fairly hard miles in the hands of a "to be" GT2 owner. Actually it was a car Oliver Morley had specced for the Gumball Rally, but then drove something else. Full cage in white, steel brakes, lots of carbon, completely different brake mounting on the front ad set-up for a more experienced driver. So the whole chassis was much more mobile --- as the front end really loaded the tail would come into play and the attitude of car could be balanced on the throttle, something that the Comfort MkII was far more predictable in, and therefore one rarely reached that point !
Sold for the Turbo toy, then a flirtation with an R32 (surprisingly good by comparison !) and then in the summer of last year into a Mk1 GT3 Clubsport.
I like the slightly older feel of the car. With full roll cage it is even more playful than the RS, and very predictable. One of 28 it ticks the (nobody else has one like this) exclusivity box and in Zazibar Red, well, I was never a shrinking violet when I'm 'supposed' to be driving fast [
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Hand built ? It certainly feels more intimate in that it wraps around you on track. The engine is so understressed with a rev limit around 7,400 rpm, and yet with a top speed of 188 + MPH, it's not giving much away to any of the newer generation GT3's.
The fun is still in giving drivers of faster cars something to think about (hopefully) --- and it is now a 10 year old car, whic is no problem given parts availability and the original build quality.
And it stands me in at £36k --- I love it !
