aholymanjones55
New member
I’m just back from Le Mans. The GTS has now covered some 3,500 miles. This was its first proper trip since the running-in experience in late April/early May (again in France) to really see what the car is capable of.
I covered some 900 miles [650 miles in France on the back roads] and was partnered again with my mates Ferrari 360 Modena F1 Spider. His is a 2003 model i.e. with flappy paddles.[0-60 4.3 secs] Now done some 40k miles. He has owned since 2004. I was taking a Le Mans virgin with me this year (my 20thvisit). He was put on both my car insurance and on the Ferrari’s. BTW Tom Tom worked brilliantly with PCM.
So very interesting to hear his comments, after each one hour or so session driving the cars back-to-back.
718….It is probably a tad faster the 360. But you don’t realize how fast it is going because it does it so effortlessly. The pull from 3k is immense; it is easily capable of matching/outgunning the 360 on full chat. The character of the 718 is of course very different; it can run along at 50 mph very happily and then drop into 3rdand it simply flies up the rev range to some 100+ mph before shifting into 4th. We found both plenty of go in the next two gears 4thand 5thas well. The turbo engine in this form really has been honed extremely well. Copying the well -proven 911 Turbo’s turbocharger variable turbine geometry obviously has an impact. He liked its looks, especially the rear end.
360…the noise…… the engine chat. You have to be on your metal, 100% focused. It really does not like driving below 80mph. ( I remember hearing the Daytona was the same.) You think you are going faster than you really are, because of all the theatre around you. The car is much more edgy. The equivalent car today in the Ferrari range is a 488, so not at all surprising.
When asked which one would you buy….he sat on the fence….he wanted both.
My observations on the 718. I love the 3rdand 4thgear acceleration and I can now see why its lap time around the Ring matches the 981 GT4 and the first generation GT3 in Gen 11 form. It’s a mighty piece of kit. The mid engine layout provides a perfectly balanced car, steers beautifully, that simply eats the miles on the long roman roads in France or the twisty D roads. So I’m delighted with the purchase. I miss my 991 Targa S but the 718 is noticeably faster, smoother and quieter in the cabin. The wind noise is much better controlled and no buffeting. With the top down at 80 mph the conversation is at a normal sound level …you do not have to shout. As I have mentioned before the manual gearbox is street’s ahead over the box in the Targa. Overall the package is wonderful for our needs.
Who would of thought that Porsche could produce a car some 15 years later than the 360 that was capable of beating it in a package that is so easy to drive and enjoy. The engineering brilliance to create the package that delivers a 360 experience at a fraction of the price Ferrari would charge. Hats off to them.
Footnote:
I see that today Porsche have finally launched the 718 GT4 and Spyder with a brand new the 6 cylinder 4 litre engine, have an almost identical 0-60 mph time, some 7 mph faster at 187, and the much the same 309 kW of torque as the GTS. Will be interesting to see how the reviews go, given its not a detuned GT3 engine as everyone was expecting....
The Porsche Connect system is telling me that my avg mpg is 27.7 and my avg speed is 39 mph….must try harder.
Picture of GTS at Arnage corner
I covered some 900 miles [650 miles in France on the back roads] and was partnered again with my mates Ferrari 360 Modena F1 Spider. His is a 2003 model i.e. with flappy paddles.[0-60 4.3 secs] Now done some 40k miles. He has owned since 2004. I was taking a Le Mans virgin with me this year (my 20thvisit). He was put on both my car insurance and on the Ferrari’s. BTW Tom Tom worked brilliantly with PCM.
So very interesting to hear his comments, after each one hour or so session driving the cars back-to-back.
718….It is probably a tad faster the 360. But you don’t realize how fast it is going because it does it so effortlessly. The pull from 3k is immense; it is easily capable of matching/outgunning the 360 on full chat. The character of the 718 is of course very different; it can run along at 50 mph very happily and then drop into 3rdand it simply flies up the rev range to some 100+ mph before shifting into 4th. We found both plenty of go in the next two gears 4thand 5thas well. The turbo engine in this form really has been honed extremely well. Copying the well -proven 911 Turbo’s turbocharger variable turbine geometry obviously has an impact. He liked its looks, especially the rear end.
360…the noise…… the engine chat. You have to be on your metal, 100% focused. It really does not like driving below 80mph. ( I remember hearing the Daytona was the same.) You think you are going faster than you really are, because of all the theatre around you. The car is much more edgy. The equivalent car today in the Ferrari range is a 488, so not at all surprising.
When asked which one would you buy….he sat on the fence….he wanted both.
My observations on the 718. I love the 3rdand 4thgear acceleration and I can now see why its lap time around the Ring matches the 981 GT4 and the first generation GT3 in Gen 11 form. It’s a mighty piece of kit. The mid engine layout provides a perfectly balanced car, steers beautifully, that simply eats the miles on the long roman roads in France or the twisty D roads. So I’m delighted with the purchase. I miss my 991 Targa S but the 718 is noticeably faster, smoother and quieter in the cabin. The wind noise is much better controlled and no buffeting. With the top down at 80 mph the conversation is at a normal sound level …you do not have to shout. As I have mentioned before the manual gearbox is street’s ahead over the box in the Targa. Overall the package is wonderful for our needs.
Who would of thought that Porsche could produce a car some 15 years later than the 360 that was capable of beating it in a package that is so easy to drive and enjoy. The engineering brilliance to create the package that delivers a 360 experience at a fraction of the price Ferrari would charge. Hats off to them.
Footnote:
I see that today Porsche have finally launched the 718 GT4 and Spyder with a brand new the 6 cylinder 4 litre engine, have an almost identical 0-60 mph time, some 7 mph faster at 187, and the much the same 309 kW of torque as the GTS. Will be interesting to see how the reviews go, given its not a detuned GT3 engine as everyone was expecting....
The Porsche Connect system is telling me that my avg mpg is 27.7 and my avg speed is 39 mph….must try harder.
Picture of GTS at Arnage corner
