Hampton Downs track day

Very timely review, Lucio! I read it while enjoying the GT4's first track day, at Hampton Downs - an hour south of Auckland.

Further reflections on the car:

• My impression of the GT4 being understeery arose over the months as I learned to carry more and more speed on corner entry. The GT4 rewards you for keeping the speed up initially, and works best if you feed the power back very gently when unlocking the steering on exit. I had to unlearn the 911's "slow in, faster-from-the-apex" style which worked so well with the porky Turbo. But as I dared bigger speeds, I found that the GT4 has an underlay of understeer. Resetting the antiroll bars did help a fair bit, yet I was still pushing too much in the two morning sessions today. I need more patience on entry and learn to keep the on the edge of grip, using the throttle.
• Yaw stability is a bit tricky. You'll see in the movie that the main straight drops down into a 90-degree right-hander. This is close to the perfect storm for manual shifting. The transition from full throttle (220km/h) to full braking while shifting down and turning into a diving right, one hand on the wheel while shifting, makes the car wiggle a fair bit . I found it hairy. On the other hand, the car is happy taking a lot of abuse on trail braking. Recorded 1.50 g each side today.
• Fully agree with your analysis on the engine. It's a good beefy engine with punch above 5,000rpm, but a bit gruff and with far less sparkle than the Metzger. Did yWalter Rohrl describe the engine in the upcoming 2017 GT3 as "ein Wunder"? Will be interesting to watch.
• Gear ratios. Hmmm. I actually think they're a good compromise for a manual gear box. You'll see in the movie that there are two spots on this track where you could theoretically shift up to third gear; it would be a no-brainer to select 3rd with DSG. In the GT4 however, it's probably not worth destabilising the car (and losing time) with 2 shifts for the 2 seconds you'll spend in higher gear. I mostly went up to the limiter for the 1-1.5 seconds. I assume the car doesn't mind doing that - let me know if that's the wrong assumption!
• I finally understand all the talk about tyres. The Dunlop Sport Maxx Race are good but they are not semi-slicks. They will go a bit mushy after two laps, and stabilise there. You'll see that the GT4 was evenly matched with the Honda (semi-slicks) on the long 180-degree right-hander. No miracles there. 
• Several drivers approached me and commented about the noise of the GT4 at full bore on the straight. Reportedly it's spectacular. I didn't get a video, so I'll take their word for it!. 
• There was a couple of very nice GT3s in the racing group. One of them with slicks, racing exhaust, new intakes. Wow. That thing sounded like no 911 I've heard. And it was very well driven, at the very limit of grip all around. About 3 seconds faster than the GT4 driven by me.  I've started working on Chris regarding co-ownership of a proper track car, like a GT3 with the right setup. In a few years maybe.
• Finally, I am very happy with the Necksgen neck support. It's far less intrusive than the HANS I had tried (which doesn't work well with the 918 buckets) and provides more lateral support in case of roll or side impact. 

Here's the video. The driving bits to improve are fairly obvious, which is why I'm going to go again very soon.

Interestingly, you'll see a 997 GTS on the track. He and I have had good battles the whole day. The GT4 is approx 1.5-2 seconds faster per lap. 

Lucio's GT4 report

David has already given us a great and detailed report, so I thought I focus on some of the “usual” questions and try to put the GT4 in perspective within the “P family”.

Can the non-GT engine deliver GT-like thrills?
Compared to the Mezger and to the 991 GT3, it has approx. 1’000 rpm less to play with. But at least on road it does not matter much. More important is that the quality (and the quantity) of the noise are similar, including the variations of noise through the rev range. The way it pushes forward beyond 5’000 rpm is equally fantastic. Throttle response is razor-sharp.
The main difference is that the Mezger feels more “alive” and “raw”, with more vibrations (even at idle) and less polished, and has a note which is that bit angrier. The transition from closed to open exhaust valves (at 3’000 rpm) is more dramatic, while you don’t feel any transition with the Cayman. And of course there are the last 1’000 rpm, that you just occasionally use on the road, which are an added bonus and provide an even more epic soundtrack.

Are the gears too long?
I don’t think so. It’s the same as in my GT3, and back in 2009 there was not one single motoring journo complaining about it. The GT4 is a lighter car with a more torquey delivery and it’s suddenly a problem….?
Probably both cars could do with shorter 2nd  (130 km/h) and 3rd  (180 km/h), but they both never feel too long-geared in practice. For attacking fast roads these gears are all you need  (apart tight hairpins which might require downshift to 1st if you’re in a hurry…).  And exiting slow bends, a not-too-short 2nd helps maintain traction – which is a major confidence-builder (especially with the Cayman). Without all the complaints from the press I don’t think I would have even noticed…

Auto-blip: love or hate?
You have to admire the perfect execution. I tried different combinations, at different revs, even going straight from 5th to 2nd, and it always gave the exact amount of throttle for exactly the right time, and bang…you slot in the lower gear at perfect rev parity. Anyone who has spent years to improve his heel-and-toe technique knows how difficult is to get consistently good at it, so I felt both admiration and some irritation… as with auto-blip any driving dog will sound like a driving God, with zero investment….! Fortunately you can switch off the Sport button (which activates the auto-blip), while still keeping the exhaust valves open. Getting the blip 80% of the times right in DYI mode gives me more satisfaction than 100% right at no effort…

Electric steering: can’t be as good as an hydraulic one, right?
Excellent calibration, in terms of directness, weight, linearity of response. Not sure about the ultimate feeling at and beyond the limit. I had the impression that my GT3 steering communicates more, but it has to, as the GT3 front axle grip is the limiting factor. So the dialogue with the front axle via the steering is central to the ability to go (really) fast with the GT3. The GT4 front axles feels a bit more planted and the steering a bit quieter. David was complaining about understeering, I had the impression that the axle to keep in check is rather the rear one… But too short a drive (on open roads) to really tell. Within reasonable limits, a great steering wheel.

997 GTS or GT4?
More or less same engine, similar performance, both manual box, both with stock sports exhaust – and not so different price points.
911 mythology, full 408hp, hydraulic steering, 2+2 on one side. Mid-engine, power limitation (385hp), modern/GT chassis, “GT endorsement” on the other.
I read a comparo in a Porsche magazine, stating that the 997 GTS engine was more thrilling… Not my impression, tough. I think the GT4 engine makes more/better noise and feels more exciting.
And the chassis is excellent. Maybe not 100% fair, as the GTS I drove a couple of years ago (with lowered sport chassis and manual box) had normal tyres vs the Cup2 of the GT4. But in terms of sensations (both engine and dynamics) I found the Cayman to be closer to my GT3 than to the GTS.
The very fact I’m comparing the GT4 to 911 GTSs and GT3s is telling! The standard Cayman S (the old one with NA flat 6, of course) is not really at a comparable level from a sensations and raw appeal.

In short this is the “thinking man’s GT3”: 95% of the thrills at 65% of the price.
Fortunately I’m not in the market for a car like this, as I would have a hard time to make up my mind: used 997.2 GT3, almost-new GT4 or the new GT3 with manual box?