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QUOTE=CarbonR1;12083566]Warning- long post, so if you are born after the year 2000 and have the attention span of a goat, just skip to the pics
I haven’t been around in the FD community much for the last 7 years, and truthfully, my passion for cars had taken a backseat to work and family until recently. My 93 brilliant black R1 (that I got from Ramy/FDNewbie 10 years ago) that I had spent so much money and effort to keep running sat in the garage, with what seemed like an endless loop of repairs and work. The amount of poorly engineered car parts on the FD that I had replace over the ten years of ownership could be described as nothing less than irrational love for a dream car that had struck a nerve within me as a teenager growing up in the 90’s.
I am now in my early 30’s, and I am fortunate to be able to pick up my next dream car, the 991 GT3. Driving the GT3 has rekindled my love for the FD and cars again, motivating me to send my car (and another paycheck) over to Lucky7 (thanks Fris!) to get the car back on the road after being sidelined by a charge relief solenoid valve. Oddly enough, getting my jumpy tach repaired, only to have it break again after a few months had me finally throw in the towel in 2009 in a tough fight to keep this beautiful machine on the road after a storied life of 129k miles.
For those of you that haven’t had a chance to drive the GT3, I will say that it’s amazing how much cars have progressed over the past 23+ years. There is so much technology packed into the car- dual clutch transmission PDK, launch control, rear wheel steering, stability/traction control, adjustable dampers, dynamic engine mounts, blue tooth…and the list goes on. The suspension is stiff, without being punishing, and the ride is smooth but exciting when you want it to be. The 9K redline 475HP flat 6 engine is nothing short of otherworldly, delivering such a linear, emotional crescendo of power. The transmission shifts gears so perfectly and quickly that it snaps into the next gear. The interior quality is amazing too! No thin plastic rattling that the FD suffers so greatly from. All in all, the GT3 is truly a master-crafted tribute to engineering. The classic, curvy looks of the Porsche was an easy transition from the FD. Ferrari’s and Lambo’s are great cars too, but I find the curves of the 911 and FD so well-proportioned and much more alluring.
I truly do love the GT3, and it is everything that I hoped it might be, but it also really makes me appreciate what the FD stood for so many years ago. Despite all of the technology that the GT3 has, the FD feels so connected to the road through the viscerally linked steering and has an incredibly nimble and light chassis. The car just feels so well balanced, which is truly remarkable, considering it had no driver’s aids outside of power steering. The GT3 rear wheel steering at times, feels unnatural to me, even if it helps with high speed turn in stability. I suppose I’m just used to driving cars without all of the technology, so I’ll always have a soft spot for the great Japanese sports cars from the 90’s. All in all, it's amazing how HARD it is to drive the FD smoothly, and how effortless modern engineering has made it to drive a fast car like the GT3. It really makes me appreciate good footwork when driving the FD.
On the other hand, the GT3 engine is so fantastic, it makes me feel like the stock sequential turbos on the FD leave a lot to be desired. Like others have written, the motor sounds amazing at 9K and the power delivery is so smooth. There is so much non linearity in the stock FD engine setup- from the 3k hesitation to the 4k sequential handoff- that it makes me understand why so many people opt for a single turbo setup on the FD.
The transmission on the GT3 is also worth mention, and I understand why the 991 didn’t come optioned with a manual. The car is so quick, and shifts come so soon that you would spend too much time shifting with a manual. Driving the PDK still sometimes makes my left foot lonely without a clutch pedal to operate, but I quickly get over it as soon as I hear the satisfying snap of the lightning quick shift in the GT3.
I had fought hard against the urge to go single turbo on the FD, due to my desire to keep everything on the car mostly original (but with the aftermarket “reliability mods”)...down to the out of date 93 radio unit, but I’ll have to give the turbos some more thought.
Anyways, I wanted to share both of my dream cars to those that might appreciate it. Both cars are incredible machines from different eras, are unique, and both still feel very special.
Fritz Flynn The only reason to put a widebody kit on this car is if you need room for extra tires. There is no way to improve perfection.
Since most widebody cars FDs are on wheels/tires that would fit a stock body with the right offset...
I think the idea of the widebody FD is when you have a slow car the wider it is the harder to pass on the track.
Fritz Flynn The only reason to put a widebody kit on this car is if you need room for extra tires. There is no way to improve perfection.
Since most widebody cars FDs are on wheels/tires that would fit a stock body with the right offset...
I think the idea of the widebody FD is when you have a slow car the wider it is the harder to pass on the track.
Remember the whole "why do all FD wide kits look like absolute ***" thread? Mostly because they always manage to mess with the lines of the car somehow, instead of just making it wider.
Remember the whole "why do all FD wide kits look like absolute ***" thread? Mostly because they always manage to mess with the lines of the car somehow, instead of just making it wider.
07-20-16, 11:56 PM
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