Henry @ 911V does 996 GT2

A quick look at the Porsche people nicknamed The Widowmaker. 462 turbo charged horses, rear engine, 2 wheel drive, no intrusive electronics to get in the way. What could possible go wrong.

The 993 GT2 was the widow maker Not the 996

I first heard the term used with reference to the original 930 Turbo, long before the 993 was created.

You're right Terry. As someone who has experienced all 3 (930, 993 & 996), I can confidently say that each iteration of the format removed much of the initial terror. The 930 simply couldn't be trusted; when the turbo eventually woke up it was in the lap of the gods if you could keep it on the tarmac. Throw in rain & bends on a B-road and it would certainly tame your enthusiasm if you wanted to avoid a quick visit to the scenery! The Weissach axle in the 993 keeps the rear end under control much better and coupled with the way the twin turbos build boost, it's a much more predictable prospect. Still needs respect though. The 996 isn't really scary at all if you understand the dynamics involved in how to drive a 911 - well, not until you get them up to 650HP+, then they pack a real punch but are still quite predictable really.

Surely the first use of the term was when used by the American press to describe the three cylinder Kawasaki H1 in 1969.

Trying not to be pedantic, I think it was the Luftwaffe who circa 1962 dubbed the F14 Starfighter the Widowmaker. Thanks for the valuable insight Nick. :thumb: I stayed at the same accommodation near LeMans in 2002 as a silver GT2 owner who was keen for me to give him a run in my old car, which I did, Apparently he had quite a few Porsches, a real enthusiast..

The Widowmaker was the F-104, not the F14. (That's pedantry)

:thumb: :floor:

F14, who didn't love that plane in the late 80's, running around giving each other stupid nicknames and playing beach volleyball to impress the chicks.

Indeed, takes your breath away.

There was a news article in the mid 60's that referenced the AC Cobra as 'the widowmaker'. Reporting on 400ft tyre marks before going off a cliff. Long before either Nina's

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Interestingly or perhaps not, when I took the GT2 owner down the road in my car, it having a slightly reluctant gearbox when cold required a degree of rev matching when dropping down through the box, the action of which caused the chap to ask what I was doing and why... I find it a little bit amusing that such seem to be the evolutionary influences that it seems auto rev matching may be built into flappy paddle boxes, perhaps more for the sound effect than the needs of the gears to mesh cleanly... :?:

I wonder who had the most fun in this car - those that did 40k miles in the first 5 years or those that did a total of 411 in the last 6 :?:

I suspect in the evaluation of Porsche as an investment as opposed to a sports car in the minds of the market, that the whole investment idea has infected us to the extent that Porsches and other "Classics" may not be enjoyed as their designers intended, or are we at the stage where investment cars are being designed as such.. Hmm.. :?: