Which is more exhilarating to drive? 991.1 turbo vs 991.1 GTS vs 991.1 GT3

for those who've been lucky enough to have the pleasure...…... please let us know

A bit like asking which wine tastes nicer, or which girl is prettier..... we all have pretty different tastes. i can only comment on 997s. Drove a 997 turbo with the 550hp upgrade kit on great ocean road, ok I accept probably not its preferred habitat. Lovely car but left me stone cold and cured any desire to buy one. However I appreciate others on the site may absolutely love them and I can accept that, it is still a very very capable car, just not my cup of tea. drove a 997 GT3 for a few sessions at Hampton downs race track in NZ. Totally intoxicating, I slid out of the seat giggling like a 16 year old that snuck their dads v8 out of the garage while they were out. Spine tingling. Would get my vote 10 time out of 10. That said, the turbo would eat it up as a grand tourer. you pose a great question, and I think the answer is probably there are no losers in that option list, all are good cars, just depends on your tastes and where you are driving them.

In general, the GT3 is going to be a more focused and energetic car to drive, noise, steering  & chassis feedback etc. all add to much more of an engaging experience. All are very fast and capable cars, but the key difference is that the turbo and GTS have been designed as more "road" focused cars where as the GT3 has a track orientated aspect to it.

I'm sure you've read these, bt just in case... https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-germancars/911-turbo-vs-911-gt3/28363 https://www.topgear.com/car-news/supercars/porsche-911-turbo-s-vs-911-carrera-4-s-vs-911-gts#1 - No comparo to the GT3 tho.

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thanks all for the advices 550spyder can you please elaborate why the turbo did not do it for you? was if the handling? the ride?

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My guess would be that they are so capable, at Aus posted speed limits the car is barely breaking a sweat.

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" the 911 Turbo is even more mind-alteringly rapid than ever, if a little unrewarding" Nailed it. Stupidly fast but a bit disconnected, and without the fanfare of the GT3's naturally aspirated donk and more track-focused suspension. The Turbo is not called the "everyday supercar" for nothing. As an interesting side note, a certain Mark Webber was quoted as saying the GT3 is more rewarding than even the GT2.

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Hugh is correct, none of the 3 are even breaking a sweat on our roads at legal limits. I’ve been lucky enough to drive all 3 on track at speed & on the road at legal. They are all different in their own way, on the track GT3 then Turbo then GTS, on the road GTS, then GT3 then Turbo (of course this is only my own humble opinion). Having owned a GTS for a while I found it a good allrounder filling the middle ground between Turbo & GT3. In all honesty though I still have to scratch the GT3 itch as an owner yet. The Turbo is just nuts and worth the experience but my desire for ownership is not there as I think it would be frustrating on the road knowing the power available but unusable.

GT3 ,,,but that dosnt mean its for every one ,,try before you buy ..

Turbo is a one trick pony... dont get me wrong, after every launch you will laugh like a school girl if you dont follow through!!! But to me its Jekyll & Hide in a GT car meets drag car kind of way... 991 GT3 defies physics... it does things that dont feel natural, especially with the RWS, so you do need to recalibrate.... even coming from earlier iterations of GT3, its different. I have not driven a GTS, but I imagine its the ultimate road going 911 of the lot... whatever Greg ( @GC9911 ) says on that, listen to him, he's lived with many iterations of the late cars inc GTS 991.1

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I think I'd be test driving each one, a number of times 🙂

My experience has been that the most modern cars have performance that far exceeds the competence of the driver and the roads we pay to use. Add in vectoring, suspension, transmission, braking and steering electronics, active engine mounts and the experience becomes quite isolating and loses any remaining analogue sensations.  Of course that is what some people actually want, but perhaps not in a sports car.  It can just become 0-100 bragging rights.

I have driven all three, extensively. 991.1 GTS - had one for 2 years as my DD before I replaced it with a 991.2 GTS which is my current DD. 991.1 GT3 - had one for 2years before I sold it for a 991.2 GT3 991.1 Turbo S - two days on track at Spa doing the Porsche Master driver training followed by two days on track at Portimao, again with Porsche, doing Super Sport training. So overall, I think I have some good context. The simple answer to your question, "what is more exhilarating to drive?", is without doubt the GT3. Driving one of these on track at full tilt is a mind altering experience...and similarly on the road, you always feel as if you are in something special due to the way it sounds, rides and goes. I was never 100% happy with my 991.1 GTS largely because it always felt a bit slow...at least it did to me. The GT3 is way faster...by a huge margin. And strangely enough, it rode worse that the GT3. One of the magical things about GT3 cars is the sophistication in their damping. IMHO, its is one of the things that Porsche does better than almost anybody else. i.e. make focussed track cars that ride well. They are magicians. I also thought that the 991.1 GTS was a bit obnoxiously loud. It just sounded a forced to me. But again, that's just me, other people loved it. Overall, it was a very good car with a couple of flaws that annoyed me. But my wife loved it. It was the only car she was happy driving...which says something about the car I think. And as a side comment, I much prefer my 991.2 GTS to the 991.1. It is soooo much faster due to the mid-range grunt of the 3.0 turbo and it sounds pretty good too. Plus it rides better. 991.1 Turbo S is freakin' fast and a huge giggle the first time you hit the gas. On track, its scarily competent. Due to its 4WD, out of corners and in a straight line, it monsters GT3s but loses out under brakes and corner speed due to its weight. It's a heavy bastard and you certainly feel it on track. But wow, the power is a real adrenaline rush. So GT3 - first, Turbo - second, GTS third....although I would understand if some people swapped the last two around.

There you go @911virgin .  You asked for it, and you got your answer.   I doubt anyone else on here has had the level of first hand experience with these cars that @WGA has had.  We'd all like to be adopted by him 😁

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hi WGA-  thanks for all that input!