I miss my Boxter S (fun at sensible speed), my Griffith 500 (raw motoring and the noise!), Golf R32 (feel good motoring with a baby mas soundtrack).
On the 991 topic this is a copy of my post on another forum after doing back to back 991 vs 997 drives. Note the Granturismo exhaust reference!
Engine
In isolation my 7GTS has a very responsive engine with an amazing top end, but it simply cannot live with the 1GTS which has a simply electric (no pun intended) top end that is simply unbelievable. The 1GTS really moves the game on and although both engines really sing and punch again above 6500 rpm the 991 definitely goes harder. The unfortunate thing on the 991 is the gearing which is just silly. I started getting frustrated by how limited the opportunities are to rev the thing out with 2nd gear heading above 75mph (obviously a guess as I never hit this sort of speed....).
Then there is the sound. My PSE sharkwerks equipped 7GTS sounds pretty good and grumbles like a good'n on the overrun with a bit of help from a light throttle, but the 1GTS popping on overrun in sport plus mode rivals a Maserati Granturismo for exhaust drama which takes some doing. It is laugh out loud hilariously spectacular. After a few hundred miles however, it started to feel a little synthetic and I'm not sure the machine gun act really suits the car. A good laugh however, and you can switch it off. The engine / intake sound inside the car is also epic.
Handling
Electric steering is much lighter than the 7 and deadly accurate allowing millimetre placement of the car, but offers no feel of what the tyres are doing. The thing is, I am not sure you need to bother knowing what the tyres are doing as all they do is grip grip and grip some more. Getting back into the 7 and the steering much weightier, which initially feels like weight not feel, but as you push beyond grip levels (which unlike the 1GTS is possible on the road), lots of feel starts to filter through telling you what is going on and to me making it a lot more “funâ€.
Interior
991GTS interior is a class above my 7 which feels old school after the 1GTS. Just a lovely place to be but it feels like a much bigger car than 997 from the inside. Refinement is amazing and the sports adaptive seats are the most comfortable I have ever experienced. My two previous 997 turbos had the old sports adaptive but cannot compete with the 991 thrones. My 7GTS sports seats are great but I would love the flexibility of these ones fitted to this particular 991. The 1GTS does feel a bit to luxury to me for a sports car and I sometime thought I could be sitting in a nice Merc or BMW and I concluded that although a lovely place to be, it lacked a bit of character.
Exterior
To me 991s looks much bigger than 7s when you pass them on the street, but once on your driveway it seems much closer to the 7 size wise. All black 20 inch turbo s centrelock wheels are impressive but the looks of my 997 with centrelocks hold its own in a smaller but very classic style. One unusual thing that I did notice was the lack of weight in the 991 doors and bonnet. They are still 100% solid but you can tell they are lightweight aluminium (I think). Having had two 7 Turbos, I can always notice the difference between 997 door material which is a bit geeky but I find the turbo doors make a more satisfying noise when the close than the steel standard ones. I wish they had gone another step and fitted these to the 7GTS to save a bit of weight.
Back on topic, overall, I love the looks of both the 7 and 1 GTS.
Verdict
The 1GTS is not as remote as I thought it would be and is definitely fun. I would have loved to have a had a manual 1GTS for the 24Hrs to make it a true like for like test, but I concluded that although both cars are amazing, on the roads I use, the lower limits and interactive steering of my car make things more interesting more of the time. I also prefer the old school, more intimate surroundings, but wouldn't say no to dropping a 991 lump in the back of it! What I would say is that anyone I doubt anyone who owns a 991 GTS is going to complain about it any time soon. It's a great car.
The tax ran out in September 1984. Gone but not forgotten.
