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Porsche Carrera GT, 430 Scuderia, & a 308GTB

Three Wants CGT, Scuderia, & a 308

Porsche Carrera GT, 430 Scuderia, & a 308GTB

All the excitement around Monterey Car Week and the major auctions held their got me thinking about what car or cars I would add to the collection today if I had the extra space and roughly $1 mil to send. After perusing all the auction catalogues, not unsurprisingly I ended up with a number of choices that have either long been on the bucket list or are former occupants of our garage. In the end I settled for three cars. All at very different price points.

At the top of the value tree, the choice came down to a Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona or a Porsche Carrera GT. Two very different cars born almost 40 years apart. While both require skill to drive and are wonderfully engaging, the Daytona is a long-legged tourer while the Carrera GT is a race car for the road. The Carrera GT has brakes that work, the Daytona has brakes that can leave you with soiled underwear. Both are icons and have long been regarded as special. While I did own a Daytona for a couple of years a while ago, in the end the decision came down in favor of the Carrera GT as it would be a new experience. I also have an enormous soft spot for mid-engine cars, carbon fiber tubs, and barchettas. Another influencing factor is Mrs. SSO does not have a lot of patience for some of the minor “character” flaws that vintage cars can exhibit at times. In fact, I still occasionally hear about the rear-view mirror that suddenly detached itself from the windshield on a Ferrari 512BB over a decade ago and almost landed on her foot. Net net, the Carrera GT is the safer choice and would likely get a lot more use than a Daytona.

Second on the list is a Ferrari 430 Scuderia. Longer term I really believe the Scuderia will be regarded as the greatest of the Ferrari V8s from the 1st decade of the 21st century. In fact, I would rather be behind the wheel of a Scuderia than an Enzo. In many ways it is the last of the analogue Ferraris, certainly sports the best of the single clutch F1 gearboxes, and has an engine that raises the hair on the back of your neck with its high revving feral scream. The chassis is well balanced and handling highly predictable. The CCBs on the Scuderia also are the 1st generation to actually work decently at lower speeds and when wet. We owned a 430 Scuderia several years ago and to this day I regret parting with it. Correcting that mistake and adding another now would definitely be in-order. One of the best driving days I have had was in the Scuderia in Scotland driving along the west coast. A very fond memory that deserves to be built on.

The final car on the list is a Ferrari 308 GTB. In this case, it would have to be an early carbureted car from the late 70s. Like the 430 Scuderia, it would be a second coming of a model I have owned and enjoyed in the past. In the 1st iteration, I owned an early fiberglass 308 GTB (4th one built) but see no reason now to pay the current huge premium for a fiberglass car over the later steel bodied ones. The chassis on both are steel and prone to rust so the practical advantage is limited. Other than a slight weight advantage, the fiberglass bodies don’t really have any performance benefit. Looking at prices, I do believe 308s are probably the best value in the classic Ferrari world right now. They are 1/7th the cost of a Dino 246 but in my option, drive and handle better. While they may not have quite the beauty of the Dino’s lines, if you are over 6’ the 308 is a much more comfortable fit.

Will these “wants” become realities, I certainly hope so. Right now, the great limiting factor is space. I also don’t like to own more cars than I can use on a semi-regular basis. What the right number is, I am still not sure but do think we are getting close . I am a firm believer that cars need to be driven and the ones that sit for extended periods develop issues. While I doubt all three will be added in the next year, at least 1-2 might.

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Bad Driver’s Insights on 2 Porsches

Porsche 911 WC GT3 RS vs. Porsche Cayenne S - Bad Driver's Insights

Bad Driver’s Insights on 2 Porsches

By SSO Jr.  aka Bad Driver

One of the great things about getting my driver’s license in this day and age was that I never had to learn how to drive a stick shift. For the life of me, I cannot operate a clutch. This has perpetuated the idea that I’m a Bad Driver. This self-inflected nickname has thus stuck with my Dad and one of his new favorite things to call me whenever we head out in something with four wheels. In fact, if I was forced to drive a stick shift with a gun to my head, it would end rather poorly. Despite this, I am fortunate enough to have grown up surrounded by some of the greatest manual supercars. While I can’t drive these cars today, I have spent long enough in the right-hand seat to get a good feel for how I would think they would drive if I ever decided to get off the couch and learn to drive properly. So, for the purposes of this article, we will be taking a look at two of the high-powered Porsche’s my Dad keeps in his garage. One I can drive and one I can’t: the Porsche 911 (997.2) WC GT3 RS and the Porsche Cayenne S.

I’ll start with the Cayenne S because my Dad’s Cayenne S and I have a very special bond. Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of embarking on a long journey with the Cayenne S from the chopped up, crumbling concrete roads of Dallas to the beautiful mountain passes of Big Sky, Montana, while trying to keep pace with my Dad charging ahead in the GT3 RS. Having lived most of my life in Europe, I have never really comprehended how massive the US actually is, and mentally hadn’t really prepared for a 23-hour journey. Realistically speaking, you all don’t read this for the narrative so let’s get to the car.

For someone who likes having all the modern tech in a car, the Cayenne S was a completely new experience for me as it was pretty barren. While it had front and rear end parking sensors, there are no back up cameras or Bluetooth. Hence there was no way to play my music through the car and I found myself blasting it through the iPhone speakers. This truly was a nightmare for my millennial self. While these aspects of the car were pretty irritating for someone such as myself, I must say that the car was an engineering marvel. No car that big or heavy should move and handle the way that it does. While it may not have a turbo like the one we owned back in the UK, there’s no shortage of power. Despite being a much less experienced driver than my dad, I was able to keep pace with him on the highways. Even at somewhat high speeds, the car handled beautifully through the corners, and more than compensated for anything I was doing wrong, keeping me right behind my Dad. In fact, it helped me keep pace until the last 50 miles when we hit the mountain passes. I was actually on his tail until he scooted around a truck in a passing window that was going to be far too tight for the Cayenne S. After this, the GT3 RS just disappeared up the road. While I may have thought it was going to be a nightmare to drive the 1600 mile trip, the Cayenne S thoroughly impressed me in every area you would care about, despite falling short of my millennial technological desires.

I also have a special relationship with the GT3 RS, but not in the same way. The GT3 RS is the car that every time I get into it, I get teased about not being able to drive a manual. I honestly think Dad is disappointed I can’t drive the car yet. The bit of guilt has led to a bit of a love/hate relationship with GT3 RS. From the many hours I have spent in it, I have gotten a unique perspective for how it drives simply by feeling how it moves on the road. While my Dad probably wouldn’t want me to say this, I’ve found that is has a very precise gearbox. I know this because I have seen him stall the car at a traffic light and watched him grab 6th gear when I know he was looking for 4th as we went up a mountain. Despite that, it does drive very smoothly and handles wonderfully around corners. When pushed hard, you do feel the back end moving a bit and I do think you could lose it if you took a corner a bit too quickly. It is a very raw, powerful car and is likely one of the closer things I will ever see to a race car that is road legal.

I may not be the best driver yet, but years of being around great cars has shown me what good, enjoyable driving is, and more specifically, what makes a car great. Both of these Porsches are very good cars, in fact I would call the GT3 RS potentially a great car. Each serves a very different purpose. Whether you’re looking for a solid every day car that moves like a sports car, or an almost affordable sports car to track or enjoy on the weekends, you cannot go wrong with either of these Porsche. Next summer my goal is to finally learn how to master a clutch so I can drive the GT3 RS myself.

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Porsche 911 GT3 RS: 2 Days and 1600 miles

2 Days, 1600 miles, and a few Mountains in the Porsche 911 GT3 RS

Porsche 911 GT3 RS: 2 Days and 1600 miles

In what is fast becoming a summer ritual, my youngest son (aka – Bad Driver) and I drove a pair of cars from Texas up to their new home in Montana. This year I drove the Porsche 911 (997.2) GT3 RS up while Bad Driver followed in the Porsche Cayenne S. In effect, these are the two extremes of the Porsche line up. The quick agile truck and the raw focused track weapon. Despite having owned the Cayenne S for 3 ½ and the GT3 RS for a year and a half, this was the first major long distant trip for both. While I had no concerns on how Bad Driver would hold up for 1600 miles in the Cayenne, I was concerned with the beating I might be setting myself up for in the striped down GT3 RS. Little to no sound deadening, thinly padded racing buckets, and a suspension designed more for the Nurburgring Ring than the US Interstate Highway system is not a recipe for setting a new standard of comfort.

The trip started at 7:00 AM on Thursday morning. The targeted destination for day 1 was just north of Denver, a not insignificant 920 miles away. A further 680 miles would follow on day 2. This year we decided to take the longer way up through Oklahoma and then across via Kansas which would keep us on highways for almost the entire trip. This routing avoided the back roads and small towns in Texas & Colorado which slowed our progress considerably last year. We were hoping the early-ish start would allow us to clear the city before rush hour reached its peak and break out onto the open highway where more rapid progress could be made. Other than one minor accident related traffic jam, the plan worked well and we found ourselves crossing the Oklahoma border in good time. Our first, of what would be many, fuel stops came shortly afterwards. While the Cayenne sported a range of 450+ miles, getting 200 miles out of the GT3 RS’s water bottle size tank was about the best we could do. By the time we stopped for the night, we had toured five gas station forecourts across three states with a further four stops following on day 2. On the plus side, it did give me the chance to get out of the GT3 RS about every 2 ½ hours to stretch my legs.

As a long-distance tourer, the GT3 RS is survivable. The seats and driving position are quite comfortable, the controls all well-arranged and intuitive, and the sightlines are excellent. The lack of sound-deadening coupled with the very firm suspension do cause a fair amount of brain and body damage when exposed to for extended periods. While the sounds system is not to bad when stationary, once you get moving a speed it has plenty of competition from the rear of the car. Passing is almost too easy, drop down 2 gears, a bit of right foot and what was in front will now be firmly in the rearview mirror. Below 3000 rpms engine grunt is pretty ordinary, north of 4500 rpms the GT3 RS comes very much alive. This is a car that wants to be pushed hard and really driven. Cruising is just not its thing.

While day one was basically an uninspiring slog on dead straight concrete highways across the flatlands, day two was significantly more interesting. Once we crossed into Wyoming, the speed limit increased to 80 mph and the quality of the roads improved dramatically. While it doesn’t have quite the fun factor of a mountain pass, the 350 miles up through Wyoming are about as good as it gets on a US Interstate. There is little to no traffic, the road is painted across the hills, and you have the Rocky Mountains to your west. If there ever was a stretch of highway in the US that an autobahn approach to speed limits should be applied to, it is this. Needless to say, we made rapid progress and the GT3 RS started to really come into its own. Crossing into Montana, the roads got even more interesting as the hills grew in size. For the first time in 1220 miles, the gearbox started to get more of a work out as we powered up the hills and then down through fairly tight corners. After another rapidly covered another 250 miles, we were finally off the highway and headed up into the mountains. The final 50 miles were on what is becoming one of my favorite pieces of tarmac in the US. The two lanes of Route 191 are cut alongside the Gallatin River as it winds through a narrow valley with towering peaks on both sides. It is challenging, beautiful, and unforgiving if you get it wrong. As one of the key access routes to Yellowstone National Park, it also gets a fair amount of traffic which needs to be navigated in passing zones that are few and far between.

While on the highway, the Cayenne S had little trouble keeping pace with the GT3 RS, however I lost “Bad Driver” almost immediately as soon as we headed into the mountains. This was not unexpected as his last words to me at our final gas station stop were “I will see you at the house”. Here the GT3 RS was completely in its element, the brain and body damage of 1200 miles on the highway were washed away and quickly forgotten. The more you push it, the better the GT3 RS gets. Hands and feet were plenty busy working the gearbox, navigating the corners, and dispatching slower moving traffic. As my daily driver is a mid-engined car, the difference in weight distribution on the GT3 RS was quite discernable. The fact that the engine is hanging off the rear axle is definitely noticeable, as is the more pronounced weight transfer when you mash the middle pedal. If you want to keep the horizon in front of you, corners are definitely slow in, fast out.

After 1600 miles and twice that in dead bugs, we arrived at our destination. Over the course of two days, I finally really bonded with the GT3 RS. In the last several hundred miles, I really started understanding the depths of its abilities. Subsequent drives up through the mountains in the days that followed further deepened my appreciation of what Porsche created with the GT3 RS. It’s a car that is now up in an environment where it can really shine. We are looking forward to more great drives when we go back up in the Fall.

August 2018

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Epic Drive Pt 3: Cliffs, Grottos, Hairpins, & the End

Epic Drive 2017 Days 3 & 4 Cliffs, Grottos, Hairpins, & the End

Epic Drive 2017 Days 3 & 4: Cliffs, Grottos, Hairpins, & the End

By Karen

Hotels reviewed in this article: Hotel Serge Vieira, Le Vieux Logis, & Château de Mirambeau

Day 3

Breakfast at Hotel Serge Vieira was fit for a King. We had a private room for the 6 of us overlooking the valley. The coffee was perfect regardless how it was ordered : expresso, latte, macchiato, …. The array of juices were all freshly squeezed. The pastries were so fresh that they were still warm from the oven. The selection of cheeses was nearly as good as the cheese cart rolled out last night. The platter of cold meats & smoked fish was something from a top boucherie. The jams were homemade and the butter locally sourced. This was just the beginning. The waiter then offered various hot dishes from omelets to quiches, eggs any style, local bacon, & sausages. It was by far the best breakfast any of us had ever experienced.

We were in no rush to leave. We all enjoyed another exquisite coffee and discussed the day’s route and alternative side trips.

Hotel Serge Vieira was top notch at every level: Food, Wine, Service, Contemporary design, the grounds, the Owners and Staff. It was hard to leave, but we will definitely be back.

Hotel Serge Vieira
E COUFFOUR,
15110, Chaudes-Aigues
Tel. : +33 4 71 20 73 85
contact@sergevieira.com
http://www.sergevieira.com/fr/
Karenable rating: 🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾

We decided to take the long, scenic drive along the designated Michelin “green” roads from Chaudes-Aigues to Tremolat with a stop at St. Cirq Lapopie (officially France’s most beautiful village). After ‘hot wiring’ the F40 again we were off.

SSO was in heaven. I have to say, I loved the drive (as a passenger that is). It was stunning. The route took us along windy back roads with hair-pin corners that nearly stopped my heart at times. The F40 on these roads is a testament to SSO’s driving skills. It was like a great cardio work-out for him with arms and legs constantly in motion. Both the gearbox and steering rack got very through workouts. There turbos were also whistling and popping constantly. Other parts of the drive were more tranquil as we drove along the river on one side and grotto’s on the other.

Nobody was hungry after that breakfast, so we carried on to St. Cirq Lapopie. Even from a distance, you could see how beautiful this hillside village was. We walked up to the village along a cobble-stone path with flowers everywhere. There were many quaint little shops, restaurants, and boutique hotels. It was a sunny & hot day, since we skipped lunch, we all indulged in some homemade ice-cream. I am sure the cows in France only eat the finest grass as it was so creamy and delicious.

I was excited about returning to Relais & Chateaux’s Le Vieux Logis. It used to be one of my favorite little hotel gems and we have returned to it multiple times over the past decade. We have always enjoyed it for the creative menus, and the lunches and dinners served under the manicured arbor trees in the inner courtyard. The grounds were always impeccably kept and the outdoor pool clean and inviting. The rooms were filled with antique French furniture with matching bedspreads, cushions and curtains made from stunning fabrics. Fresh flowers were everywhere, inside and out.

But as we pulled up, something was different. The hedges were not manicured, the lawns had not been mowed in a while, the paint was peeling away from the building’s side. They did not come out to meet and greet us as usual. Not great signs.

I don’t know if the ownership changed, but Le Vieux Logis was looking and feeling very “Vieux” (old) and might I add run down outside and in. On a positive note, the food was still good but no longer great. I will not elaborate further on our experience there other than to say, we will not return.

Le Vieux Logis
24510 Tremolat, France
Tel.: +33 5 53 22 80 06
Fax.: +33 5 53 22 84 89
vieuxlogis@relaischateaux.com
http://www.vieux-logis.com/en/
Karenable rating: 🍾🍾

 

Day 4

The drive from Tremolat to Bordeaux was unmemorable. Interminitent rain and more traffic than we needed made it a bit of a slog. Rain and traffic are not the F40s friend. Once we got to Bordeaux it took about 20 minutes of driving around before we were finally able to locate enough parking spaces for the group. We then walked around the town, didn’t buy to much wine, had lunch before heading back to the cars to drive to our destination for the night.

Château de Mirambeau
1 Avenue des Comtes Duchatel
17150 Mirambeau
France
Tel. : +33 5 46 04 91 20
Fax : +33 5 46 04 26 72
http://www.chateauxmirambeau.com/en/hotel-luxury-bordeaux
reservation@chateaumirambeau.com
Karenable rating: 🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾

I had heard about the Château de Mirambeau for years and always wanted to stay there. With this trip ending near Bordeaux, I finally had my chance. As we drove up the long drive to the château the tension mounted inside me, hoping not to be disappointed like I was with Le Vieux Logis. With only a glimpse of the hotel, I instantly felt relieved, this place was spectacular.

The property was perfectly landscaped with gorgeous flowers growing everywhere. We stepped inside to the elegant reception and barely noticed our bags had been removed from the front of the F40 and wisked away by the porters. We were escorted into the receiving room, offered champagne, and an array of afternoon cnapes. As we settled in the guys reverted to martinis, with this trips creative twist, a fresh oyster to replace the olive. Despite the bartenders initial confused look, he was quite happy to to keep us all well hydrated.

While the guys were enjoyed the vodka soaked oysters, I ventured out to tour the grounds. This is a property that is just beautiful. The pool and the gardens were equally inviting as was the elegant terrace with individual umbrellas hovering over each table. As I walked a little further along the path, the grounds kept provide one pleasant surprise after another. I soon discovered the Spa which was as spectular outside as it was inside. It even had its own outdoor relaxing area and pool. I could easily spend the better part of the summer here. I wish we had more than one night and I did let SSO know that we would be coming back.

I then returned to the receiving room. Our bags had already been taken to our rooms and they were ready to escort us. I had an idea of the guest room grandeur from the website but believe me, the photos do not do justice to them. I had to check out the others’ rooms just to see if they were all as spectacular. They were, this place is truly special.

I was excited about dinner. The reviews were almost too good to be true, equisitly presented food with favors that were delicate & profound. As we entered the Dining Room, it was stunning, even the chairs were special. Fresh flowers on every table, the linen was starched and hung regally, the porcelain and the crystal was the finest. The menu was impressive. I could not decide as everything sounded wonderful. Another glass of champagne was ordered as I poured over the decision. In the end, it really didn’t matter what you ordered, it was all spectacular. The presentation was so beautiful you almost did not want to eat it. This set in motion a debate, which was the best restaurant, Serge Vieira or Château de Mirambeau ? In the end, we agreed they were both spectacular but different. The night was not over….yet. There was an incredible Cognac Bar that we discovered just beside restaurant. SSO and I had an early start the next day as we had 550 miles to cover so we only stayed for one drink. The rest of the gang … well who knows. They were not leaving until later and we didn’t run into them at breakfast the next morning.

The drive back north was tough. The rain started as we were pulling out of the Chateaux’s driveway and by the time we hit the highway it was a downpour. Putting new rubber on the F40 right before this trip really paid off now. While visibility was poor at best and you could see the water streaming across the highway, the F40 stayed well planted. In these conditions, SSO basically just sits in his lane, maintains a large gap to other traffic, and treats the accelerator like it is made of egg shells. As long as you stay off the turbos, the F40 is not that bad in the wet. After about 4 hours, the skys cleared, more rapid progress commensed and a milestone was reached. The odometer on the F40 hit 50,000 km.
We spent our last night in France at a fairly forgettable hotel near Calais. It was another early start the next day to make our train. The rest of the journey went smoothly and before we knew it we were dropping the F40 back off at its “car hotel”.

What a a sensational week with dear family and friends. I only wished we could have stayed longer. We will return, SSO promised!

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