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Link - Xtreme Car Forum » Blog Archive » 2008 PORSCHE 911 GT2: Take this to the banks

Odd thoughts come to mind in a pit lane, cinching a helmet strap. Such as: Is setting out to scare yourself silly a truly adult ambition?

Nov. 1 dawned rainy, as the edges of tropical storm Noel grazed the Florida coast. It cleared up, but puddles lurked in spots around the Daytona International Speedway road course, the one used for the annual Rolex 24 endurance race.

Dampness is an unwelcome complication when you’ve been invited to drive the 997 GT2, the fastest-ever Porsche 911, with a 204-mph top speed. Any assignation with a 911 has that lingering aura of a dangerous liaison, and the GT2 is the meanest of the modern 911s, promoted with the tagline “Respect required.”

Exposure to this 530-hp car, priced at $192,560 including shipping charges, will amount to five tours of Daytona. It’s a long lap, at 3.56 miles, including nearly all of the legendary banked oval. We’d also drive a standard Turbo, but the rains returned to deprive us of a turn in a GT3.

In concept–though hardly in detail–a GT2 is a cross between the mighty awd Turbo and the normally aspirated rear-drive GT3 racer. European correspondent Greg Kable told us the nitty-gritty a few weeks ago (”Race-Bred & Road-Ready,” AW, Oct. 22), but this was its first visit to the United States.

It looked the business, squatting in pit lane, a full inch lower than a standard 911 on enormous Michelin Pilot Sport tires. They measure 235/35ZR-19 in front and 325/30ZR-19 in back and were developed for this car with a unique compound, a special fabric carcass and a shallow tread for dry-track use.
Losing the front-drive parts contributes to making the GT2 320 pounds lighter than a Turbo and improves the steering, making it both lighter and more tactile, giving a finer sense of what’s happening down there at the tire footprint.