Post a pic of your real car
- Thread starter Sparxxx
- 15,439 comments
- 1,143,185 views
- 18
- PNW
That's super awesome. I'm happy that you were able to at least drive one of your cars on the Nordschleife. Do you have any plans to go back and drive some more in the future?It's a rather long story in its entirety. The somewhat truncated version is I originally put a deposit on a Porsche GT car back in December of 2019 with a life long goal of taking factory delivery in Stuttgart--maybe in 2021. This was originally envisioned as a 'father-daughter' trip. My girl was 13 at the time, rather enamored with my 981 Cayman and was begging to go karting at every opportunity. By October of 2021, in a Covid car economy, and after nearly two years of patiently waiting for an allocation, I realized I was never going get a GT3 unless I was willing and able to pay a ridiculous sum over the MSRP price. But by that point I also had a fully modified (non street legal) 2006 Boxster S set up for racing in the now extinct GT1A class. And the GT3, if it ever came to be, would mostly see street duty.
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So at that point, I told the dealer I was giving up and asked to change my allocation to bare bones manual Carrera S with only a few select options. And I figured maybe in 2-3 years, if things calmed down, I could trade up for a 992.2 GT3. Even that proved somewhat futile. Month after month I was having the same conversation with the dealer that they simply weren't getting enough allocations. By April of 2022 I was pretty much at the end of my rope. For various reasons, I needed to do this trip (to the Porsche factory) in 2022 or I would have to put it off for at least another 18 months. In a discussion with the dealer, they mentioned that they still had half a dozen people in line ahead of me for Carrera S allocations, and they were just trickling in from Porsche. But oddly enough, Porsche just gave them three GTS allocations that they weren't expecting. Without even hesitating, I told them I would take one. At that point I just gave up on the GT3 and optioned out the GTS exactly how I wanted it. I really would have preferred the 4.0 NA engine (who wouldn't) but I came to realize the GTS probably made more sense.
The car was supposed to be built in early June. Then late June. Then July. In fact I even got an official message from Porsche that the car was built. And I had a confirmed factory delivery date in early October. It's something I had been dreaming about for more than 30 years. So I went ahead and booked hotels, flights, track days, etc. I really went all out on this. Only to learn a few weeks later that it was all a mistake and the car had NOT actually been built. To make it worse, this was back in August during Porsche's summer break so it was almost impossible to get answers from the factory. I had both my dealer an Porsche North America trying to get answers. (Yes, probably the car would be produced in time for the factory delivery date, but Porsche, along with every other manufacturer, has been plagued with supply chain issues) and they couldn't guarantee it.
After exploring a few options, I finally just gave up and arranged to ship my Cayman over. I've been involved in International Logistics for 25 years so it was a relatively simple process. And I basically did the trip I originally intended to do 3 years before, except without my "new" car. And it was a good thing because production was delayed several more times. The car finally entered the production line in November and rolled out mid December. It's currently on a vessel crossing the Atlantic. But it never would have been finished in time for my trip.
In some ways, this may have worked out better. No worries about break in period or dealing with Porsche's "winter tires only after October" policy on factory delivery or nervous laps around the ring with a brand new car. That trip was all about "the drive" and it was great. The Cayman is back home in the garage now. It's really a fantastic car and I appreciate it quite a bit more after this trip.
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I was originally going to trade it in for the GT3 but it's become very special to me, especially after this adventure and I couldn't imagine selling it. Too many memories now. We ended up driving almost 4500 km, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, Monaco, Belgium. It has a history. From Watkins Glen to the Nürburgring.
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(At Apex)
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EDIT: For the record, I bought that one, I didn't nab it.
- 2,977
- The Ramapo Mountains
- jjaisli
Yeah, I'm sure I'll be back again at some point. I drove the ring once before in 2017 where I did 4 laps in a track rental GT86. But it was one of "those days" where it started to rain just as the track opened, and there were just multiple accidents and yellow flags on every lap and they kept closing the track, so it was tough to get a rhythm going. And it's a bit daunting when the rental agency slaps a EUR 10,000.00 deposit on your credit card, just in case, you get into an accident.
Even this trip was tricky. My license plate was stolen off the car on the voyage over. I kept the extra plate with me and brought it in my suitcase--thank goodness. (I never put one on the front of the car) Granted, there are no more "proper" border checks in the Schengen zone, but nobody ever said a word after thousands of km over 2.5 weeks. And at the Nordschleife, when I was supposed to do my first lap, they refused to let me on the track because it was a regular TF day and a front license plate is required. (I only had one on the rear). One of the guys from Apex spent about 30 minutes in the office advocating on my behalf, and the conclusion was, OK, they will allow me to do four laps.
I think I ended up doing 6, plus one driving a friend's Morgan +4, but I was ready to be turned away every time I approached the gate. And I feel a bit apprehensive about Tourist Drives. On the one hand, it's a great experience where no matter what you're driving, as long as it's street legal (and you have a front license plate--LOL) you can get on track. I think it's something unique in all the world. But there is a vast chasm of experience out there, on track together. I was behind people driving down the middle of the track, on and off the brakes, who had no concept of the driving line and probably never looked in their mirrors. And then you had the regulars with semi-slicks who likely had hundreds, if not thousands of laps and were treating every lap as a life and death, timed session, pulling some really dicey, multi-car overtaking moves. It's really no wonder you see multiple cars into the armco on almost every lap. In fairness, I went on the 2nd to last TF day of the year, and it was a weekend, so I think there just more cars than usual.
It was wet in the morning and I had a sideways moment myself at around 170 kmh going into Pflazgarten. And the reality is, despite thousands of laps at other tracks over 10 years, I don't really know the Nordscheliefe that well. So for the rest of my sessions, I drove at "comfortable" pace and just took it easy, and backed off or gave way when a car came up on me, even if I was being held up myself. Safer that way.
I don't want to derail the thread but I'll link one video below, taken by an old friend (cell phone video) who made this trip with me and shared the drive.
Anyway, it's a very special place, unlike any other active track in existence. It has an almost mythical quality about it. And I recommend anybody with an automotive or racing enthusiast bone in their body to make the trek at some point. And if you're not able or unwilling to drive, definitely go for a taxi ride around the track.
EDIT:
Mild Language warning at 2:43
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- 88
- SmokeySama
- SmokeySama
Pretty much stock outside of Rotiforms and BC coils. Wheels are TUF-R’s, 19x9.5 squared, tires are Otsu P8000 225/30/R19s. Basically Falken 512s. Otsu is Falkens parent company. Great tires even though they’re rubber band spec.
- 18
- PNW
Yeah, I'm sure I'll be back again at some point. I drove the ring once before in 2017 where I did 4 laps in a track rental GT86. But it was one of "those days" where it started to rain just as the track opened, and there were just multiple accidents and yellow flags on every lap and they kept closing the track, so it was tough to get a rhythm going. And it's a bit daunting when the rental agency slaps a EUR 10,000.00 deposit on your credit card, just in case, you get into an accident.
Even this trip was tricky. My license plate was stolen off the car on the voyage over. I kept the extra plate with me and brought it in my suitcase--thank goodness. (I never put one on the front of the car) Granted, there are no more "proper" border checks in the Schengen zone, but nobody ever said a word after thousands of km over 2.5 weeks. And at the Nordschleife, when I was supposed to do my first lap, they refused to let me on the track because it was a regular TF day and a front license plate is required. (I only had one on the rear). One of the guys from Apex spent about 30 minutes in the office advocating on my behalf, and the conclusion was, OK, they will allow me to do four laps.
I think I ended up doing 6, plus one driving a friend's Morgan +4, but I was ready to be turned away every time I approached the gate. And I feel a bit apprehensive about Tourist Drives. On the one hand, it's a great experience where no matter what you're driving, as long as it's street legal (and you have a front license plate--LOL) you can get on track. I think it's something unique in all the world. But there is a vast chasm of experience out there, on track together. I was behind people driving down the middle of the track, on and off the brakes, who had no concept of the driving line and probably never looked in their mirrors. And then you had the regulars with semi-slicks who likely had hundreds, if not thousands of laps and were treating every lap as a life and death, timed session, pulling some really dicey, multi-car overtaking moves. It's really no wonder you see multiple cars into the armco on almost every lap. In fairness, I went on the 2nd to last TF day of the year, and it was a weekend, so I think there just more cars than usual.
It was wet in the morning and I had a sideways moment myself at around 170 kmh going into Pflazgarten. And the reality is, despite thousands of laps at other tracks over 10 years, I don't really know the Nordscheliefe that well. So for the rest of my sessions, I drove at "comfortable" pace and just took it easy, and backed off or gave way when a car came up on me, even if I was being held up myself. Safer that way.
I don't want to derail the thread but I'll link one video below, taken by an old friend (cell phone video) who made this trip with me and shared the drive.
Anyway, it's a very special place, unlike any other active track in existence. It has an almost mythical quality about it. And I recommend anybody with an automotive or racing enthusiast bone in their body to make the trek at some point. And if you're not able or unwilling to drive, definitely go for a taxi ride around the track.
EDIT:
I have about 25 laps under my belt at this point. The last time I was there was 2019 and then COVID happened. My instructor friends tell me that things start to get dangerous around 50 - 100 laps. People will think they have good familiarity of the track and still push at the wrong times because they don't fully understand conditions, etc. as it relates to the Nordschleife. They also affectionately call Touring Sessions (Touristenfahrten) "Terrroristen-fahrten" due to some folks of certain countries coming over on weekends and driving all crazy. I left you a personal message if you want to continue the conversation on the side.
- 846
- Australia
- AS1020
I currently drive a 2007 Honda Civic FD1 VTi-L, a hand-me-down car that my parents gave to me. Lots of fond memories with this Civic. Sparkle Grey (has a purple tinge under direct sunlight), really innovative and curvaceous interior for the time, I still love the car. Kept it stock as well.
- 84,359
- Rule 12
- GTP_Famine
My 2019 Z06 and 2021 GT500 and both unfortunately are not in GT7
It's been a LONG time since I posted here....
Making up for it now, I guess...
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Call it all an effort to completely confuse everybody.
Quite a few cars here from quite a few current, active members that I'd definitely slap into a Members' Cars featured post on GTPlanet...
... but they need their own threads*, people!
Get Your Car Featured on GTPlanet's Front Page
The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed this today: It's the first in what will hopefully be an extremely long series in which we use the thread/post Feature tool to directly post GTPlanet's members' cars onto the site's front page on a regular basis. We have a wide range of members from...
www.gtplanet.net
While it's technically possible to feature just a single post, it would end up directing conversation about the car into this 15,000-post thread, and really all these cars deserve their own threads!
Whether it's a thread just for the car, or one for your own rotating fleet (and we've got some 20-year members now; many of us change or at least buy cars more often than that!), get a thread up; there's nothing stopping cross-posting pics here as well, but I want to see some of these machines - and in at least one of the above cases, their stories - in their own threads where they belong.
*Mild confessional; I did a cursory scan for some of the above cars, so I might have missed some that do indeed have their own threads already
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- 2,658
- Knoxville, Tennessee
Took this pic with a couple friends the other day:
After which I was informed it looked like a picture from GT7 scapes lol...
After which I was informed it looked like a picture from GT7 scapes lol...
- 17
- USA
Nice crewTook this pic with a couple friends the other day:
After which I was informed it looked like a picture from GT7 scapes lol...
I haven't been a member long but I'm a long-time reader. I've got a thread. Would be great to get it featured.
Quite a few cars here from quite a few current, active members that I'd definitely slap into a Members' Cars featured post on GTPlanet...
... but they need their own threads*, people!
Get Your Car Featured on GTPlanet's Front Page
The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed this today: It's the first in what will hopefully be an extremely long series in which we use the thread/post Feature tool to directly post GTPlanet's members' cars onto the site's front page on a regular basis. We have a wide range of members from...
While it's technically possible to feature just a single post, it would end up directing conversation about the car into this 15,000-post thread, and really all these cars deserve their own threads!
Whether it's a thread just for the car, or one for your own rotating fleet (and we've got some 20-year members now; many of us change or at least buy cars more often than that!), get a thread up; there's nothing stopping cross-posting pics here as well, but I want to see some of these machines - and in at least one of the above cases, their stories - in their own threads where they belong.
*Mild confessional; I did a cursory scan for some of the above cars, so I might have missed some that do indeed have their own threads already
BMW E36 Turbo Widebody Project: IRL vs Gran Turismo Build
New to the forum but long time Gran Turismo fan (since GT4). My bro's and I have been working on this E36 project for a couple of years. Looking back it reminded me of a build-mod from GT. Here are a few pics and a little of the story (nickname SMo). Much more on the car's insta-page...
www.gtplanet.net
- 84,359
- Rule 12
- GTP_Famine
Already on my list - as it does have its own thread!I haven't been a member long but I'm a long-time reader. I've got a thread. Would be great to get it featured.
BMW E36 Turbo Widebody Project: IRL vs Gran Turismo Build
New to the forum but long time Gran Turismo fan (since GT4). My bro's and I have been working on this E36 project for a couple of years. Looking back it reminded me of a build-mod from GT. Here are a few pics and a little of the story (nickname SMo). Much more on the car's insta-page...
- 586
- Where horsepower echoes in the mountains
Took the Fiesta fo a short after work drive yesterday. It's close to home (15 minutes) and a fun road with some twists and turns with lake Misurina as a halfway point.
- 23,423
- It/It
- GTP_TheCracker
Disappointing username/posted pic combo is disappointing.
- 586
- Where horsepower echoes in the mountains
Perhaps in one or two decades the pics can match the name.Disappointing username/posted pic combo is disappointing.
But with italian tax law you need to pay an additional 20€ per kW above 185, together with the already high car tax, the Fiesta is a more afFORDable solution.😉
- 88
- SmokeySama
- SmokeySama
lol I read this and thought, no way there’s members on here for 20 years. Until I realized I’ve been here for 14 years 😵💫. Time has flown!
Quite a few cars here from quite a few current, active members that I'd definitely slap into a Members' Cars featured post on GTPlanet...
... but they need their own threads*, people!
Get Your Car Featured on GTPlanet's Front Page
The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed this today: It's the first in what will hopefully be an extremely long series in which we use the thread/post Feature tool to directly post GTPlanet's members' cars onto the site's front page on a regular basis. We have a wide range of members from...
While it's technically possible to feature just a single post, it would end up directing conversation about the car into this 15,000-post thread, and really all these cars deserve their own threads!
Whether it's a thread just for the car, or one for your own rotating fleet (and we've got some 20-year members now; many of us change or at least buy cars more often than that!), get a thread up; there's nothing stopping cross-posting pics here as well, but I want to see some of these machines - and in at least one of the above cases, their stories - in their own threads where they belong.
*Mild confessional; I did a cursory scan for some of the above cars, so I might have missed some that do indeed have their own threads already
- 3,420
- Connecticut
- SPhilli
- SPhilli911
You live in a very beautiful location! I imagine how fun that car would be to drive around there.
This reminds me that this is the year I finally take my Fiesta ST for a short road trip to the mountains, myself. Having owned the car for over 6 years I have never taken it on a proper trip with good roads.
- 586
- Where horsepower echoes in the mountains
Thanks!
It's a blast to drive, especially when you get over 70-80 kph. I feel like the suspension frees up and gets less bumpy at that speed.
- 34
- Peru
- 171
- Denver
- DC5Remy
all great choices.
- 15,094
- Grandville Mi
- Gotbeefboy564
- Got beef boy564
Got rid of the fusion today upgraded to a 2022 Equinox RS. This is my moms car. I still have my GTI and we still have the white Journey.
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