Base Model Perfection - 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera
Most times when you ask someone ‘in-the-know’ what their ideal Porsche 911 year and spec would be, you’ll get an answer somewhere between 1970s RS and 991 GT3. It seems that folks so often pine for the most hardcore and most ‘track-focused’ versions of this rear-engined German anomaly. But that’s not really what they need.
For a specific set of reasons which you’ll have to watch the video to find out, my friend Dan has chosen an ‘09 base Carrera, the 997 generation. The car has been lightly modified with the focus being on tightening and sharpening the handling for autocross and track-days while also retaining street drivability. The following upgrades serve the car so well in achieving Dan’s goals:
- Custom exhaust
- Moton club sport coilovers
- GMG front swaybar
- Powergrid inc endlinks
- Rennline motor mounts
- Carerra S calipers
- Porterfield R4-S pads
- CCW C14 wheels
- BFG Rivals S tires
- OEM Tequipment rollbar
- Bride Zeta III seat
Of course the clout of a GT3 and its big wing has a draw in and of itself, I find myself asking if it’s all really necessary to get the true Porsche experience that harks back to 911s of the 70s and 80s. Raw handling, that hollow flat 6 howl, and most of all the joy that comes with carving through your favorite twisting backroad. Hats off to you Dan, you own the 911 we all want.
And a challenge to the keen-eyed Porsche-philes out there, see if you can spot the bit of 991 GT3 on Dan’s 997.
