Returning to the fold

[john.winstanley]

I was last here when I owned a 991.2 c2, nice car but I wasn't gelling with it and quite quickly moved it on, switching to a 718 GTS 4.0, which was great superb chassis, great NA engine, sound glorious, absolutely loved, but, but, I really needed to scratch the 911 itch, which the C2 hadn't done.

So last weekend I swapped out the 718 for 991.2 Targa GTS, the original owner had gone to town on the option list so it has extras such as leather on the rear of the front seats and the steering column (why would you?) and some very useful extras like the rear wheel steering option which certainly sharpens the turn in compared to the C2. The cooled seats are a useful bonus as are some of the other extras.

It had a bespoke paint option and the PC told me it's the only 911 in this colour in the UK, it also has full factory applied PPF can't imagine that was cheap! I have a feeling this colour is going to provoke some strong opinions, personally I love it, but then I wouldn't have bought it otherwise but suspect it might be a little like marmite, no room for middle ground all in or all out.....

 

[pwebb]

All in, John!

Great choice - but then I like a bit of colour - and leather steering column casing is absolutely a must have!

 

[kjhurley]

Hi John,
This is pretty spooky!
Up until literally a few hours ago I was the owner of a Pastel Orange 991.2 Targa GTS which I have just sold, so I can vouch for the fact your car isn't quite the only one in the UK! You'll absolutely love it - I was reluctant to part with mine but thought the time had come. I had exactly the same qualms originally re the colour which is definitely not to everyone's taste (I also bought mine as a used car after it had been specified by someone else), but I loved the way it stood out and it is certainly easy to find in large car parks!
And you'll never guess what I am moving onto next - a 718 Boxster GTS 4.0! So we should probably swap experiences at some point.
Hope you have as much enjoyment with your Targa as I had with mine these past 6 years.

All the best,
Keith

 

[john.winstanley]

Hi John,
This is pretty spooky!
Up until literally a few hours ago I was the owner of a Pastel Orange 991.2 Targa GTS which I have just sold, so I can vouch for the fact your car isn't quite the only one in the UK! You'll absolutely love it - I was reluctant to part with mine but thought the time had come. I had exactly the same qualms originally re the colour which is definitely not to everyone's taste (I also bought mine as a used car after it had been specified by someone else), but I loved the way it stood out and it is certainly easy to find in large car parks!
And you'll never guess what I am moving onto next - a 718 Boxster GTS 4.0! So we should probably swap experiences at some point.
Hope you have as much enjoyment with your Targa as I had with mine these past 6 years.

All the best,
Keith

Hi Keith, I bought mine form the Porsche Centre in Newport and collected last Saturday, given I live in North Shropshire/Powys Border I had a great goodbye drive down via Welshpool, Newtown, Landridod Wells and Builth Wells towards Brecon and on to Newport. Brilliant roads to enjoy the 718's handling and to compare and contrast on the way back in the 911.

The 718 felt like a precision instrument compared to my old 991.2 C2, the Targa GTS with rear wheel steer felt a lot closer to the 718, its not quite as agile and obviously it takes up more road space so its not as agile, but its not far off. I haven't pushed the new one yet to get a feel of how far the grip extends but am hopeful that it will be near enough not to matter on public roads. The 718 4ltr is a glorious engine, it loves being revved and makes a great noise. But the the shove from the turbo's in the 991.2 GTS is easier to access simply because the torque is there from much lower in the rev range. Is the 991.2 better than the 718 GTS, no is it worse no (the C2 was miles away), its a different drive, if i had the money I would have both although wouldn't have the time to use them... so my ideal garage might be a 991.2 GTS 4 coupe and a 718 GTS, to go with my 51 year old Triumph Stag.

One last point, with the roof down on the 718 is a slightly better experience that the Targa which has more buffeting.

I had to scratch the 911 itch after the C2 disappointment, maybe in another 2 years I will be looking for one of the last ICE engined 718 GTS's who knows, what I do know is that both are great cars and if you are like me I think you will enjoy the 718 just as much as your 991.2, different but both put a big grin on my face, cant be beaten for smile per mile.

 

[kjhurley]

Hi again John - thanks for the update. I have to wait a week or so to get my hands on my 718 4.0, and I can’t wait. This said, your initial observations re the Targa are spot on - being able to access the torque lower down the rev range does make it a fantastic car to drive. The buffeting with the roof down takes a little time to get used to and it is certainly worth experimenting with either of the 2 wind deflector settings to see which is better from your perspective - my preference was to have it in its ‘up’ setting.

If anyone else is reading this and fancies a distinctive 991.2 Targa 4 GTS with an excellent spec - look here: https://www.paragongb.com/2/porsche-for-sale

I think it’s fantastic value, but I may be biased!!