Money Can't Buy Everything

"SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)" (sammauri) 04/20/2015 at 22:45 • Filed to: First World Problems, Porsche, Turbo S, GT3 RS

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Today I learned an interesting fact about Porsche. They will not do whatever you want them to do, even if you are willing to throw an obscene amount of money at them. My uncle recently picked up a Turbo S, which I got to drive to the New Canaan Caffeine and Carburetors over the weekend. Let me tell you, it is an absolute dream. I’ve never felt acceleration like that before, and after driving it for a few hours I found only one minor issue with the car.

But my uncle had a major one: it isn’t a GT3 RS.

You see, he didn’t want a Turbo S. He wanted a GT3. As such, while our only real gripe with the new Turbo S was that it wasn’t loud enough, in his eyes the Porsche Turbo S will always be flawed.

You may be wondering, “why didn’t he just get a f**king GT3?”

Well, he tried. But this new 911 was going to be designated to daily driver duty. He still wanted to have some semblance of practicality so he could justify getting a completely impractical “fun” car this summer (Yes, I realize how ridiculous that is. This entire post is full of #firstworldproblems). He needed something that could carry more than two people. The third person doesn’t have to be comfortable by any account, but they have to be able to get in the car. Basically, he needed a back seat. As some of you may not know, the Porsche 911 does technically have a back seat, albeit not a very large one. And while it is only spacious enough for an average American 9 year old, that is more than enough room for my cousin for the next 6 years. His solution was to do what he did when he bought his Mini in 2004.

A little context: In 2005, my uncle purchased a JCW Mini Cooper S that was as fast as a Mini Cooper S JCW GP. How? He payed them a lot of money.

So he went to the person he always goes to when he buys a Porsche, and after a few pleasantries and a status update on my aunt’s Cayenne S, he made his request. He wanted a GT3 RS with back seats. His sales asociate said “Sure! We can have them do that. But we’ll have to go through the Porsche Exclusive program.”

When the people at the Porsche Exclusive program were tasked with putting a back seat in a GT3 RS, they said no.

Even when my uncle told the people at Porsche Exclusive that he would take his business back to Ferrari and get an FF, the answer remained the same.

A dry, unapologetic “ Nein.”

So he did what any of us would do. He told the people at Porsche Exclusive to fuck off, and then he bought a Porsche Turbo S. This weekend, with every GT3 RS we walked passed at Caffeine and Carburetors, he let out a little sigh. Each was a symbol of Porsche’s unwillingness to tamper with their most track-prepped 911 and a reminder that he will never be able to have the GT3 RS that he really wanted.

Until my cousins can drive. Then he can do whatever the hell he wants as far as a daily driver.

So let this be a lesson to you all, Oppositelock. Money can’t buy everything. It can’t buy happiness, and it certainly can’t buy a GT3 RS with rear seats.

Dsscats > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/20/2015 at 22:49

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I mean, he could have had another company install the seats after he got the car.... The rear is basically the same once you peel away the carpet. It may not be OEM, but it seems like an easy solution to a small problem.....

So at the right shop, money could have bought a solution.

http://www.rarecarsforsaleblog.com/2012/09/19/a-p…

PushToStart > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/20/2015 at 22:51

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Your uncle sounds like a really interesting dude... What does he currently have/ what notable stuff has he owned previously? (If you’re at liberty to say...)

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > Dsscats 04/20/2015 at 22:54

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That’s what I said! I have no idea why he didn’t go that rout. He’s not big into aftermarket customization though, so that might be part of it. Also, just to make this make even less sense, my grandfather owns a restoration shop with a world class upholsterer... I really don’t know why he didn’t have it done.

XJDano > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/20/2015 at 22:57

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I could have sold home the back seat of my metro.

Must be nice.

/notsarcasm,

/itmustreallyactuallybenice

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/20/2015 at 22:58

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Me selling a Tercel is a first world problem. Your uncle “settling” for a Turbo S is a 1% problem.

Axial > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/20/2015 at 23:00

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Should’ve bought the Ferrari.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > PushToStart 04/20/2015 at 23:02

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Ahaha. Yup. Very interesting. He’s one of the coolest/weirdest people I know, and the biggest car guy I’ve ever met. Just off the top of my head, he’s had a Porsche 911 from every generation except the 996, a Porsche 911 Carrera RS (still has it), a Ferrari F430, a 1969 Ferrari 365 GTC, an AC Ace, a BMW 2002 Turbo, a rally-spec Aston Martin DB2/4 that race the Carrera Panamericana, a Maserati Sebring Series I, and a bunch of race cars... I’m missing a lot too. The list of cars he’s owned is insane. He said he’s either going to get a Ford GT or order a Singer 911 this summer, and if one of his business projects goes well he might get both.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > XJDano 04/20/2015 at 23:04

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He’s the only person with money in my family. It’s gotta be really, really nice. I’ll let you know if I ever find out what that lifestyle is actually like to live for more than a few hours.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/20/2015 at 23:05

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I think you’re missing a decimal point.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/20/2015 at 23:06

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I had no idea there was a difference between 1st world problems and 1% problems; hell, I didn’t know 1% problems existed.. :p

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > Axial 04/20/2015 at 23:06

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He was loaned one for a weekend and he really liked it, but he’s a hard core Porsche-phile so this decision didn’t really surprise me.

Autofixation > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/20/2015 at 23:12

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In this situation I applaud Porsche for not compromising the principle of the GT3RS.

Did he just want the RS because it was louder, or because of the increased handling capability?

PushToStart > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/20/2015 at 23:13

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Damn, that’s quite the impressive list...

So my second question is this: You say he told the Porsche guys that if they didn’t put backseats in the 911 GT3 RS, he’d buy an FF... Why didn’t he buy an FF then?

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > PushToStart 04/20/2015 at 23:17

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While he really liked the FF when he had it for a weekend, I don’t think he actually wanted to own it. I think he said that in hopes that Porsche wouldn’t want to loose a customer, and give in and agree to put back seats in a GT3 for him.

scoob > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 04/20/2015 at 23:19

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1st world problems are for people in more developed countries like ‘Murica, the UK, etc.

1% problems are for people who can’t decide between black or red seatbelts in their LaFerrari.

PushToStart > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/20/2015 at 23:19

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Oh alright, fair enough.

I mean, I’m sure the 911 he got is a fantastic car, but personally I don’t think I could turn down the FF and dat V12.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > Autofixation 04/20/2015 at 23:23

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He races, so I think he likes the idea of having a car he could drive pretty much every day and then actually track on the weekend if he didn’t want to go through the process of having one of his race cars transported. He’s not mad at Porsche either, which is part of the reason he got the Turbo S instead, but I think he was kind of bummed since he’s been such a loyal customer for so long. In the 20 years I’ve been alive, he’s never not owned at least one Porsche and many of them have been new.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > scoob 04/20/2015 at 23:23

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LOL. I wish I could have so much as 2-45% problems. I’m in what was it, teh 99% right? Is that still a thing?

Axial > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/20/2015 at 23:40

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My experience is that brand loyalty, in general, only pays out in trinkets. I mean, the Porsche is a great car, but I’d have a hard time not making good on that threat. =/

Bairclaw > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/21/2015 at 00:17

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Can I be friends with your uncle

Flat Six > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/21/2015 at 00:43

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A more practical GT3 is the GTS. I’m not sure why you would want to pay extra for a super hardcore racecar, then pay even more to make it less hardcore. The Turbo or the GTS is the way to go if you want some daily driver capability.

I have a 997 Carrera, and the backseats are thin cushions that just sort of velcro in, there is not much to them. Probably the main difficulty is the seat belts and safety certification.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/21/2015 at 01:44

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Forego the RS-spec... the 911 GT3 can be, or at least could at one time have been optioned with a rear seat.

The RS cannot, as it has a built-in cage.

And someone complaining about a *faster* street car (GT3 is a more precise track car, but the Turbo has AWD and more power) is simply TRYING to be a downer.

Evan, Pope Of Jalopnik by Self-Appointment > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/21/2015 at 02:12

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I am a bit surprised by this, but this being Porsche, not entirely surprised. After all, they hold the GT3 in very high regard, and I feel like it would probably hurt them inside to put rear seats in a GT3.

The Turbo S is an insane car, but the sound the 9A1 makes with turbos is disappointing. Even with loud exhaust, it’s not very musical. It’s funny how the same engine can make one of the best sounds ever, in the GT3, and one of the most boring sounds ever, in the Turbo. I have heard that they’re switching to a GT3-based engine for the new Turbos, for the 991.2, and that might considerably help the sound. Also would differentiate from the regular turbo 911s.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > Bairclaw 04/21/2015 at 04:01

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I’m not your mother. You can be friends with whoever you’d like.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 04/21/2015 at 04:16

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I thought the same thing, actually, but apparently that’s not always the case. I saw half a dozen RSs over the weekend, and only one had a roll cage. Plus this is from Porsche’s own website.

Is the role cage optional?

Either way, without the cage the seats would pop right in. And when you’re prepared to spend over $200k on a custom GT3 RS, it makes sense to go with the Turbo S and not the run of the mill GT3 (that last bit was hard to write with a straight face). As for the reason he was complaining, he races and wanted something he could drive around during the week and drive right onto the track for the weekend. He can still do that with the Turbo S, obviously, but the GT3 RS is the real track car out of the two.

samssun > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/21/2015 at 05:38

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911 Turbo starts at 150k. That’s affordable by 1% and .1%, just a matter of priorities.

Converse > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/21/2015 at 07:11

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That’s a sweet Cayman GT4 in the last picture. Is he getting one of those as well?

LongbowMkII > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/21/2015 at 08:00

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He should have mentioned building a new GT2(do they have back seats?)

Porsche would listen to him over all of us.

BloodlessWeevil > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/21/2015 at 08:26

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I wonder if it has to do with adding seats that have not been crash tested and approved. Maybe he was asking the wrong question. They might have put the GT3 RS performance parts on the Turbo S if that was what he asked for.

MysticStick > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/21/2015 at 08:56

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I love the GT3 RS being serious so I kinda understand them saying no. But then I went onto the Porsche Exclusive site... If they are willing to make a 911 with a freaking wood steering wheel they should happily ruin a GT3 RS.

jjhats > Dsscats 04/21/2015 at 09:07

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didn't the gt3's have roll bars in the back? im not a Porsche expert but ive definitely seen factory roll bars/cage in the top spec I think gt3 models

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/21/2015 at 09:11

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Geez...

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 04/21/2015 at 12:24

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I know. And those are just the ones that I could remember from the last ten years. I need to try to get a full list. I can only imagine it’s absolutely insane. I know there’s an original M5 in there somewhere, and I think an e46 M3 CSL, but I’m not 100%. It may have been an SMG M3 with CSL wheels. I’d have to ask.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/21/2015 at 12:29

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Incredible. Awesome to have a family member like that!

No CSLs have ever come to the States (legally, anyway).

Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/21/2015 at 13:54

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while it is only spacious enough for an average American 9 year old,

Might want to rethink that statement. Average American 9 Year old:

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/21/2015 at 14:26

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I thought GT3-RS had a factory-installed cage, but evidently perhaps it is an option.

Porsche likely doesn’t want the confusion of manufacturing the GT3-RS with rear seats, and it may require federalization of the rear seat restraints, especially if child safety seats are in any way involved... and Porsche probably doesn’t want the legal issues, or insurance-company lawyers crawling around with such an issue.

And putting the seats in in the aftermarket might open up liability issues with the safety devices like belts and LATCH points if a child safety seat is used.

Frankly, with $200K... I would have bought a full-boat loaded Macan Turbo for daily driving, with a trailer hitch, a car trailer, and a Cayman GT4 ON that trailer.

A daily driver being wrecked on a race track is likely NOT insurance covered, not covered under warranty, and if someone blinks, hiccups, loses attention, and does something stupid... his $200K daily driver is TOAST, and not likely repairable before monday morning’s commute.

Daily driver and track car (if we are talking about real closed-course action, not just autocross, which wouldn’t exploit GT3-RS’s advantages, anyway) are two different use cases for a reason.

Then, if he really, really, really wants something... wait until a 4 liter engine becomes available from someone else’s wrecked GT3-RS... and put that beast, and it’s PDK and a paddle-shift PDK sport steering wheel in the mid-engined GT4, and have an EPIC Porsche.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 04/21/2015 at 14:34

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Well that answers that question! Ahaha.

And it really is great. He is the reason I got so into cars.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 04/21/2015 at 14:52

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I should clarify that he has other daily-able cars. If something were to happen to his hypothetical GT3 RS, he still has his Jeep Grand Cherokee to get him to work on Monday. It also wouldn’t be his only track-able car. He has two race cars, but neither are road legal (though a road legal Lola S2000 would be hysterical). It would be easier for him to drive the GT3 RS, with kids in tow, to the race track than set up having to go through the process of having one of his cars transported. I think you’re probably right about the liability issues though. If he were to crash with someone in the back and something failed because of the custom seats, I suppose Porsche could find themselves in some trouble.

SixSpeedSteve > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 04/21/2015 at 15:01

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That GT4 is so beautiful in that color. Sigh...

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > Evan, Pope Of Jalopnik by Self-Appointment 04/21/2015 at 15:04

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The noise is definitely the weakest part of the Turbo S, but actually driving it made me forget about that qualm. And to be fair, it’s not all bad. In sport mode (because even in a car that hits 60 in 2.8 seconds, it is possible not to be in sport mode) the exhaust has a wonderful burble when you let off the gas.

Evan, Pope Of Jalopnik by Self-Appointment > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/21/2015 at 16:55

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Yeah it does seem to make some interesting noises. I think part of it is just that it needs some proper headers to really let the sound out, because even straight pipes from the turbo back don’t really sound much more musical. But yeah...when you’re driving a car that can keep up with a Veyron up to about 100, you can let things like that go ;)

m2m, apex detective > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/21/2015 at 17:04

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Weird as that may seem, I’m with Porsche on this one. The GT3 RS is explicitly sold as a different model and only comes with 2 seats. You see, in Germany, one does not simply do stuff like this.

I can still appreciate this wonderfully eccentric problem, though!

To this day I cannot let go the idiotic hope that I could randomly be adopted by a car person like Jay Kay or maybe Harry Metcalfe.

#problemsiwouldhavemyselfifonlyihadthemoney

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > m2m, apex detective 04/21/2015 at 19:53

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I’m not sure exactly who I side with on this one. Porsche definitely has a valid point in refusing to put rear seats in the GT3 RS, but this also brings into question the value of the Porsche Exclusive program. Here was an opportunity for my uncle to have something from Porsche that was, well, exclusive, and they refused. I understand why they refused, but it makes it seem that the Exclusive program is limited to custom colored leather or, unfortunately, putting a wooden steering wheel in a 911 GTS.

And I’m with you on that one. Once my cousin is old enough to drive, I’m going to have some competition for who gets to drive what... We might have to fight to the death.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/22/2015 at 01:18

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It's like trying to get chick fil a on Sunday.

m2m, apex detective > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) 04/22/2015 at 07:07

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A fight ... to the death? Intriguing!

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

In all fairness, doesn’t “exclusive” come from not accessible ?

Most exclusive things can be had for a certain amount of money; Porsche is so exclusive that you yourself are excluded from getting certiain things. :)

Bruce > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) 04/22/2015 at 21:07

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Rich people problems are ridiculous.

DrScientist > Dsscats 07/06/2015 at 17:47

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what about the cage? i’m pretty sure you can’t fit seats in underneath the cage and hope to have a human back there.

also, with the cage, they better be wearing helmets in the back seat.

Dsscats > DrScientist 07/06/2015 at 18:27

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Not all GT3 RSs have cages.

DrScientist > Dsscats 07/06/2015 at 20:58

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i guess i meant rear roll hoop, not a full cage. but still i thought the rear hoop was standard back there.