The Axis reviews a '06 Porsche 997 Carrera S...

It is a measure of our insanity that a Carrera S gets reviewed (and rationalized) as a quasi SUV family car! In any case CG, in an email, wrote this nice insight on what still has to be considered one of the best automobile money can buy. Would that all car magazine reviews were so to the point and in the language of true enthusiasts.


GC wrote:
Test drove extensively and intensively a 800mi Carrera S in the Greenwich dealer lot. It is GT Silver (Best color IMO but a $3K for which I plan on paying $0K) with all the above options and few more. Did a real world test drive as I strapped Santiago to the backseat.

It is really a great car. Feels like a Sportscar (nimble, agile, wraps around you) and a great GT (all comfort stuff, supple ride even with PASM sport on - I would never ride it soft unless passenger complains - and excellent quality interior and build quality. Solid as a Rock).
Best thing is the engine. Frenetic high end ramp up as the S54, but humonguos 3.8L torque down low. It has enough power to break traction anytime under cornering in 1-2-3. That's something I've missing from the M3 in the Elise.
The rear end reacts as if it had LSD (quite obvious b/c I can't imagine how can you put 1 rear wheel in the air in such stiff rear engine chassis). It is very easy to powerslide coming out of corners and the angle it can take with ease its absurd if you stay committed, which is not that difficult. It is not neutral like the M3, it is natural for it to hold those ludicrous angles while accelerating hard forward. It had the sport shifter that works great (AC, a must in any Porsche as it gets close to S2000 or NSX perfection)

The nose is not that jumpy as I remembered it from the 996. Feels very similar to the Elise, and it is always better to start turn-in while still on the brakes. Once you have that weight on the front wheels the steering has tons of feedback despite being assisted (Elise feedback is still benchmark but it is just impossible to replicate in a power-assisted car at 3000lbs+).

The acceleration and rear grip in 1st and 2nd in a straightline is absurd. Feels much faster than M3 and Elise (They Cayman S didn't) and the brakes are just surreal and you feel you could do and enjoy 1.5g stops all the time. Best thing is, even without a booster, Santiago was tightly secured in the back with the belt holding him perfectly in all maneuvers. What I liked a lot is that it seems that the car doesn't require nor reward aggressive inputs, so it seems to suit my small inputs progressive driving style.

I didn't push anywhere close to the limit on lateral holding as the weight transfer feeling is really something different. Feels very keen to rotate, but it seems that if you go for Apex speed it might betray you with too much rotational inertia from the rear (pendulum), not being able to hold balanced 4wheel drifts, b/c the rear gives you more slip angle. I understand a bit more the 911 concept of powering into and out of the apex as the most efficient strategy in these cars, but it sure will require several laps at the track to internalize the concept and adapt your driving to it for maximum speed.
Despite not being close to the limit you always had the go-pedal to play around and break traction due to the superb level of throttle-control. Easily the best in any modern affordable car (Not having driven a F430). That's probably one of the best things in this car, b/c it really alllows you to use all the engine's torque and hp with increasing linear delivery (not flat as power goes up with revs, but never jumpy like the extreme being the Elise VVTi).

Certainly it doesn't give you the same feeling as the Cayman S, that you could just drive up to WGI and break your lap record in the first 5 laps, but it is certainly something special, a different animal worth playing with.

I always thought that all those good drivers that said every enthusiast needs to have at least one 911 once in their life had more Snob to it than actual substance, but there might be something wise about it; Even if its not the fastest most effective car out there on a track day it seems that it could really be worth a try, and hopefully help me be a better driver. On top of all, is the only real sports car with infant seats in the back.

This car is just like a giant toy set!

That's right, the body all just bolts together with tiny little 8mm screws! Kind of funny, I expected a body panel removal to be way more complicated and involved but BadbadM and I were able to remove the damaged rocker panel in a very short time.

Here's what happened: when all of us were in Washington for the North East SCCA Divisional last year, I had a jack fail while a jackstand was not clear of the car. It crunched up the panel pretty good, I felt like a bit of a tool, but I did not get too upset...shit happens, what are you gonna do?
So the plan was to procure a body panel and have it painted off the car minimizing expenses. After much procastination, a little research on the internet and encouragement from the ever optimistic BadbadM today was the day for action!.

As I said at the beginning, it was a much simpler matter than I imagined. The biggest difficulty was wrestling with the plastic wheel liners in order to get access to some of the bolts. But the liners were no match for the atomic powered heat gun BadbadM had procured!.

the rocker panel on the BMW M Coupe is held in place by screws on the bottom, on the top under the entry sill, one screw accessed by opening the door and two each attached to the front and rear quarter panels. The front quarter panel needs to be fully removed to access one of the screws. This is very easily done.

So now until I get the panel replaced the car will look like an old body on frame model T... Like the lightening holes in the unibody though!

Let's lap Sebring..from two prospectives!

This one is not from my BMW M Coupe, it's a side by side I put together of a lap driven by two "on line friends" from the great Roadfly M Coupe message board.
The car on the left is the car you see on the right from behind.
Sebring is a great historic track I would love to drive on some day. Here, in the car behind, Jamal G. shows you what a great track car a properly set up BMW M Coupe can be.
At some point I'm going to do a detailed post about how I changed my M Coupe but for today enjoy the sights and sounds from these two Florida MCoupe drivers

(note to iPod video subscribers: since this is a 640x240 video, I am not certain it will play correctly...my apologies in advance)

Twin lap of Sebring

Dude, where's my car?....in the guard rail!

I've seen this happen a number of times the same way. The scenario goes like this: Dude in a (usually) high=powered car just cannot stand the idea of getting passed by an "inferior" car drives beyond his level of talent and stuffs it. The really dumb thing is, of course, that this is not during a race, but just friendly lapping days!
As illustrated above by Axis friend Jay in his old 4 door BMW M3 at Lime Rock, the man in the red Mustang is our "Dude", the red e30 M3 the man who is getting held up.
Mustang dude should have given the point by on the main straight but obviously thinks he can keep the e30 behind by taking a really stupid line into "Big Bend". This slows him down even more for the next series of corners where he is barely in control, way off line and after which he finally lets Mr.E30 by.
At that point Jay is right up behind the red M3 and should be given a point by as well....But not from Mr.Mustang who uses his faster straight line speed to almost force Jay off the road.

What happens next is pure automotive karma (or car-ma).

I have to say, I have seen a similar thing where the "victim" was the car behind. At a recent event I saw a fast driver in, of all things, a VW Turbo Beetle being really hung up by a guy in a BMW race prepped car who just would not let him go by. Beetle guy got all flustered and when he was finally let by he put a rear wheel on the grass at WestBend and stuffed into the overpass...Ouch.

Moral of the story....Keep your cool.



Dude, where's my car?

8 one thousands of one second.....

CG and I have been co-driving at autocross events for the past couple of years. We are incredibly well matched: in almost all events our times are within the same half second, often within the same 1/10th of a second.

Here is a video, side by side, of our final runs in the SCCA-Tire Rack National Tour in Washington DC from 2003. We were driving CG's e46 M3 as an A Stock car.

AC is on the left and CG on the right with gloves. Our delta at the end of the run was 8/1000 of a second but you'll notice our driving styles could not be more different....

(Because of the aspect ratio, I doubt this video will play properly if you download it to your video iPod, I apologize for that in advance.)

Coming attractions on the Axis blog

As the new year rolls in and the driving season approaches we will have some tasty bits to report on:

Stee's brand new e46 M3 Competition Package has gotten a tasty brake, suspension and wheel upgrade. Look forward to a nice report on the results.

Badbadm is getting a full roll cage installed in his e30 we affectionately call "LA BOMBA"

I'm finally going to be taking the side skirt off the MCoupe in order to fix the ugly crater caused by a dumbass jacking accident
and I'm guessing Carlos is going to be serving up some wicked Colombian BBQ soon!

Also, if we all go down to Virginia International Raceway in February, we will try to take advantage of the tracks WI-Fi in the pits set up to do a quasi-live podcast....Pretty cool.

So stay tuned and thanks for stopping by!


Axis of Oversteer

Have a Happy 2006!

and remember to "Late Apex as early as possible"! :o)