Tiff vs Monkey

This will cheer you up: the top dogs of the moment driven by two of the top showman in the business.

458 Speciale vs 911 GT3,  Needell vs Harris for Fifth Gear.

Pass the popcorn!

991 GT3s are so hot they are catching on fire.

This GT3 self immolated in Switzerland

Remember when the first batch of Ferrari 458 came out with a tendency to spontaneously combust?

You sort of expect this from Italian exotics but zee Germans?  They are serious people who would never make engineering mistakes, would they?

What is the world coming to: There are reports Porsche has suspended deliveries of all 991 GT3 until they figure out why they catch on fire with alarming regularity.

Details are sparse but there is no doubt one was incinerated in Switzerland recently,  the report is from the straight from the St.Gallen cantonal police web site:

On Wednesday (02/05/2014), at 11 clock, a Porsche has caught on fire on the Wilerstrasse. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire. The car suffered a total loss in the amount of CHF 200'000.

A Porsche GT3 drove on the A1 highway towards St.Gallen. When the driver perceived strange noises from the engine area, he left the highway. On the Wilerstrasse the driver stopped the car. He saw leaking oil and smoke is in the rear engine. A short time later the Porsche caught fire. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The cause of the fire will be  investigated by the Forensic Science Service of the Canton of St. Gallen police.

But this was not a isolated case , apparently five cars have gone up in smoke under similar circumstances in recent weeks.  This was posted on the Rennteam forum

I am the administrator of Porsche Club Campania, an Italian Porsche club.
A member of our Club last Saturday was near Avellino, in the south of Italy, his gt3 was really new, just 60kms. First the warning LOW OIL PRESSURE in the display and after few seconds his GT3 was burning.
The gt3 DESTROYED is now at the PORSCHE CENTER NAPOLI and this morning an engineer from Stuttgart came here to see the car. It is the 5th gt3 in Europe that burned with the same problem. It seems that Porsche already know where is the problem but I don't know if the dealer will be able to fix the problem. I will keep you updated.

Not confirmed but via a friend of Axis who is well connected with all things Porsche comes this:

Effective immediately and until further notice, delivery of any new 2014 911 GT3 units must be suspended. This Stop Sale action is being taken in order to investigate a quality issue that potentially exists with the engine of the subject vehicles. While additional details are not readily available, please know this matter is of the highest priority in the Porsche organization

Maybe keeping that Mezger engines on the Supercup cars was a good idea.

UPDATE:
This story has since been picked up by Jalopnik,  Road & Track, New York Times, Sport Auto...just to name a few.
UPDATE:
Porsche issued the following

Inspection of all 911 GT3 vehicles of model year 2014

Porsche inspecting engines of current 911 GT3 models

Atlanta. The sports car producer Porsche is inspecting all engines of 911 GT3 vehicles of model year 2014. Porsche is informing the owners of the affected vehicles directly and recommending that they stop using their vehicles. The company is offering to pick up the vehicles and take them to a Porsche Centre immediately.

Safety is a number one priority at Porsche, and the company takes its responsibility seriously. After engine damage occurred in two vehicles in Europe and the vehicles then caught fire. Porsche decided to inspect all 785 delivered vehicles worldwide. There was no traffic accident and no personal injure. Internal studies to determine the cause of the engine damage have not been completed yet.

Porsche will report on any new findings immediately.

The new Porsche GT3 is "Puristic"

Porsche faces the expected criticism for choosing to go two pedal only with the 991 GT3.

Some find amusement in a sports car by operating levers and pedals and thankfully there are plenty of cars produced over the last 100 years or so that can afford them various levels of mechanical and ergonomic complexity.

There is another faction of enthusiast who are not sentimental that way and who are interested most in how to best be as one with a car in the most efficient possible way. Anyone who has driven a Scuderia will not say "meh, it's an automatic"  and Ferrari was never sentimental as a car company.   Porsche on the other hand has more baggage that way and a particularly luddite owner base, some of which are still holding a grudge over water cooling.

In this video, Andreas Preuninger,  project leader for the car, makes the case emotion and connection go beyond interface details.  

video after the break

The Dilemma: Chris Harris Takes On The Porsche 991 GT3

Everything you wanted to know about the new Porsche GT3,  PistonHead Chris Harris puts a GT3 through its paces.

The nail in tthe manual transmission's coffin?  Harris has an existential moment,  decides best cure is hooning the GT3.  We agree with that.
(PistonHeads)

Porsche's GT Boss Explains Why The 991 Is The Best GT3 Ever.

Andreas Preuninger, Porsche's GT car manager explains to EVO's Jethro Bovingdon why the new 911 GT3 is the best GT3 ever, despite all the bitching and moaning about PDK, electric steering and weight.

Porsche 991 GT3 in HD

Get Your Porsche 991 GT3 Desktops!....

This is going to wreak havoc on my plan for inexpensive 997 GT3s flooding the market.... PDK Only

Porsche 991 GT3 and Turbo in action

You can tell them apart easily by the exhausts, the GT3 with the two center pipes and the Turbo with pairs on each side.  

Clearly this video is from earlier in the year,  the Ring was covered in snow recently as you can always find out when you follow Dale's notes over at BridgeToGantry.com.

991 GT3 will have no manual transmission

Bit of a watershed moment: the 991 GT3, if you believe Autocar magazine, will only be offered with a PDK dual clutch paddle shifter.

Porsche follows Ferrari ditching the third pedal.    We have no doubt about the performance advantages but how do you feel about not getting a choice, even a silly one like a 7 speed manual?   Luddite 911 owner demographic no firmly in Panamera/Cayenne age group?

I will admit this might put a dent in my "depreciated 997 GT3" ownership plan.

2013 Porsche 991 GT3

A 2013 GT3 with proper fixed wing and front spoiler caught testing by Auto Motor Und Sport. So far, I had only seen pictures of regular 991 bodied mules. 4 liter 500 hp+, lots of carbon fiber and Luddite angering PDK-R.