Sales debate: Will the 991 GT3 engine saga affect long-term values?
The technological tour de force that is the 991 GT3 was released to much fanfare during the 911’s 50th anniversary celebrations last year. However, the engine problems experienced by a tiny minority of cars early this year led to the internet rumour mill springing to life.
With rumours casting doubt on the car’s long-term sales appeal, Total 911 sought out the opinion of two Porsche professionals to see if this really is a legitimate worry for owners of the latest GT3
“It is always a difficult one to call,” explains RPM Technik’s head of sales, Greig Daly. “It has had a knock-on effect on the 997 GT3’s pricing as people head towards those cars.”
“But it would be quite short-sighted to assume that because they [Porsche] have had an issue with that engine, it is going to have an effect long-term. Once the problem has been addressed, I don’t think it is going to have any effect on the pricing, because if the car is good – which it clearly is – then in two or three years time, people will have forgotten the problems.”
JZM Porsche also see a lot of GT3 stock pass through their doors, and Russ Rosenthal, their sales director, agrees that the 991’s engine issues will be forgotten as time passes.
However, he feels that the latest GT3’s appeal has been hurt by the decision to only offer it with PDK. “Ultimately, the biggest problem is that Porsche no longer offers a manual, three-pedal car,” he explains.
“By bringing out a two-pedal-only GT3 and then having all the hiccups, it didn’t have enough time to get off the ground and for people to fall in love with it. We’ve sold a number of cars to people who have actually had full refunds on 991 GT3s and have opted for a three-pedal car with the full Mezger engine.”
While manual cars are continuing to go from strength to strength, the 991’s future status appears uncertain, even if current values are seeing the latest GT3 trading for over £30,000 more than the list price.
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