Andreas Preuninger interview with Chris Harris
Discussion
For fans of GT cars this is a great interview with the man himself. Enjoy.
https://youtu.be/NqWvJP0HbVk
https://youtu.be/NqWvJP0HbVk
An interesting and insightful resume of the GT3 (no mention of GT4 ?) ... but very much focussed on AP rather than GT3.
For example, he says that the GT3 engine was just a Turbo without the Turbo ... but the GT3 arrived 18 months? before the 996 Turbo ?
The 964RS and 993RS already existed and formed the basis with the water cooled cylnder head concept of the 959, of the 996GT3 engine which was a massive improvement in terms of power and emissions. In fact, Porsche were forced to water cool.
The 3.8 993RS variorum engine produced 300bhp. The 3.6 996GT3 engine produced 360bhp ... and added a halo to the whole of the 996 and Boxster range homologating as it did the GT3R. Of course contrary to AP's forcing the racing cars to be called RSR because he wanted RS for the 996 GT3RS, RSR had already existed in both 964 and 993 variants ...
AP was lucky joining the GT project at 996 GT3 MkII. The GT3 MkI was the homologation proof of concept. Of the RS version called the Clubsport, there may be 300 cars ? There was very little money in the kitty and the focus was on lifting the spirit of the 996 a couple of notches and establishing the next race series ... Turbo brakes ? Low rev limiter ? bronze synchro rings ? Of course it could be improved, but without the 996 Gen1 GT3 ... GT3 as we now know it would not have existed.
Shall we now criticise the 991.2 GT3 because the 992 exists ?
The truth is that Roland Kussmaul got there first and his signature is on the homologation papers of every GT3R ... AP "simply" stood on his shoulders, and to be fair, has made a very good job of it.
A very good podcast, but for my understanding it didn't quite start in the right place. If anybody wants to challenge this please feel free ... every day is a school day !
For example, he says that the GT3 engine was just a Turbo without the Turbo ... but the GT3 arrived 18 months? before the 996 Turbo ?
The 964RS and 993RS already existed and formed the basis with the water cooled cylnder head concept of the 959, of the 996GT3 engine which was a massive improvement in terms of power and emissions. In fact, Porsche were forced to water cool.
The 3.8 993RS variorum engine produced 300bhp. The 3.6 996GT3 engine produced 360bhp ... and added a halo to the whole of the 996 and Boxster range homologating as it did the GT3R. Of course contrary to AP's forcing the racing cars to be called RSR because he wanted RS for the 996 GT3RS, RSR had already existed in both 964 and 993 variants ...
AP was lucky joining the GT project at 996 GT3 MkII. The GT3 MkI was the homologation proof of concept. Of the RS version called the Clubsport, there may be 300 cars ? There was very little money in the kitty and the focus was on lifting the spirit of the 996 a couple of notches and establishing the next race series ... Turbo brakes ? Low rev limiter ? bronze synchro rings ? Of course it could be improved, but without the 996 Gen1 GT3 ... GT3 as we now know it would not have existed.
Shall we now criticise the 991.2 GT3 because the 992 exists ?
The truth is that Roland Kussmaul got there first and his signature is on the homologation papers of every GT3R ... AP "simply" stood on his shoulders, and to be fair, has made a very good job of it.
A very good podcast, but for my understanding it didn't quite start in the right place. If anybody wants to challenge this please feel free ... every day is a school day !
Just listened to this, it’s really great.
I’m sure you’ve all seen this, but for anyone who hasn’t….
https://youtu.be/wJLmc_M-0ng
I’m sure you’ve all seen this, but for anyone who hasn’t….
https://youtu.be/wJLmc_M-0ng
browngt3 said:
For fans of GT cars this is a great interview with the man himself. Enjoy.
https://youtu.be/NqWvJP0HbVk
seems like just one huge advert for collectingcars.https://youtu.be/NqWvJP0HbVk
I wish he’d quit Porsche get some external baking and build the 1100kg 450 bhp sports car. Where do I sign ?
It is really an interview with him and the cars that were developed under his management so there’s definitely a bit of rose tinted glassses about the use of the RS name etc The 964 and 993 were Carrera RS’s as was the 2.7…..from 996 onwards they are obviously GT3 RSS so his claim of bringing back the RS name is indeed on thin ice. The 996.1 vs 996.2 argument is one that’s been well debated…never driven either, Harris has always rated the .2. I’ve no idea.
The blue 997.2 GT3 with the 4.0 engine and gearbox with shortened ratios sounds like quite a car
A bit like the car that Sharkwerks builds maybe ?
It is really an interview with him and the cars that were developed under his management so there’s definitely a bit of rose tinted glassses about the use of the RS name etc The 964 and 993 were Carrera RS’s as was the 2.7…..from 996 onwards they are obviously GT3 RSS so his claim of bringing back the RS name is indeed on thin ice. The 996.1 vs 996.2 argument is one that’s been well debated…never driven either, Harris has always rated the .2. I’ve no idea.
The blue 997.2 GT3 with the 4.0 engine and gearbox with shortened ratios sounds like quite a car
A bit like the car that Sharkwerks builds maybe ?Cheib said:
I wish he’d quit Porsche get some external baking and build the 1100kg 450 bhp sports car. Where do I sign ?
It is really an interview with him and the cars that were developed under his management so there’s definitely a bit of rose tinted glassses about the use of the RS name etc The 964 and 993 were Carrera RS’s as was the 2.7…..from 996 onwards they are obviously GT3 RSS so his claim of bringing back the RS name is indeed on thin ice. The 996.1 vs 996.2 argument is one that’s been well debated…never driven either, Harris has always rated the .2. I’ve no idea.
The blue 997.2 GT3 with the 4.0 engine and gearbox with shortened ratios sounds like quite a car A bit like the car that Sharkwerks builds maybe ?
the RS as a name has been done to death, its lost its kudos...unlike the R with is much rarer.It is really an interview with him and the cars that were developed under his management so there’s definitely a bit of rose tinted glassses about the use of the RS name etc The 964 and 993 were Carrera RS’s as was the 2.7…..from 996 onwards they are obviously GT3 RSS so his claim of bringing back the RS name is indeed on thin ice. The 996.1 vs 996.2 argument is one that’s been well debated…never driven either, Harris has always rated the .2. I’ve no idea.
The blue 997.2 GT3 with the 4.0 engine and gearbox with shortened ratios sounds like quite a car
A bit like the car that Sharkwerks builds maybe ?ChrisW. said:
stuff
Part of the problem is that AP is still a Porsche employee and very much active as head of the GT cars, so that dramatically limits what he can say. Perhaps as a consequence, didn't think there was really much that was terribly revelatory, though it was interesting to get a little bit of a feel for how he slowly built standing and power within Porsche.Partly down to the factual fluffs you mention (there were more, besides), main thing for me that was interesting was to get the sense that he isn't actually a massive geek on the facts. He has to think hard to recall that the official production run for the 991 R was 991 units, just as a for instance, which for serious Porsche geeks is arguably a pretty basic bit of info. All that said, some of the fluffs were more or less inserted into his mouth by Harris and AP seems to be generally fairly tame from a PR perspective rather than someone likely to be a bit spikey and call out the interviewers errors. IIRC, it was Harris who implied that the 996.1 lump was a Turbo engine with the turbos removed.
Anyway, AP is possibly more business driven than the pure car guy image would suggest, hence not necessarily being steeped in the facts. Probably has to be that way to do well at an organisation like Porsche.
Harris being such a colossal arse licker made it hard work at points, too. The exaggerated laughter at things that actually weren't terribly funny or meant to be funny was fairly painful.
julian987R said:
the RS as a name has been done to death, its lost its kudos...unlike the R with is much rarer.
Rarer, but far less meaningful. Every GT3 has been a serious bit of hardware with a bespoke engine and chassis. Cayman R has neither and indeed has almost nothing of substance to differentiate from a standard 987.2 3.4.Which is not to say it's a bad car, but in the end a name's a name and counts for little. The actual car is what matters. You're not driving the badge. I suppose if image is what matters most, then, yes, the name will matter quite a bit.
Cheib said:
I wish he’d quit Porsche get some external baking and build the 1100kg 450 bhp sports car. Where do I sign ?
It is really an interview with him and the cars that were developed under his management so there’s definitely a bit of rose tinted glassses about the use of the RS name etc The 964 and 993 were Carrera RS’s as was the 2.7…..from 996 onwards they are obviously GT3 RSS so his claim of bringing back the RS name is indeed on thin ice. The 996.1 vs 996.2 argument is one that’s been well debated…never driven either, Harris has always rated the .2. I’ve no idea.
The blue 997.2 GT3 with the 4.0 engine and gearbox with shortened ratios sounds like quite a car A bit like the car that Sharkwerks builds maybe ?
I'm not doubting that the 996.2 is a better car than the 996.1. Every succession should succeed in being better ... it doesn't imply a failure on the part of the former. The 996.1 GT3 was the proof of concept designed and realised using many components from the parts bin to homologate their first GT3 cup and endurance race cars. The confidence and budget from this enabled successive versions. As a concept the 996.1 GT3 was therefore an absolute triumph ... which in the day was lauded ... 1999 ECOTY etc. They did not make enough.It is really an interview with him and the cars that were developed under his management so there’s definitely a bit of rose tinted glassses about the use of the RS name etc The 964 and 993 were Carrera RS’s as was the 2.7…..from 996 onwards they are obviously GT3 RSS so his claim of bringing back the RS name is indeed on thin ice. The 996.1 vs 996.2 argument is one that’s been well debated…never driven either, Harris has always rated the .2. I’ve no idea.
The blue 997.2 GT3 with the 4.0 engine and gearbox with shortened ratios sounds like quite a car
A bit like the car that Sharkwerks builds maybe ?This was the step change that for me earns the 996.1 GT3 its place in the Porsche story, by comparison to which all successive GT3's pale ... each being better only by varying increment.
Cheib said:
I wish he’d quit Porsche get some external baking and build the 1100kg 450 bhp sports car. Where do I sign ?
Would be great wouldn't it. If only he could persuade the board to build it he wouldn't need to quit. Almost in the same breath he mentioned some interesting products in the pipeline. Wonder what they are? The 992RS is coming and they've finally done a GT4RS. One gets the feeling, with the GT concept perhaps on borrowed time, their might be something very special coming, maybe... IIRC, it was Harris who implied that the 996.1 lump was a Turbo engine with the turbos removed.
Correct ...
There is also no real genius in establishing that the gen1 brakes could be better, the brass synchros were wearing, the engine had been designed to run to 9000rpm so could easily be developed by lightening the revolving masses and increasing the revs, and I agree the Gen2 wheels are nicer. And GT3 plastic wheel centres improved the branding ... I believe the gearbox also included an oil cooler ??
The point I am making is that the first learns from zero or the models from which the components have been lifted. The second learns from production and user experience in some volume ... etc.
Correct ...
There is also no real genius in establishing that the gen1 brakes could be better, the brass synchros were wearing, the engine had been designed to run to 9000rpm so could easily be developed by lightening the revolving masses and increasing the revs, and I agree the Gen2 wheels are nicer. And GT3 plastic wheel centres improved the branding ... I believe the gearbox also included an oil cooler ??
The point I am making is that the first learns from zero or the models from which the components have been lifted. The second learns from production and user experience in some volume ... etc.
ChrisW. said:
I'm not doubting that the 996.2 is a better car than the 996.1. Every succession should succeed in being better ... it doesn't imply a failure on the part of the former. The 996.1 GT3 was the proof of concept designed and realised using many components from the parts bin to homologate their first GT3 cup and endurance race cars. The confidence and budget from this enabled successive versions. As a concept the 996.1 GT3 was therefore an absolute triumph ... which in the day was lauded ... 1999 ECOTY etc. They did not make enough.
This was the step change that for me earns the 996.1 GT3 its place in the Porsche story, by comparison to which all successive GT3's pale ... each being better only by varying increment.
Wasn't the 996.1 the first and only GT3 to be hand made at Weissach? All subsequent versions coming off the main production line.This was the step change that for me earns the 996.1 GT3 its place in the Porsche story, by comparison to which all successive GT3's pale ... each being better only by varying increment.
I remember EVO stating the suspension on the 996.1 being more compliant for road use whereas the gen 2 was perhaps a bit too firm.
When I first test drove my 996.2 back in 2005 I couldn't believe the engine. I recall it seemed to rev forever. That was the single biggest reason I immediately signed on the dotted line!
I enjoyed the interview, not sure why anyone would have anything to moan about it tbh. It was free and it can be listened to while doing other things so doesnt take much effort.
Andreas probably can not speak too much about the 991.1 GT3 engine issue. Its good to hear they uprated the bearings that were at fault, I always thought they just put in a new engine without changes and hoped they would last. Plus they extended the warranty of course.
The interview got me looking at KTM Freeride E bikes too.
The main area I found interesting was the 1100kg car he would like to produce. A Porsche version of the Alpine would be really cool if the could do something like that.
Andreas probably can not speak too much about the 991.1 GT3 engine issue. Its good to hear they uprated the bearings that were at fault, I always thought they just put in a new engine without changes and hoped they would last. Plus they extended the warranty of course.
The interview got me looking at KTM Freeride E bikes too.
The main area I found interesting was the 1100kg car he would like to produce. A Porsche version of the Alpine would be really cool if the could do something like that.
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