Is it weird I like driving it a lot more than modern 911's?

luciddaydream

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I have had a 997,991, and a tuned 992.1 GTS.

The 992.1 GTS is a complete beast when its going over 120 or so.

But at slow speeds, I hate to say it.. but.. it is.. boring.

Honestly, I dont really get the hype on why enthusiasts love modern 911s.

I LOVE that brand it will always be near and dear to my heart.

But, god, get an Emira, do third-cat delete, eventuri, and rip that f*cker on a fall day with the windows down and theres nothin' like it (as far as I've experienced at least).

Its an epic emotional experience I have not had with a car before.

Maybe a GT3 would be slick, but, everything is so big..
 
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I think the 911 is an incredible car... and more capable than the Emira
I'm just saying I don't think the driver has as much of a connected, emotional feeling anymore - unless you're going at illegal speeds.

The emira also feels smaller inside, which I like. Yes, its wider than the 911 but quite a bit shorter.
I mean, I don't know that I would say 8.7cm is QUITE a bit shorter. Park them next to each other and they will look almost the same size. Not the best photo but my old Evora parked next to my 991 did not look all that much smaller. And we know the Emira is a tad larger than the Evora. I will concede on the interior feeling smaller though. Having the rear engine layout gives the interior a very roomy feel.

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Couldn't agree more...I've owned every variant of the 911 from The SC through the 991.1. (circa 1982-2013) And saw first hand how 911's morphed from a driver focus sports car to a large, heavy grand tourer. Modern 911's are marvels of engineering but they are no longer driver focused sports cars. New Porsche GT cars are more driver focused but models such as the GT3, GT3 Touring and S/T are nearly unobtainable from the dealer as a new allocation. Dealers cater to their uber-customers who buy them, park them, and flip them in a year to take a profit. All of this doesn't change the fact the the 911 in any of its various forms is just too big to be a true sports car by "traditional" definitions. If anyone doubts that statement look at a "G" body 911 next to a modern 911. From a size comparison, its like parking a Miata next to a 70's Cadillac. View attachment 53118
I have a 2020 911 and when I compare the size from my neighbor’s P (mid 90s) the size difference is evident. Reading all these posts excite me as I look forward to getting mine end of month post-PPF et al
 
Couldn't agree more...I've owned every variant of the 911 from The SC through the 991.1. (circa 1982-2013) And saw first hand how 911's morphed from a driver focus sports car to a large, heavy grand tourer. Modern 911's are marvels of engineering but they are no longer driver focused sports cars. New Porsche GT cars are more driver focused but models such as the GT3, GT3 Touring and S/T are nearly unobtainable from the dealer as a new allocation. Dealers cater to their uber-customers who buy them, park them, and flip them in a year to take a profit. All of this doesn't change the fact the the 911 in any of its various forms is just too big to be a true sports car by "traditional" definitions. If anyone doubts that statement look at a "G" body 911 next to a modern 911. From a size comparison, its like parking a Miata next to a 70's Cadillac. View attachment 53118
Concur. Also as a 7 year owner of a 911.2 GTS, my biggest gripe with the direction of the model is its progressive size increase and porky-ness. The dimensions of the 991s had already reached my tolerance level, something that was confirmed when I test drove the 992 some three years ago and ended up opting to order the Emira instead. The 911 has become a great Grand Tourer but, sadly, it's no longer a sports car, as far as my definition of one is concerned. I also have a 2019 MX-5 which represents the opposing ethos, it's small, light and very tossable. Despite the Miata's relatively lower HP level, it's a blast to drive, as is the case with the Emira.
 
I have found that the 3rd cat delete + eventuri definitely gives it significantly more power. It is still a tad light on power but it definitely gives the car a bump. Much better in 2nd.

Does anybody have any figures for the actual improvements this makes? new HP?
 
I finally put on my GRP cat delete last night, and wow. The car should have come like this from the factory. It's SO much better at moderate RPM and part throttle, it's wild. Drivability significantly improved.

And the SOUND! 🤤
I would love to see a dyno chart of the difference with just the 3rd cat delete. @GRP were you able to do a dyno run like that?
 
I would love to see a dyno chart of the difference with just the 3rd cat delete. @GRP were you able to do a dyno run like that?
I'm not sure it would show the difference at full throttle, that's fully into open loop and sort of a max curve.

The difference I noticed immediately was improvement in engine response at part throttle, which wouldn't show on a dyno plot in a way that could be directly compared on a graph.
 
I mean, I don't know that I would say 8.7cm is QUITE a bit shorter. Park them next to each other and they will look almost the same size. Not the best photo but my old Evora parked next to my 991 did not look all that much smaller. And we know the Emira is a tad larger than the Evora. I will concede on the interior feeling smaller though. Having the rear engine layout gives the interior a very roomy feel.

View attachment 53134
I believe he was referring to the height of the car, not the length.
 
I'm not sure it would show the difference at full throttle, that's fully into open loop and sort of a max curve.

The difference I noticed immediately was improvement in engine response at part throttle, which wouldn't show on a dyno plot in a way that could be directly compared on a graph.
What rpms were you at? Was it a feeling of more torque?
 
Concur. Also as a 7 year owner of a 911.2 GTS, my biggest gripe with the direction of the model is its progressive size increase and porky-ness. The dimensions of the 991s had already reached my tolerance level, something that was confirmed when I test drove the 992 some three years ago and ended up opting to order the Emira instead. The 911 has become a great Grand Tourer but, sadly, it's no longer a sports car, as far as my definition of one is concerned. I also have a 2019 MX-5 which represents the opposing ethos, it's small, light and very tossable. Despite the Miata's relatively lower HP level, it's a blast to drive, as is the case with the Emira.
Probably not too many 911 owners also with a Miata. Count me impressed.
 
Sometimes you want a steak, sometimes you want a hamburger.

992 Turbo S, Cayman GTS 4.0 manual, and Emira V6 manual owner here.

Yeah, for engaging driver enjoyment / "going for a drive"... the Emira beats the modern 911 hands down. Much more of an immersive experience.

My take is that Porsche know their buyers, and have made the 911 a fantastic grand tourer and a clinically exceptional performance machine. I've taken it on 600 mile drives with my dog, complete with adaptive cruise / lane keep / auto-drive, fantastic sound system and its been nothing but comfortable and pleasant. And when I've wanted to do spirited driving, its too much performance for me. "Boring" by comparison yes, but tremendously refined and capable.

Whereas I've taken the Emira on a 50 mile drive on the highway and I determined I wont do that again. It's my fun A->B sporty car.

Cayman GTS: I've done some posts here and the Porsche forum about my comparisons with the Emira. Despite the fact that many think the Emira is a Cayman competitor, for me, the comparisons really stop after "mid-engine 400hp sports car". The engine, the sound, the shifting, the steering, the ability to play with the back end, the sensation of rotation, the general performance feel, the rear and side visibility, and the street cred/visibility..... all of these are very different between the two. I wont go into details on which is better for which, but the Porsche Cayman is the more refined vehicle by a good margin in my opinion. And I respect that from the Porsche brand. To finish the "long-roadtrip" comparison, I've done a couple 200-mile journeys in the Cayman and they were also perfectly pleasant.

Point of all of this though is... sometimes you don't want refinement and nannies, and want to drive a sports car that harkens back to the days when sports cars were compromised and engaging... and that's what the Emira is to me. I love it.

ps - if not clear from my username, I am a Porsche fanboy.
 
Sometimes you want a steak, sometimes you want a hamburger.

992 Turbo S, Cayman GTS 4.0 manual, and Emira V6 manual owner here.

Yeah, for engaging driver enjoyment / "going for a drive"... the Emira beats the modern 911 hands down. Much more of an immersive experience.

My take is that Porsche know their buyers, and have made the 911 a fantastic grand tourer and a clinically exceptional performance machine. I've taken it on 600 mile drives with my dog, complete with adaptive cruise / lane keep / auto-drive, fantastic sound system and its been nothing but comfortable and pleasant. And when I've wanted to do spirited driving, its too much performance for me. "Boring" by comparison yes, but tremendously refined and capable.

Whereas I've taken the Emira on a 50 mile drive on the highway and I determined I wont do that again. It's my fun A->B sporty car.

Cayman GTS: I've done some posts here and the Porsche forum about my comparisons with the Emira. Despite the fact that many think the Emira is a Cayman competitor, for me, the comparisons really stop after "mid-engine 400hp sports car". The engine, the sound, the shifting, the steering, the ability to play with the back end, the sensation of rotation, the general performance feel, the rear and side visibility, and the street cred/visibility..... all of these are very different between the two. I wont go into details on which is better for which, but the Porsche Cayman is the more refined vehicle by a good margin in my opinion. And I respect that from the Porsche brand. To finish the "long-roadtrip" comparison, I've done a couple 200-mile journeys in the Cayman and they were also perfectly pleasant.

Point of all of this though is... sometimes you don't want refinement and nannies, and want to drive a sports car that harkens back to the days when sports cars were compromised and engaging... and that's what the Emira is to me. I love it.

ps - if not clear from my username, I am a Porsche fanboy.
Nice comparisons. People love their 911s but for most they are way too fast and capable. This gives a sense of superiority like driving big trucks but it takes away from driver engagement.

I have to say the cayman is excellent and funny that you own the most direct rival. I found the cayman handling way more neutral and confidence inspiring. However the Emira is just a different vibe all together. I think you’re right that the emira just feels old school compared to other modern cars and in this case it’s a good thing.
 
Concur. Also as a 7 year owner of a 911.2 GTS, my biggest gripe with the direction of the model is its progressive size increase and porky-ness. The dimensions of the 991s had already reached my tolerance level, something that was confirmed when I test drove the 992 some three years ago and ended up opting to order the Emira instead. The 911 has become a great Grand Tourer but, sadly, it's no longer a sports car, as far as my definition of one is concerned. I also have a 2019 MX-5 which represents the opposing ethos, it's small, light and very tossable. Despite the Miata's relatively lower HP level, it's a blast to drive, as is the case with the Emira.
The Emira / Miata pair is really tough to beat. (especially with the immersive top-down experience the Miata offers)
 
If I had the wherewithal, or if I were even more financially irresponsible, I’d love to have a Boxster Spyder next to my Emira in the garage. Not even necessarily the newest one. Top down, NA engine response, I think it’d be a fantastic companion to the Emira.
 
What rpms were you at? Was it a feeling of more torque?
2500 to 4000. It's certainly more torque at partial throttle, but there is no way to say whether it would make any difference whatsoever at max/WOT. Even in those scenarios it's hard to tell without an A/B dyno plot or back-to-back with another car.
 
Whereas I've taken the Emira on a 50 mile drive on the highway and I determined I wont do that again. It's my fun A->B sporty car.
I had the opposite experience, in fact I just did almost 1400 miles in the car over a 2 day period and it was lovely on the highway. I'm on Sport suspension with Goodyears set at normal door sill pressures.
 
I have had a 997,991, and a tuned 992.1 GTS.

The 992.1 GTS is a complete beast when its going over 120 or so.

But at slow speeds, I hate to say it.. but.. it is.. boring.

Honestly, I dont really get the hype on why enthusiasts love modern 911s.

I LOVE that brand it will always be near and dear to my heart.

But, god, get an Emira, do third-cat delete, eventuri, and rip that f*cker on a fall day with the windows down and theres nothin' like it (as far as I've experienced at least).

Its an epic emotional experience I have not had with a car before.

Maybe a GT3 would be slick, but, everything is so big..
I rented a base 992 911 with a PDK from Turo to decide if I wanted that, or the Emira. It wasn't even close. The Porsche is very refined, but boring as hell unless you are driving it at 8/10s or above. The Emira looks better, sounds better, and drives better.
 

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