Secret Supercar owner continues sharing his buying journey.

We read about them, we ogle them and lust after them; but only a few get to enjoy and experience supercar ownership first hand. Secret Supercar Owner, Mr S, is one of those fortunate people. He has agreed to share his journey with us through all the joy and pitfalls. In Secret Supercar Owner – Chapter 5 he tells us about an intriguing battle that we all wish we had to deal with. You can read previous chapters at this link.

Thus far I have shared with you our experiences of buying supercars. Most were bought with a plan and a set of rules. But sometimes there are many variables at play that complicate the decision-making process. The next car in our journey proved to be just that. What started as a simple business trip to Johannesburg quickly turned into a full-blown German showdown. In the one corner we had a Mercedes-AMG GT R. In the other a Porsche 911 GT3 (991.1).

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Behind the wheel/s

After our meeting, we headed to a dealership we’d worked with before. While we were there to test the GT R, my attention was caught by a white GT3 sitting in the same showroom. Naturally, I arranged for us to drive them back-to-back. We started with the AMG.

The GT R was wild. It had serious power, almost too much. Putting down the power cleanly was a challenge, with the rear wheels constantly threatening to break traction. That said, once the tyres warmed up, it began to settle and grip. The cabin was spacious, well-specced, and finished in metallic red with loads of carbon-fibre. It felt dramatic, aggressive and gave you the feeling like it wanted to put on a show. Then we climbed into the GT3.

It immediately felt different. The cabin was tighter, more focused, and you didn’t feel like you were sitting at the rear of the car in the same way as the Merc. Once it warmed up, we pushed it and not once did it intimidate us. It was so easy to drive fast. You could push it to 95% of its limit, and it made you feel like a professional. That’s the brilliance of a Porsche 911, confidence, precision, and control.

Decisions decisions

For me, the GT3 was the one to have. Naturally aspirated, high-revving, and free from the muted sound of turbocharged engines, it felt alive in a way that mattered. On the drive home, my dad and I compared notes. One thing stood out, we often let friends and family drive our cars. In the GT R, that could end badly. In the GT3, it felt manageable. Then came the investment discussion.

GT3 values were climbing. The GT R? Flat. The conversation ended there, but it clearly stuck.

Two days later, my father called and told me to phone the dealership to make an offer on the GT3. He’d wanted a Porsche back in 2014 but didn’t follow through. Over a decade later, he wanted to make it a reality. And just like that, we became Porsche owners.

Our GT3 was white with a black interior and red stitching. It was powered by a 3,8-litre naturally aspirated flat-six, which revved to 9 000 r/min, paired with a seven-speed PDK transmission. Compared to our single-clutch cars, this was a different world you could even use launch control without worrying about destroying the clutch. Naturally, we tried it. It was addictive.

A Driver’s Car

The sound was good, but it definitely deserved an aftermarket exhaust, although we didn’t get around to fitting one. The steering and turn-in were exceptional, helped by the four-wheel steering system. At higher speeds, though, the car could feel a bit light due to its aggressive alignment setup.

There were also some quirks. If the car stood for a couple of weeks, it would smoke on startup enough to make any new owner panic. The ‘engine oil overfilled’ warning also appeared more often than it should, even after servicing. Calling Porsche about it became almost predictable they’d first ask, “Is it a GT3?” followed by, “How long has it been standing?” But the real lesson came later.

Hitting Trouble

Before selling the car, it decided to leave us with a final memory, an expensive one at that. Under hard driving, it would drop into limp mode. At first, it was confusing. Then came the diagnosis: camshaft wear caused by faulty finger followers in the flat-six.

We hadn’t researched this issue. It was a Porsche, after all it’s supposed to be bulletproof. We couldn’t have been more wrong. This is a known problem with first-gen 991s, as we learned through some online research. The repair bill came to nearly R400k.

An expensive lesson, but one we won’t forget. To be fair, the updated parts installed should mean the next owner won’t face the same problem. Despite everything, we loved the GT3. But somehow, it lacked the Italian passion we had grown used to. And so, it was time to move on… Back to Italy! This time, to something lighter, sharper; and impossible to ignore.