The GT2 really is ferociously quick; the speed piles on relentlessly

Fed up with watching my beloved GT2 gathering dust in my underground parking of late, I decided I needed to take ‘the widow-maker’ for an extended drive. Since buying the car a few months back I have put precious little mileage on the clock of the Porsche, the main reason being that the car is simply too fast for Dubai’s crowded city roads. I have been finding myself constantly frustrated at my inability to stretch the GT2’s legs while in town due to the combination of the ever-increasing number of speed cameras that litter the highways, and the traffic problem that afflicts the city.

Not long after beginning to plan the route I would take out of town, I coincidentally received an email in my Inbox from Porsche Club UAE, announcing their next driving event which was going to head to Fujairah, taking in one of my favourite roads along the way. It had been a while since I had taken part in any of the clubs events; to be honest I have become discouraged by the mainstream nature of the Porsche brand and the corresponding shift in the typical owner from genuine enthusiast to slick poseur. Nevertheless, this drive sounded like just the ticket to give me some quality bonding time with the GT2.

After hitting the snooze button one too many times on the Friday morning, I found myself late for the start of the drive and I arrived just in time to tag onto the back of the 30-car convoy as it headed towards Hatta and the winding roads of the Hajjar mountains.

It was an interesting collection of cars, although mostly comprising of modern Stuttgart machinery, there was the odd rarity, including a red 964 turbo and a stunning Carrera GT.

After a leisurely cruise through the desert we eventually reached the twisty bits of road that I was so looking forward to.  As you head up through the Kalba tunnel and on towards the East coast, the smooth tarmac ahead dips and dives; the GT2 really came into its element here. Any fear or intimidation quickly disappeared despite the challenging road as the GT2 put its massive reserves of grip to good use.

On the way into bends the nose goes exactly where you want it, the typically telepathic 911 steering feedback always keeps you aware of exactly what is going on with the front tyres.  Considering the violent power delivery from the twin turbo engine, the rear wheel drive GT2 is surprisingly straight out of all bends. The chassis is able to deal with all the power with ease and slingshots  you out of corner after corner.  For the first time I experiment with the sport suspension button, but find myself quickly back in normal mode, as the already stiffly sprung GT2 becomes ridiculously uncompromising over even the slightest of bumps in the road. I think this setting would only be useful on the smoothest of tarmac, the likes of which you are only going to find on a racetrack.

The GT2 really is ferociously quick; the speed piles on relentlessly, interrupted only by the old school manual gear changes. The short shift gearbox is a pleasure to use as the lever slots ultra precisely into each gear with rifle bolt firmness. I find myself carrying huge speed through the bends and at any hint of a straight the GT2 catapults forward at a ludicrous pace, the speedo needle often hovering close to the 300 km/h mark.  This may sound scary, but it’s not - the standard equipment carbon brakes are the best of any car I’ve experienced before.  As we have come to expect from Porsche, the brake pedal is perfectly weighted but is combined here with retina straining stopping power. The way the GT2 sheds speed is both awe and confidence inspiring. This really is a well sorted car in every respect, but more importantly it pulls it all off without succumbing to the clinical feeling that hampers the current Porsche family.

Of course, the 997 GT2 is not as raw as a 993 GT2, but it still has plenty of emotion and demands massive concentration to drive quickly.

Because of the still low mileage on the car I have so far resisted taking it on track, but I think the next step for me is a visit to the Dubai Autodrome to find out what it feels like when you step over the GT2’s extremely high limits