*** Driving it! ***
My classic-911-expert friend & I both drove the car.
Straight off, the engine felt very lively in neutral, throttle blips sending the revs soaring up and down, thanks no doubt to the small pre-77 crank.
Moving off, the car initially felt like a very light and lively lorry. Strange. I guess it's that classic car feel (new to me), and is probably largely down to the 915 gearbox. Anyway, that initial strange sensation only lasted a few seconds.
On the road, the engine felt surprisingly strong and torquey. The high-compression 3.0 just chucks the lightweight car down the road. My expert friend reckoned it was the easily the punchiest classic 911 he'd ever tried (and he's driven over a hundred, including RS 2.7's). I've owned a 993RS before, and to be honest the 993 didn't feel any stronger below about 3500rpm.
In the tunnel under La Défense, the car zipped up to 110mph in no time, which dispelled the doubts I had that a "classic" wouldn't feel fast by modern standards. It probably isn't a massively fast car, but it feels fast enough because it bombards you with sensations.
The power delivery is very linear, which is objectively "good" I suppose, although I must say I do prefer peakier engines that suddenly "come on cam", so perhaps I'll change the cams sometime... Thing is, I might then miss all that lovely torque... so I'll wait and see how I feel after a few months.
The long-throw 915 gearbox wouldn't be rushed, and felt like driving a tractor at first, lol. I'm new to classics, remember, and the 915 gearbox would be a joke in a new car today. But my mate said if was fresh and precise as they get, and I soon got the hang of it. So that's ok.
The Bilstein suspension is nice and firm (I like that) without being harsh.(I've had a road-registered 964 Cup before, which was almost dangerous on the road - unlike this classic). I'll be using the car a couple of times a year on track, as well as sunny-day road driving, and this setup feels well adapted.
The brakes initially felt pretty horrid, lol. Unservoed, they were wooden (again, I'm new to classics) and didn't inspire confidence (coming from a 993RS... well... need I say more?). I tested them properly though, and when you lean on them hard, they do stop the car very effectively. My mate said they were fine.
The steering was something of a revelation. No deadzone whatsoever, and no rubber. Start to flex an arm and the car changes direction like a go kart. Very alive and precise, just like a modern car. My friend said it was the best classic steering he'd sampled, that they certainly weren't like this out of the box, and that some serious work and setting up had obviously been done.
The dissappointment for me was the exhaust note. It sounded a bit... discrete and thin. I expected more bark from such a butch-looking car. I've ordered a stainless Dansk with twin outlets, so that should give it more of a bassy howl. :-)
To sum up, my mate said it was quite clearly the best driving and most fun classic 911 he'd ever driven, including RS 2.7.
As for me, I couldn't help think how much fun an RS 3.0 must have been back in 1974... among the Cortinas and Marinas, lol
I've bought this car to complete my little collection (Ferrari 360 Spider ticks the "supercar" & "convertible" boxes, BMW X5 4.6iS ticks the "taking friends out", "moving furniture" and "going skiing" boxes, and the RS 3.0 is to tick the "classic" and "track" boxes).
I intend using the RS for fun road driving, for a couple of trackdays a year, and for classic car meetings like Le Mans Classic, Goodwood Revival, etc.
For now though, I'm just looking forward to tucking it away next to my 360! :-)
Alex