Is it Really a Widowmaker? 997 GT2 -- ISSIMI Drives

[@richardmahoney9415]

I don’t care some of these videos are effectively commercials for auction cars on the site bc the rest of us not buying them get entertainment and education on the cars or a different perspective and the production is unreal and all the presenters not only Mr. Hyphen Scott are great

[@thatcopenguy]

Hyphen has left ISSIMI though, but Lorenzo has been doing a good job taking his place on ISSIMI Drives. Hope Hyphen also does the old BTS with DTS at his new venture.

[@OfficialCykaBlyat]

Welcome to the modern world, everything is a plug or a commercial/ad.

[@shiraishi1]

​@@thatcopenguythey have xool cars so no need promotion to us car guy

[@JjNorf]

Man sh up.

[@gordonmills2748]

What bugs me about this host is that odd thing where he wears a (apparently) very expensive watch on his right wrist. It's either a "look at me" flex, or a paid product placement.

[@zanshin09]

I’ve only ever associated the term “widowmaker” with the 930, on period-correct tires.

[@johnchristopher3032]

Same here. And maybe the Carrera gt. I've never driven either, but Walter said the gt was scary, so I'll take his word.

[@shiraishi1]

​@@johnchristopher3032yeah the 1st 911(930)was the widowwmaker bcz of the hanging engine without any counter weight like the rest model after 930

[@Zarati75]

​@@shiraishi1 What counter weight? The changes from the earlier cars aren't from a counterweight. They have more to do with wheelbase, geometry, More advanced rear suspension designs, etc. The 930 Also had massive turbo lag which contributed to the issue.

[@WaterWeightsClub]

Ya, I drove a 930 in Singapore & wasn't expecting the turbo lag 1st time I gunned it. Luckily the road was straight & not wet because when it kicked, it f*n KICKED!! lol. B

[@docholliday2754]

@@shiraishi1 It was the turbo lag from the 930 that would kill you.

[@bluetitan20]

Really loved that film. The whole way it was shot, the driving, the scenery the knowledge and the backstory and of course.... the mighty GT2 playing the starring role 😎

[@WalterRitchey]

Such an insanely good looking car.

[@MattH-wg7ou]

So clean and just looks great in black!

[@J356-g2z]

Fact check, the 997 GT2 variant wasn't a Widowmaker. That was the 930 turbo because it had a short wheelbase and rear-end weight bias. The early version had a single turbo which caused turbo lag and without the aid of traction control. It can be twitchy when you are not careful. The 997 had PSM and Porsche adjusted for rear-end weight bias. I have never had any issues with 997.

[@johnchristopher3032]

I think it was the rear suspension that causes all the problems. Something about deflection under hard braking. Something about unwanted changes to the toe and camber in the rear end. I've never driven them, so I don't really know.

[@grahams5146]

Sat mesmerized for the entire 13:34. Incredible videography and narration. Car is beautiful as well.

[@sandilencobile8910]

This video just made me want a GT2 for no reason.

[@PigglyWigglyDeluxe]

Idk about you but I have lots of reasons why I want a gt2 lol

[@NSXavier997]

I love how the Mezger’s sound like a can of marbles @ idle. Whenever I fire mine up my neighbors question whether it’s broken.

[@SteveC-Shaman]

The 9A1 sounds like an old, used-up engine on fire up too... but mine makes about 700hp with the stock turbos and 93+ octane fuel. It has 100 cell cats & a Kline 7670 exhaust as well.

[@xlefty]

As a Subaru boxer owner, I was mildly terrified when I heard the start up.

[@MattH-wg7ou]

Why do they sound like that?

[@NSXavier997]

@@MattH-wg7ou making power ain’t always gonna sound silky smooth

[@richardmahoney9415]

This channel is truly unbelievable

[@ClinicalDecisionYikesYT]

Unbelievably bad since Derek left.

[@stevetheodore_specialtycars]

I think it's more like ~230 units for all of North America, not just the USA. Owners often refer to roughly 194 for USA, with the rest sold in Canada. More than a few have criss-crossed the border, including my own. I do of course realize that getting accurate sales numbers can be nearly impossible though. I have owned my 997.1 GT2 for just over 5 years and it is indeed a very well rounded car. They are still tremendously underrated in my opinion (relative to GT3s), but this has been part of the 996/997 GT2 legacy all along for right or wrong. Mine is modified and approximates a GT2 RS for power/torque, but that hasn't ruined its character for driving it at slower speeds and in a variety of conditions. I have tracked my car and it behaved like a puppy, nothing like the Widowmaker moniker that is so often suggested. One of the things I enjoyed most on-track was that it allowed me to slide the car just a bit with PSM active, which is a real revelation if you're used to other marques that literally shut everything down as soon as slip is detected. Porsche knows how to build proper motorsports based road cars, and the mighty 997.1 GT2 is no exception. I plan to hold onto mine for a while yet, and really appreciate your great review. Best wishes on the auction too!

[@hmk911]

1242 were made globally

[@stevetheodore_specialtycars]

@@hmk911 - that figure was published by Porsche (1242) and is not an unknown. It is interestingly around 30 fewer than the total amount of Carrera GTs manufactured

[@em-ergent]

Porsche makes a plug and play PCCM replacement for the version that shipped with the car, and it includes CarPlay! I grabbed one for my GT2 and it really adds to the daily drivability. (unfortunately it's wired CarPlay - otherwise it's perfect) Also, 100% agree on the noise. For 10 years I've been saying I need to get a custom exhaust. Maybe one of these days...

[@tamasszabo8824]

My 2021 Cayman GTS 4.0 has wired CarPlay, too😬

[@syllvio10]

Congrats @Issimi, very nice video! I love the GT2!

[@FizzyMotors]

Coincidentally when I made a video about the GT2 vs GT3 (996) I came to the same conclusion, using the same background music (in the conclusion) too lol. Love the intro of this video, beautifully made

[@craig_s]

So happy to see someone filming on Skyline Blvd like this. Great work!

[@nathanenos]

Lorenzo does it again! I learned a lot here, great production

That 997 is beautiful.

[@MotorDynasty]

gotta love that broken engine sound from a mezger, keeps me always second guessing mine...but they are always pretty much ok! you guys do great videos!

[@evanisashark1596]

man I'm so glad that Car Tales got his chance on this channel, it makes me so happy. I knew I recognized the style in the videos! Remember finding him early on, and then losing track of him. Super happy

[@simewood2040]

I babysat a friends modified 930 in the early 80s. It was his 'daily driver'. It was very light, very quick and totally agricultural. And the brakes and tyres of the era were ... poor. Years later I got to buy more modern Turbos. I passed on the 993 for the 'safer' liquid cooled models. Still alive, many penalty points later. GT2 is still my personal dream car, not to look at, to live with. 🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@BasedHadrian]

I personally always associate the Widowmaker tag with the 996 GT2. Supposedly the scariest of the bunch

[@stevetheodore_specialtycars]

That is very true, and it can be pretty difficult to find a 996 GT2 without any repaired body damage as a result.

[@shiraishi1]

No it's tye 930 911 the blacbird 🖤

[@nismostrada9433]

996 100%

[@shiraishi1]

@@nismostrada9433 no

[@weirdbassementguy]

you would be personally wrong. And its not a matter of opinion, the 930 turbo was the widowmaker due to all the crashes and deaths that occured in those cars, and not in others.

[@CR-xv8wm]

Beautiful car, looks great in black too!

[@Twobarpsi]

9:39 😮 someone had a bad day!!

[@murk1352]

Any real Porsche enthusiasts knows, the only widow maker that was dubbed the “wide maker” was the 930 turbo! Especially the earlier ones, because they were quick & when down shifting from high speeds preferably into corners, the rear wheels would lock up & with all the weight in the rear, it’d spin out! This GT2 is a finely tuned machine 🔥

[@sternschnupper]

so soothing to hear someone pronounce "porsche" correctly! as a native german speakers most videos are really tough to watch ;)

[@psr_m3]

Just incredible content - well done! Huge fan of the 997 GT2 but it is crazy how quiet the exhaust was on them for this generation. When I buy one, an aftermarket exhaust will be my first mod!

[@leonardschannel]

997 - last of the small body 911s - great cars. 😊

[@ImpManiac]

Superb video review! Thank you! 😎 Paul 😎

[@alhuegayle7550]

That was such a satisfying and extreamly well narrated video. Subscribed!

[@danvorobiov]

Those skid marks at 9:39 )))

[@Twobarpsi]

Saw that too 😮

[@Dutchdriftking]

Now I want a 997. Yellow please.

[@Poorschedriver]

Hey you're not DTS! But you still did a great job!

[@JustXavierB]

I've only driven this car once, its a scary car but probably the best I've ever driven

[@joetacchino4470]

as a 997 Turbo S owner, I’d love to drive this car. My turbo was….twitchy. Rear suspension did spooky things when encountering a bump under load. Never caught me out, but did not inspire confidence. But with the suspension tuning on this car, I’d really love to see what it feels like.

[@vercingetorige400]

do you recall what needed to be done to fade that unruliness?

[@iluvcakes19]

I had that same twitchiness on mine. Called mid corner bump oversteer or something like that. It doesn't actually oversteer, at least hasn't happened to me, but it feels like you're losing the rear end. Perhaps a set of stiffer sway bars will clean that up? At the expense of a more comfortable ride.. your choice.

[@customconnections2425]

3:12 There’s your WIDOWMAKER! L👀k at those tires!!! Dammmmn!

[@chrismoustrides3905]

Great car, top video 💯

[@GARAGESZERO]

this is rad

[@BuckyCorvette]

What a good film. Bravo 👌👏

[@AdhirSingh_SA_1995]

Nice job on this💪😎 Happy to not see 'DTM was the best, you are sh*t' comments👏

[@TheSpeedyGuidy]

Haha say it one more time for the people in the back!!!!

[@sklyrovka]

the 996/997 Mezger GT cars truly are the end of an era

[@Yooyangs]

I had a 930, the true widow maker.

[@qc_mat3537]

my heart beats fast everytime I see these cars my all time dream car

[@MattH-wg7ou]

I think the 997 may be the perfect peak of 911s, personally. The market's appreciation for them will continue to grow, unfortunately for my aspiration to acquire a simple, clean, manual 997 Carrera S.

[@themitsudas]

Loved this video - well done!

[@iLLGT2]

I just sold my 997 GT2 because of how tame it was... wasnt wild like my 996 RUF R-GT2 , I had suspension upgrades tune headers intercoolers lightweight flywheel and the car honestly felt like modded 997 turbo... it wasnt very emotional or edgy

[@CaptainWillard830]

Reminds me of the car I drove in high school: Datsun 310 Hatchback with a stick 😊

[@Libra67jtc]

930 is the only "WIDOWMAKER" . Still one of the most beautiful looking cars.

[@scud430challenge8]

roll cage saved my life in my 997 GT2, amazing car, but most definitely can bite hard if you are stupid with it.

[@frederickcook87]

DSC module will fix that road handling 👌🏾

[@michaeldamore8979]

Love these videos

[@DoddyQuan125]

Well done

[@2.fresh767]

Loved it.

[@yan4594]

Hey, it’s auf wiedersehen!

[@liamm-c1287]

Y'all fact checking them just watch the video. He mentions the 930. He mentions that its not specific to the 997 gt2

[@TheSpeedyGuidy]

Say it again for the people in the back!

[@duketogo666]

First thought... Expensive.

[@stasKZ]

nice to see local roads, Skyline 35.

[@iluvcakes19]

Can confirm daily driving a GT2 IS absurd!

[@supreethroxs]

The word "Widowmaker" can only make me think of the McLaren P1 with the license plate "P1 OOV".

[@EastsideBodega_]

The last Modern Classic 911. The 997 is just analog enough with modern comforts and upgradability

[@churchtm6539]

favourite porsche chassis of al time.... the 997

[@iluvcakes19]

Same! Just spectacular cars. They are even beginning to look like classic cars too.

[@mikhailfrolov5438]

The cameraman did an insane job! What kind of gear does he use?

[@zaman88]

In Europe it’s the 996 GT2 that has the name of “ Widowmaker”.

[@blackshadow7192]

Yep only the 996 GT2 and 930 carried that nickname. The 996 GT2 didn't have traction control, even on the later 483hp version ... in 2004 !

[@davycruz5796]

music at minute 8:00 is Past Life Limbo. Fits perfect

[@nassermohd2317]

The car that I will never get 😂❤

[@内田ガネーシュ]

1:07! Lezzz go! We're making it out of child support with this one !!

[@markjosephvaldez3386]

you can't say widowmaker if you're single.

[@got_gt3612]

Brilliant

[@wiryantirta]

Yes the GT2 has the turbo's motor but is the 997 generation considered a widowmaker? Surely their suspension and any stability systems have improved since 993, let alone the 930-964 with turbocharged motors.

[@brunodamota2459]

Pensees for the song intro !

[@minioner5080]

Someone’s had a scary moment at 9:40 🙀🙀

[@peterh225]

Let’s go for the 997 GT3 RS 3.8 mk2😅

[@pcar93tt]

No 911 after the 930 was ever called the widow maker. The 930 held that moniker bc of the laggy single turbo. The single turbo hit particularly hard, and the unsuspecting & unexperienced would lift when boost hit. Due to the rear engine handling characteristics of the 911 if the driver lifted mid corner rear end would come around often times resulting in a crash occasionally killing the driver. The Widowmaker moniker was never applied to any 911 with more than one turbo. (993,996,997,991,992) the 9@3, 996, 997 991 nor 992 were ever called “widow maker”

[@clauspeterdam9668]

What’s the classical tune playing in the background?

[@servicepartsjapan2687]

If you could only illustrate that snap oversteer (maybe in a controlled environment) :)

[@johnszwede8516]

I love the lock up, marks at 9:40, where someone clearly outweighed their ability and went off into the scrub… I want to like Porsches but to me for the money they sound horrible they don’t look that fancy…. and the interior looks like it came out of 1972, but if I was ever going to get into one, it would either be the 964 turbo or a 997,GT2

[@user-ij6xs4ut7j]

May I inquire what kind of watch are you wearing? Help from anyone appreciated, cheers!

[@TheSpeedyGuidy]

Mission on Earth: Polar Lights

[@user-ij6xs4ut7j]

@@TheSpeedyGuidy Thank you!

[@nirfz]

0:50 nope. That word i do think of with the first Turbos so way older than the 997. When the 997 came out journalists already said it was easier to control than all the previous generations. So, no. Not a term i think of with any 997. The 997, even the GT2 has stability control and traction control. The ones where the name widowmaker was coined (at least in my knowledge) had none of that. Not even ABS.

[@JamesJoyce12]

interesting comparison of this at 3,170 lbs, while my 1970 911S weighs in at 2,210 lbs

[@imi4449]

Mans car. Nice watch what is it?

[@AlexSami-qw4qu]

Omega / Swatch Speedmaster.

[@anbu999]

This car can't kill you if you are single.

[@socalmotorheads2562]

Any rear wheel drive turbo car is a “Widowmaker” the boost lag can unsettle the car in corners, you need to be a bit careful with the throttle, more so than with a NA versions. Of course newer versions starting with the 997 had some basic traction control, more advanced systems of course in the 991 gt2rs

[@papa_pt]

nah it's also that these were rear engined and had very odd handling characteristics (much more so for the 930 than modern 997). Combining that with big turbo lag and old tires resulted in widowmaker

[@MarcSob22]

The widowmaker is the 997 GT2RS

[@gt1r]

930 only, GT2RS / GT2 has way too much tech

[@papa_pt]

nope

[@iluvcakes19]

997 GT2 RS definitely would have been the widow maker if they weren't unobtainable. But to your point I think some celebrity did die driving one, if I remember correctly.

[@johnmac609]

"in front of that slow nissan altima" ... it's always a damn altima isn't it!?

[@Edgy01]

The problem I had year after year with my GT2 was how the front end would get so hot from atmospheric drag that the bras would start to smolder.

[@SiddheshChampaneri]

Whats that watch ?

[@titaniummechanism3214]

I would've really liked it they made a 991 GT2 as well, just a GT2 RS with less extreme aero. I really liked the "understated" shape of the 997 GT2 and RS, they 991 GT2 RS is a bit too much for my taste.

[@waoling]

if by any chance you are looking for an Italian guy who is passionate about cars, here I am ready to move in...I'm making "the garzone" if you want!🤣

[@regiasama3565]

Jason Camisa... Bring back Jason Camisa

[@n.a1827]

997 No not a widow maker, thats was the 930 ,993 Gt, 996 Gt2. This and 997 Gt2RS fun cars😂

[@scud430challenge8]

or more precisley the Cup 1 tyres can bite hard, especially when it is cold and/or wet ....

[@roguedogx]

0:37 "hang on"

[@jjcocoadventures3435]

I'm laughing in 1500whp zl1 with all of this Widowmaker talk 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@blackshadow7192]

It's pretty much impossible to use that much power outside of a roll race on an airfield. The real sketchy cars are those you can drive fast on the road, and in a split second you're wrapped around a tree.

[@JJ-pe1wy]

The widowmaker is the 930 turbo. Why should a 997 gt2 be a widowmaker. I’ve owned one and never felt that it had too much power or was uncontrollable and it’s actually not as exiting as most of the people think. A 997 turbo it’s pretty comparable. Not a huge difference. Wouldn’t recommend to pay the extra

[@hmk911]

Sorry, but there’s a huge difference between Turbo and GT2. It’s more than 100kg lighter and turns in almost like a GT3. Feels way more than +50hp.

[@robertsestito6821]

Not with modern tires.

[@janojanuary]

Motor sounds hurt

[@z32luvr]

I was thinking the same. I definitely heard some rod knock.

[@fudganuld]

Nice spec,although the euro versions look miles better...Silly US bumpers etc...Ha!

[@papa_pt]

930 is the widowmaker. Very odd handling characteristics with those old P cars, combined with huge turbo lag. This is much faster but also a lot more manageable

[@NISSANSKYLINEGTRBNR]

Isn't the 997 gt2 RS labelled widowmaker?

[@allencastell6538]

100%

[@y0057]

Correction the 996/997 were never termed “Widow Maker”. The term belonged to the 930 with their snap over steer in a corner due to mad turbo lag on the earlier 260 bhp cars or later on 993GT2 that could lift slightly the front 2 wheels at very high speed meaning driving from the rear wheels which was scary. The watercooled cars were very defined and civilised.

[@Andy-Andeee]

Can't be a widow maker if you are not married 😏