Autoblog

Even with the world-class handling and amazing power of the 2008 Porsche GT2, a relatively mundane component stood out - the seats. Yeah, we didn't expect to come back from Daytona and do an entire post just on seating technology, but yet here it is. Then again, maybe it's OK to be so fascinated by these chairs, as they're they #1 interface between driver and vehicle.

Live Photos Copyright ©2007 Eric Bryant / Weblogs, Inc.

It's just before noon on a Thursday morning as I saunter down pit row at Daytona International Speedway and slide into the supportive sport bucket seat of a 2008 Porsche 911 GT2. I fiddle a bit with the seat and steering column adjustments until I'm comfortable, then double-check that my seatbelt is secured. It's hot and humid, but that's not why I'm perspiring - this cold sweat is a sign that my body's survival instincts are on edge, and for good reason. Fortunately, I've received personalized instruction from a quartet of legendary drivers and a complete technical briefing courtesy of Porsche Motorsports engineers, and there's little left to be learned without actually driving the car. I depress the heavily-weighted clutch pedal, muscle the short-throw shifter into 1st gear, bring the revs up, and...

A typical car-nut daydream? No - this was Autoblog's trip to the North American introduction of the third-generation Porsche 911 GT2. The folks from Zuffenhausen brought their latest no-holds-barred supercar to Daytona Beach, and allowed a select group of journalists to compare this latest effort to two other very capable 911 variants - the Turbo Coupe and GT3.


Porsche provided the vehicles for testing. Autoblog does not accept travel or lodging from automakers when attending media events.

Live Photos Copyright ©2007 Eric Bryant / Weblogs, Inc.

Although the big news from Bilstein is the upgrade from its PSS9 system to the PSS10 (essentially, adding one more level of damping to their struts), more impressive is the firm's new Electronic Ridecontrol system. Essentially, it's similar to Porsche's PASM system, without integration between the ECU to gather inputs from the throttle position sensor, traction control and steering angle sensor. Pushing the dash-mounted blue backlit button changes the strut's firmness from "Comfort" to "Sport," all within fractions of a second. The "Comfort" selection is still about 50-percent stiffer than stock, and currently it's available for the BMW E46, E90 and E60, along with the Mercedes E-Class (W211). Bilstein plans to develop the system for a number of other high-end applications, specifically the entire Porsche range, from the Boxster to the 996 and 997 911s. MSRP is just a few bucks over $3,000.