Mr JWW tells us why the 911 holds a special place in his heart
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He’s famous for his popular YouTube cars channel, but Mr JWW – aka James Walker – is a serial supercar buyer, too. And there’s one model that’s particularly special to him – the 911 GT3
James, can you tell us more about the three Porsche 911 GT3 sportcars that you own?“I had a 992 Turbo S when it first came out but sold it a while back and replaced it with a 997 GT3 RS 4.0. For me, the 4.0 is one of those unicorn cars that I never, ever thought I’d own – it’s definitely a keeper. I also daily drive a second-generation 991 GT3, which has just clicked over 50,000 miles (80,500km). I’m planning on taking it to 100,000 miles (161,000km) and then probably park it in a barn and hand it down to my son. My most recent 911 purchase is a 992 GT3 in Paint-To-Sample Signal Yellow with a PDK gearbox.”A trio of thoroughbreds: Mr JWW owns not one but three Porsche 911 GT3 sportscars | PHOTO: Mr JWWWhat’s it like to daily drive a 911 GT3?“It feels like a friend because I know it so well. It’s not as stiff as a GT3 RS. It has bedded in really nicely – it revs freely and feels so supple. You can also drive it in a way that it doesn’t scream and shout. If I’m on a motorway at road-legal speeds, it’s actually not too loud. But find a nice open stretch of road, and at higher revs it sounds like a Porsche Carrera Cup car. I feel like it’s the best of both worlds [laughs].”How different do the 991 GT3 and 992 GT3 feel?“Because I’m so familiar with the 991 as it’s my daily driver, when I drive the cars back-to-back, the 992 feels almost alien – like a totally different car. Of course, it is a different car, but it’s still a 911. I’m so familiar with the intricacies of the 991 that anything that stands out as different on the 992 is really enhanced, not to mention that the 992 is a PDK car. That’s also a big step up.”Rare, analogue and pure – Mr JWW’s 911 (type 911) GT3 is a car that he says he’ll never sell | PHOTO: Mr JWWHow did you get into vlogging about cars for a living?“When I was growing up I was really into Formula One, and that was my introduction to fast cars. Every now and then my dad would take me to a Formula One race. Back then the cars were high revving and naturally aspirated and the sound would affect me physically. For me that was an early injection of excitement for cars. Later, I would film my friends and me skiing and got so into the culture around freestyle and independent film making. Once we passed our driving tests I started filming cars, but that only lasted about a year as my friends went off to university and I joined the real world and got a job in fashion. I only did it because I wanted to be able to afford a car. I had saved up enough for a deposit for a house, but instead spent it on a car and started doing track days, events and road trips, and blogging about my experiences. But I was existing to pay off this car, so I needed it to work for me. After some success with blogging, I started filming the car and putting the videos on YouTube. That just went crazy and I would film more stuff based on the comments people would leave. “Eventually, it led to me being invited to the Crown Prince of Bahrain’s private track day. And this was when I first experienced driving a Porsche 911 GT3. Someone gave me the keys to a first-generation 991 GT3 and basically said go and lap your heart out. It was unbelievable. I couldn’t believe this car would rev to 9,000rpm. I ended up falling in love with it and the whole naturally-aspirated, high-revving, flat six thing – it became an obsession. I’m now finding myself going back to cars like the 997 GT3 RS 4.0. That car is just so cool.”Mr JWW’s latest Porsche purchase, a 992 GT3 finished in Paint-To-Sample Signal Yellow | PHOTO: Mr JWWWhat is it that makes the 997 GT3 4.0 such a special car? “It’s so enjoyable to drive. It’s light, and is the last of the Mezger engines, so has a character all of its own. It’s just a special thing to experience. It’s so analogue and requires effort to drive. When I step out of it, I really feel like I’ve been for a drive.”After your experience on that trackday with the GT3, how long after was it until you got into Porsche ownership?“Not soon enough [laughs]. I was still drowning in debt from the other car, but I took a filming job for a car company and got paid enough from that to immediately go out and buy a 991 GT3 in GT Silver. That car was so integral to me when building up my YouTube channel. But then every car I buy is carefully considered: what car is going to allow me to get the most content out of it? What car is most appealing for the audience? And what car has the most hype right now? These are the questions I ask myself before buying any car.”There will always be room for the GT3 RS 4.0 in Mr JWW’s dream car collection | PHOTO: Mr JWWSome might say you already have the dream Porsche collection. But what else would you add to the garage? “I would have a Carrera GT for sure. And keep the 911 GT3 RS 4.0. I’d probably consider a track-only Porsche like a decommissioned RSR or a GT3 R, too. And maybe something older, like a 993 or a 930 Turbo. A 918 Spyder would be great as well! I’d also keep a second generation 991 GT3. It’s such a brilliant car. It still feels analogue but now has creature comforts like Apple CarPlay.”
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