UK Porsche GT3 owners are irked that other countries are getting better deals

Sun, 27 Apr 2014

Porsche 911 GT3 owners in the United Kingdom are up in arms, but it's not for the reason you might think. Okay, well it sort of is. See, it's been fairly well documented that 911 GT3 owners have had their cars grounded over concerns that the engines could catch fire. Porsche is rushing to build and install replacement engines in all 800 or so cars, scattered around the globe.

This isn't really the issue. The problem for these British owners is compensation. While the car's have been grounded, car notes still need to be paid. To deal with this, American GT3 owners are being paid $2,000 per month. German owners get 175 euros ($242 at today's rates) per day while a GT3 owner in Dubai is allegedly receiving $12,000 (it's unclear if this is a lump sum or a monthly payment). Basically, if you aren't able to drive your six-figure super car, you shouldn't have to pay for it. Seems reasonable regardless of the make.

British owners, though, aren't being compensated, and for 30 to 35 owners, that's not acceptable. They've banded together and are led by Sunil Mehra.

"We are massively disappointed by the way the manufacturer has conducted itself with its lack of transparency and blatant discrimination between markets," Mehra said in a statement according to The Telegraph.

The drivers are demanding Porsche pay 145 pounds (about $243) per day, retroactive to February 18 when the do-not-drive order was issued. The group isn't just looking out for current owners, though. It's demanding $138 per day for owners whose cars have had their production suspended and $69 for customers that have submitted deposits but haven't received a spot in the build allocation.

While we agree with their position, it is somewhat difficult to feel bad for what are probably some very, very wealthy customers. It's also surprising to see that Porsche's UK arm has made such a stumble, particularly as distributors in other markets are going to such lengths to keep GT3 owners happy.

According to The Telegraph, Porsche UK hasn't issued a comment. In the meantime, Porsche kicked off production of replacement engines earlier this week, according to a previous Autoblog report. With any luck, GT3 drivers should have their cars back on the road soon.

By Brandon Turkus