Highs: Thick, glossy, smooth, deep red paint sets this car apart from many other Autoarts. It's not quite as thick as the red on my Minichamps Alfa Romeo, but it's close, and that's saying a lot. The 10-spoke aluminum rims are stunning, and give a clear view of the black "Porsche" brake calipers. On those rims are very low profile, high performance tires. Seats are Recaros, and are fabric covered, which is a very nice touch (these are probably the nicest seats in my entire diecast collection, and would probably only be outdone by seats on a CMC or Exoto). Also worth mentioning are the headlight and taillight assemblies. From the shade and opacity of the plastic used (especially the red plastic on the taillights), to the detail inside the assemblies, to the lack of mounting posts, these are a big highlight that many collectors might normally overlook. Another easily overlooked detail is the black pinstriping that runs through the narrow rain drip channel on each side of the roof.
Lows: Like the Bullitt Mustang in my collection, the GT3 is fairly lightweight. It feels like there might be more plastic than metal. Not sure that's actually the case, it just feels that way. Consequently, there's some "creak-and-groan" when handling, as the parts and chassis flex. Some collectors like their models to be lightweight, so this may be a highlight for some people. Hood and trunk will not stay up on their own, as you can see from the tip of the ballpoint pen I had to use in the photo below. Tires are unbranded.
Summary: This is my favorite Autoart model, both because of the detail level and the subject matter. It's not as well-built, or heavy, as my Autoart Millenium Jaguar XJ13, but I like Porsches more than Jaguars! If you don't have a preference between Porsches and Jaguars, but just want to buy the highest level diecasts you can find, then I'd say buy the Jaguar over the Porsche. If you are building a collection of Porsches, this GT3 must be in it, simply because it is so well done. The best part is, they're easy to find, and probably won't cost you more than $40-45. One thing I can't overemphasize is the quality of the paint...it's just so far above anything else I've ever seen from Autoart. Add in those sweet 10-spoke alumimum rims, and fabric Recaro seats, and you've got a total winner of a diecast.
