Carpokes Porsche Forum

The cost is probably prohibitive but I'm thinking about shipping my Cayman GTS 4.0 to Germany so my wife and I could tour a bit. I would also go to the Ring and Spa for some lapping. I know it's probably not practical, but it doesn't hurt to ask.
I would appreciate any info.

Paging @RDMcG and @PogueMoHone....

While having your own car there may aid with familiarity and possible convenience I don't think it is worth the effort.

Being on the 'Ring (notice I didn't say driving the 'Ring) is a challenging experience, and it does not get easier with laps. Why? Your speeds go up and new mental demons appear - different from the absolute fear and terror of being on it for the first time, especially in your own car and compounded by the difficulty of the 'Ring.

It takes a long time to learn the 'Ring and even those with 1000s of laps will never claim to "know" it. Reason being the variability and suddenness of changes in conditions make it unpredictable. Never mind the other participants (notice I didn't say drivers..they may or may not be)

Best way to approach the 'Ring is through the various programs there, they vary in their methods but are complementary. The best ones I know are Porsche and Scuderia.

If you want the immediate thrill of the 'Ring get a Taxi lap. If you do it on your own it will/should scare you...silly. However, it will suck you in and you'll want to go back - again and again. It is a lifetime challenge and that is why it is best to learn the basics/fundamentals and build from there. It is both exhilarating and exasperating, never mind humbling while you bumble along.

If you have done any track driving you'l realize that you can't maximize your times if you are driving your mirrors....and when learning the 'Ring you will be driving your mirrors...or you'd better be. Still, the fast guys come out of nowhere and leave you shaking -either from their speed or the scare that they got behind you without you realizing it.

Obviously, there is a whole more to it than this.... but one last thought...video game prep is worth diddly squat

Having your own car traveling in Europe also presents hassles with regards to parking, accessibility, etc. and that can be a distraction. Who needs that, that's what rental car companies are for.

I get the idea of European Delivery and have and will do it multiple times..but I always ask myself why am I doing this, it is simpler to rent a car. The biggest reason to do it is that it provides the motivation and book mark for planning/taking a trip.

For peace of mind, rent a Porsche and live of someone else's Insurance ( if they let you take it on the 'Ring)

Dang, Dude. Well considered, informative response. Sincere thanks! I've done track days, mostly in GT350s, etc. I also ran F/440 and F/F very successfully back in the day. I just love driving. I did run a handful of laps at the Ring in a caged track car a few years ago. I know it's a disease and I don't want to be cured. We will probably go the traditional rental route, but I was just testing the waters.

I have done both ED and shipping for eons depending on the car. Probably have 100,000km on the autobahns and have tracked six cars at the NS and Spa.

Obviously ED has one big advantage which is insurance what also covers your Ring time. On the other hand, there is no point in tracking a brand new car that is not yet run in. If you want to minimize your mileage then no point in going to the Nordschleife. when I pick up a new car I run in a couple of thousand km according to the recommendations of the manufacturer in a week or so and then bring to the track. I generally get the PPF/ceramic done in Germany immediately on delivery.

Shipping is another matter. I use C.A.R.S International to ship because they do door-to-door wherever you want. I could not get ED in my 992RS for instance so I shipped it to my hotel in Munich . It is a likely six-week experience if you ship by boat. I have not flown a car but that is portable too.

C.A.R.S does all the brokerage stuff, transit insurance and so on; the car remains on its original plates. They do not do road insurance and this is something you have to organize with your insurance company.

There are much cheaper way to do it if you want to drive your car to port and pick it up at port, I did that once and it was as I recall only about $5k ( Canadian) at the time. Door to door depending on the value of the car is way higher as the transit insurance is a function the value of the car.

Getting insurance for the Nürburgring is not easy , so good luck with that. Agree that the SIM games will not prepare you though you will get visual memory by doing hundreds of SIM laps. The real track is very undulating which you don't get on the track and when thing go wrong they go wrong fast. There are accidents almost every day. For a first time I would get an instructor and do a track day rather than a tourist day. Much safer and you will have a lot more skill as a result

A simple accident this week at a very low speed and a fast one a few weeks ago but both very expensive for Porsche drivers.:

https://youtu.be/SVv4HsLFdqM?si=hr98qXa4Y5RNr-xY

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/SA_KPpEK5sA

These are not rare events.

Still , nice to see your car coming out the the trailer and ready to roll:).......

.and the Ring is a unique experience.

The GTS has 14k miles and is fully broken in. Sounds like this isn't the way to go. I'll likely rent something for touring, then see Rent4Ring or others for a track car. Thanks to everyone for the info.

The one thing to check when you rent is the deductible - on say a GT3 it is most of the value of the car.