It isn't a kill....and I wasn't killed either but I had a fun little encounter with a 997 TT last Wednesday evening before heading up to NY for Thanksgiving. I went to my local gas station to top off my tank before running some errands for the trip later that evening. I pull up to the pump and as I am getting out of the car a black 997TT rolls up (with dealer plates) to the pump directly behind me. It is one of my favorite cars and when the owner gets out I smile and give a nod of acknowledgement to him and he responded with a "hi, how are you?". I only needed a 1/2 tank of gas and was done relatively quickly, but then he was also done at the same time. We roll out of the station together with him behind me. We both hit the right lane of the road and get on the on-ramp to the highway which was about a thousand feet from the gas station. I am excited at this point hoping he is going to play. After the on-ramp curve straightens out onto the highway and the 997TT just about 2 car lengths back I nail the throttle. But hold on...a State Trooper had someone pulled over about a thousand feet ahead. I jab the brakes and tap them a couple of times to make sure the driver in the 997TT doesn't fly by me without seeing the Trooper. Sure enough as we pass the Trooper, he turns off his lightbar as the car he had pulled over was getting ready to depart. I figured that would probably stick a pin in the party hog and no more fun would be had with the 997TT. But I was wrong...the 997TT shot ahead about 2 miles after the trooper and then got off at the exit that I was getting off at to run my errands at Target. He sped around the off-ramp and I was following...somwhat tepidly (I wasn't sure if the trooper had pulled out behind me in traffic). The 997TT was a couple of hundred feet ahead..on a long three lane straight...but as luck would have it the light ahead of him was turning yellow and he stopped. Seconds later I pulled aside him in the left lane (he was in the middle lane)...and smiled and nodded. He smiled back. The light turns green and I hit the throttle and shot ahead.. I immediately noticed that he didn't jump with the green light so I immediately backed off. Then I heard his engine start revving hard and I immediately planted the gas pedal. The nose of his car started even with about my rear passenger wheel .. we went up to about 90mph and his nose was in the same spot before I hit the brakes heading into a right hand sweeper (I wasn't sure he was paying enough attention) but after I hit the brakes he had actually bailed into the far right lane from his original middle lane. There was traffic ahead and another light. I rolled up to the light and pulled even with him and rolled down my window. Before I could say something he yelled across "is that a V12?" I said "yeah...a V12 twin turbo". To which he responded "ahhh ...no wonder". We smiled and gave each other thumbs up as the light turned green and traffic started to move. At the next light we went our separate ways with another wave. I guess he wasn't used to running even with other cars...let alone a big behemoth of a car.

Tom

 

Damn nice long story!

 

Nice story. I am a fan of the 996 and 997TT as well. Good to hear a fellow AMG running neck to neck with one of the truly great "pure" sportscars of all time.