Meet the pristine Porsche 911 GT2 worth £1.2m

Stuttgart rarity could be yours this week

Part of the appeal of the Porsche 911 is that the styling has hardly changed since the first model launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963.

Love it or hate it, you can always recognise a 911 – even if there have been a few evolutions along the way.

The only problem? It can be tricky for the untrained eye to distinguish your average roadgoing 911 from, say, a rare, race-bred 911 worth a hefty £1.2m – much like the one pictured here.

What’s so special about this white Stuttgart special, besides the fact that it’s expected to fetch a hefty price at Bonhams’ Quail Lodge auction this Friday (24 August)? Allow us to explain.

Time to go racing

Porsche built the 993-generation 911 between 1994 and 1998 – and, naturally, the Stuttgart marque wanted to take their latest baby racing. To do so, they had to build enough road cars in semi-racing trim to meet homologation requirements.

Bred for the track

As a result, Porsche served up the mighty 911 GT2. Built between 1993 and 1998 to the tune of just 57 examples, each one took the 993 turbo as its platform, but carried a host of enhancements intended to make it dominant on the track.

Extra boost

While in racing spec the GT2’s motor could deliver 480bhp, on the street the 3.6-litre twin-turbocharged unit served up a suitably hefty 440bhp through the rear wheels – which, in a car weighing just 1300kg, made it rapid indeed.

Drastic diet

Porsche shaved a vast 200kg off the kerbweight of the standard 911 by reverting to rear-wheel drive and removing mod-cons such as the power-adjustable front seats, as well as fitting lightweight bodywork – including aluminium doors and glassfibre wheelarches.

Striking shell

Besides the 0-60 time of 3.9 seconds and top speed of 187mph, the most striking thing about the 911 GT2 was its bodywork.

A multitude of mods

Designed for on-track performance, it included outlandish elements such as a huge front splitter and an unmissable rear wing (complete with air intakes), not to mention exclusive 18-inch Speedline alloys.

Unforgiving stuff

As a package, the race-bred-but-roadgoing GT2 was endlessly attractive, truly powerful and utterly terrifying – so much so that it was dubbed the ‘Widowmaker’. After all, 440bhp through the rear wheels is quite a handful.

Exclusive club

But buyers could go one step further and order arguably the ultimate air-cooled Porsche: of the 57 GT2s built, 20 came in radical ‘Clubsport’ guise.

This ultra-rare variant came specified for racing, with a roll cage, competition harnesses and wrapped in an actual racing GT2 body shell.

Alright in white

And it’s one of those 20 that’s up for auction with Bonhams on 24 August – a 911 GT2 Clubsport built in 1996 for the German market and shipped wearing an understated shade of Grand Prix White, which almost hides that mad track-spec bodywork.

Not making your mind up

Bizarrely, despite ordering the 911 GT2 in its most aggressive, pared-back guise, the first owner chose to option the Porsche with a host of mod-cons to make it more comfortable on the street.

Conflicting aims

Sure, it was specified with Kevlar racing bucket seats, a locking differential and a diagnostic system to complement the stripped-back interior, but it also shipped with air conditioning, electric windows and power steering – which slightly went against the GT2's racing bent.

Going nowhere

The addition of an anti-theft system was perhaps more understandable – particularly as the machine is expected to fetch upwards of £1.2m when it goes to auction this week.

Still got it

Even with those extras – including an entertainment system added after the GT2 was exported to Japan – it doubtless still delivers the kind of fear-inducing performance for which this 440bhp machine became famous.

Good as new

Regularly maintained and serviced in Japan, it goes to auction at Quail Lodge with less than 40,000km on the clock and in outstanding condition.

Big money Porsche

Still as arrestingly aggressive as in its mid-’90s heyday, this homologation special is about as rare as they come – and to find one in this condition is even rarer, still.

All of which explains why it could fetch as much as £1.6m with the right bidders in the room.