One of the most extreme air-cooled Porsche 911 sports cars ever offered from the factory can be yours...if you have a lot of cash. RM Sotheby's is currently accepting bids on this 1996 Porsche 911 GT2, and it's expected to sell for as much as seven figures.
The 1996 model was part of the first generation of the Porsche 911 GT2, and it was based on the 993-series 911, the last of the air-cooled models. It used the engine from the 911 Turbo, but with rear-wheel drive instead of the Turbo's all-wheel drive. Porsche created the GT2 to get around bans on all-wheel drive by racing sanctioning bodies, according to the RM Sotheby's listing.
Eliminating all-wheel drive also made the GT2 significantly lighter than the Turbo. Porsche also removed the rear seats and used aluminum for the front fenders and front trunk lid to shed more pounds.
The twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter flat-6 in this street version of the GT2 (one of 194 built) makes 430 horsepower (racing versions made 480 hp) and 457 pound-feet of torque. That equates to 6.6 pounds per hp, a power-to-weight ratio that surpassed that of the Porsche 959, according to the listing.
1996 Porsche 911 GT2 for sale (Photo by RM Sotheby's)
A 6-speed manual transaxle and asymmetrical 40/40 limited-slip differential channel power to the rear wheels. When new, the 911 GT2 would launch from 0-60 mph in less than 4.0 seconds, with a top speed of 190 mph.
Other upgrades included carbon-ceramic brakes hiding behind 18-inch wheels, flared fenders, and a massive front splitter and biplane rear wing.
The car for sale has a Polar Silver exterior with a black-and-gray two-tone interior. It also has some creature comforts that were optional extras in 1996, including air conditioning, power windows, front airbags, and a tinted-top windshield. The car was originally sold to a customer in Japan, but was imported to the United States a few years ago, according to the seller. It currently shows 18,712 miles on its odometer.
The car was originally scheduled for RM Sotheby's Palm Beach (Florida) Auction to be held March 20-21. That event has since been moved online due to the coronavirus.
If you want to put this GT2 in your garage, you have until Saturday to place a bid. But be prepared to take out a second mortgage: pre-auction estimates range from $950,000 to $1.1 million. Those estimates could be conservative, as a 1995 GT2 sold for $2.4 million in 2016.
