In the mid Nineties, the BPR Global GT Series was the coolest thing in sports-car racing. Designed to fill the hole created by the 1992 demise of the World Sportscar Championship, the BPR series featured heavily modified road cars competing at various European and Asian circuits. For the 1995 season, Porsche built a car specifically for the GT2 class.
To homologate the car for competition, Porsche had to build a handful of road-legal cars, and thus, the ultimate air-cooled 911 was created, the GT2. Essentially, this was a stripped-out, rear-drive version of the then-new 993 Turbo, with suspension from the 993 Cup race car and huge bolt-on fender flares to accommodate wider tracks. The GT2 also got a distinctive rear wing with intake to feed its 3.6-liter twin-turbo flat-six.
The GT2 weighed just under 2850 pounds—around 450 pounds less than the Turbo—and made 424 hp. Even by today's absurd standards, this is a quick car. Harry Metcalfe of Harry's Garage got a chance to review an extremely rare right-hand drive GT2, and it's fair to say he was amazed at the experience. In his view, no other air-cooled 911 offers quite the same experience, with explosive power above 4500 rpm and a rough-and-ready race-car chassis. He wishes the GT2 wasn't quite so rare—it's believed that under 200 were made—so more people could experience a 911 like no other.
Last year, RM Sotheby's auctioned a 993 GT2 for $891,000. Given the rarity, racing pedigree, and the wonderful driving experience, it's easy to see why these are so valued.
A car enthusiast since childhood, Chris Perkins is Road & Track's engineering nerd and Porsche apologist. He joined the staff in 2016 and no one has figured out a way to fire him since. He street-parks a Porsche Boxster in Brooklyn, New York, much to the horror of everyone who sees the car, not least the author himself. He also insists he's not a convertible person, despite owning three.
