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As part of its sendoff of the outgoing 991 Porsche has turned to what it knows best: special editions. Inspiration this time did not come from the celebration of a production milestone or anything of that sort, but rather a celebration of some of Porsche’s biggest, and longest-tenured, fans. The Rennsport Reunion. As a Porsche-sanctioned event featuring some of the most prestigious models in Porsche’s history and with the express intention of using those cars on the track – rather than just having them seen – the Rennsport Reunion serves as a fitting showcase of the marque’s motorsport pedigree. To celebrate it makes much sense. The resulting special edition began with the Carrera GTS and its 430 hp being delivered only to the rear wheels, mandates that it come equipped with a manual transmission, and then throws on a number of cosmetic enhancements to help separate it from the rest of the GTS herd. To make it even more special, they only built 25.
Last week I featured a Glacier Blue 911SC that the seller mentioned as being akin to a lighter shade of Gulf Blue. Well here we have the real thing: a Gulf Blue 2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS located in California. The Gulf colors have long been synonymous with racing figuring most prominently at Le Mans on Ford’s GT40 as well as Porsche’s own 917. Since those early days the Gulf livery has found its way onto a wide variety of road cars and on a modern Porsche there’s really no better option than to have Gulf Blue covering the lines of the GT3 RS. This isn’t as shout-at-you vibrant as Lava Orange or Ultraviolet, but for its link to so many historically great race cars it certainly should stand as one of the best options on these ultimate 911s. My only quibble: the wheels should be orange!
There is something about this 911 that really is attracting my notice. I can’t put my finger on it, but more so than most 991s I come across this one looks really good. Maybe it’s the color combination – I do really like the interior. Or maybe just the white exterior paint in general, which for whatever reason seems to work for me. I haven’t been a huge fan of the 991 design as it’s become too flat and more or less looks like the Cayman. I realize that’s the reverse of how the two models are typically viewed, with most seeing the Cayman as derivative of the 911, but with the current models the direction seems to have shifted. I’m sure aerodynamically it’s far superior to the more upright appearance of an air-cooled 911, but those specific aerodynamic benefits will rarely be appreciated to any significant degree so I can’t say I care. Design aesthetics aside, the 991 is another step forward in the long evolution of the 911 as one of the best sports coupes on the market. Performance is raised across the board and even if the current 911 isn’t as hard-nosed as it once was it remains a rear-engined driver and that in itself lends it much of its unique character. Plus, what car isn’t as hard-nosed as it once was? So here we have a White 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S, located in Florida, with Nautical Blue leather interior and 57,442 miles on it.
Every iteration of Porsche’s 911 GT3 seems to push the boundaries on what we think is possible from a performance perspective from a road car. The GT3 RS then extends those boundaries even further, but usually with the sacrifice of some of the day-to-day usability. With each new model Porsche manages to produce more power from a seemingly confined package while increasing road-holding and other performance benchmarks, but with little apparent sacrifice. Even as a variety of jurisdictions develop increasingly more stringent emissions standards that make it seem impossible for cars such as these to continue to exist, let alone improve, the GT3 manages to do just that. And the example we see takes all of that exceptional Porsche engineering and wraps it in one of the best colors in the 911’s long history. Here we have a paint-to-sample Mexico Blue 2014 Porsche 911 GT3, located in Arizona, with 3,200 miles on it.
In some ways, this 911 could have found its way into the group of cars I featured earlier this week. It would have been the lowest price by a substantial margin, but given the difficulty in obtaining one – only 60 were made available and those only to PCA members – then we could understand why some might aspire to own just such a car. The 2016 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Club Coupe follows in the line of many special edition examples in that it serves to recognize a particular Porsche milestone. In this case that milestone being the 60th year of the Porsche Club of America. Also like many Porsche special editions the primary manner in which these are differentiated from other models is mostly aesthetic, though as noted above this model was additionally distinguished through its restricted availability. Of course, that issue does not affect the secondary market. The base of the Club Coupe begins at the top of the 911 model range with the Carrera GTS, featuring the widened rear of the Carrera 4, but retaining its rear-drive layout. Added to that is a Powerkit, initially only available on the Club Coupe, to boost power to 430 hp. But the most striking feature is the paint, which has been dubbed Club Blau, and it really sets the Club Coupe apart from other 911s. Additional features are some interior upgrades, a ducktail rear spoiler, and a set of 20 inch Sport Classic wheels.
