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We’ve seen the high markup currently being attached to the 2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS. The bottom line is that if you’d like to have one immediately then you have to pay. But how much? With this car, a Lava Orange example with 28 miles on it, I hope to satisfy that curiosity and see what one might go for. The owner of this GT3 RS has put it up for auction with no reserve. For those who might genuinely be in the market for a GT3 RS I imagine this would also be worth investigating, either to get a sense of the market or even to buy it. Lava Orange isn’t quite as bright as previous orange variants Porsche has released. In pictures it reminds me somewhat of Blood Orange, which is one of my favorite 911 colors and was only available in the late-60s and early-70s. As with any brightly hued vehicle the color won’t be for everyone, but a GT3 RS deserves this sort of color anyway. Why hide? This particular example seems fairly highly optioned, of perhaps most significance the carbon ceramic brakes were selected, and came with a sticker price of $209,735.
The Ultraviolet 2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS remains up for sale and the price has come down by $20K. I wanted to revisit this one because while this was the first GT3 RS in this color I had seen at the time I featured it, I have now come across a few others (all with equally high prices) and I’ve come to like the color a lot more. In direct light like we see here it does come across as an extremely bright purple, but in other pictures that are more shaded the color is much more subdued and, dare I say, extremely attractive. It will always be a niche color, there is no doubt about that, but seeing it again I think it’s less outlandish than I initially considered and really can fit the persona of the car quite well.
The below post originally appeared on our site December 6, 2015:
I have been taking a look at a few more modern Porsches than usual so why not round that perusal off with another of the special 911s Porsche produced. As we know Porsche loves to commemorate its milestones and achievements. The 911 itself has seen two separate 25th Anniversary Editions: the first was to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of Porsche production in 1975 and the second to commemorate twenty-five years of 911 production in 1989. There is also the Commemorative Edition 911, which was produced in 1988 to celebrate the production of 250,000 911s. As I said, Porsche likes to celebrate. Naturally, then, the 50th Anniversary of the 911 would not be allowed to pass without its own special edition, one of which we see here: a Graphite Grey 2014 Porsche 911 50th Anniversary Edition, located in North Carolina, with a 7-speed manual transmission and 3,700 miles on it. Most of Porsche’s commemorative editions feature predominantly cosmetic changes to set them apart from others 911s and, for the most part, the 50th Anniversary Edition is no different. Though there is a caveat that makes those cosmetic changes a little more significant. Visually the 50th Anniversary Edition is distinguished by its wheels, which remind us of the Fuchs of old, and by its wider rear borrowed from the Carrera 4. That wider rear is perhaps the most important selling point of the car as this is the only model on which it can be found combined with rear-wheel drive. Mechanically it is basically a Carrera S with the Powerkit and Sport Chrono package, which channels 430 hp through the transmission to the rear wheels. I’ve seen more than one writer proclaim these as one of the best looking 911s produced and while I wouldn’t go that far it is a wonderful representation of the 991 and a fitting testament to where the 911 has been and where it is now. Typical of Porsche, production of the 50th Anniversary Edition was limited to 1963 units, as 1963 was the year Porsche showed the 911 to the world.
The 911 GT3 RS. The ultimate expression of a road-going icon. We’ve talked about this model quite a bit in the context of the 997 GT3 RS, which at this point appears will be the last of these models to feature a manual transmission rather than PDK, but we haven’t actually featured one. The GT3 RS itself also happens to be my favorite car so I’ve had my eye out for these for a while now, and I’ve seen quite a few of them coming up for sale. But for some reason this one really stood out (hint: it’s the color) and I finally decided to feature one. First things first: this is almost a ridiculous color, no better evidenced than by its name – ultraviolet. This is PURPLE in it most purple purpleness. But that’s fine and frankly these are the sorts of colors that I like to see on a GT3 RS anyway. That ridiculousness is propelled by a 4.0 liter flat-six throwing 500 hp at the 7-speed PDK transmission, which then delivers it all to the rear wheels as the rpms scream toward 9000. In typical GT3 RS fashion the interior has less frills, features lighter sport seats and it lacks rear seats altogether. That loss of weight along with the revised suspension will help these 911s keep up with the best other car makers can offer. I’m going to withhold my assessment of the styling of these until I see one in the flesh, but there’s a lot going on and I’m not sure I’m totally on board. About their performance there should be no such reservations.
I don’t feature very many modern 911s and especially not the 991. On those occasions when I have written about them those cars tended to fall into one of two categories: either a motorsport special like the GT2/GT3/GT3RS or the 996TT, which we write about fairly frequently due to the massive amount of performance value those machines possess. Given the high number of newer 911s we come across to feature one of the standard cars requires that it possess a variety of attributes to help it stand out. I think this one does just that. First, I’m just happy this model even exists because it is a Targa and I am fan of the Targa in general. That said, I am a fan of the original design, which Porsche went away from beginning with the 993 and it is only with the 991 that the design has been returned to its original form. Second, this Targa has both the 7-speed manual transmission and also the S Powerkit, raising power from 400hp to 430hp. Last, it was finished with a nice combination of options and a color scheme that set it apart. What we end up with is this: a Dark Blue Metallic 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4S, located in Houston, with contrasting Black and Garnet Red interior, 7-speed manual transmission, and the Carrera S Powerkit all with just 1,574 miles on it.
