Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
The Speed Yellow 2004 Porsche 911 GT3 we featured in June remains for sale. The price has not changed, but I still think that price remains fairly reasonable all things considered. The GT3 is one of the best of the 996 and unlike some of the other 996 models should stand to hold (or even increase) its value fairly well. Now seems like the time to snatch one of these up.
You’d be forgiven for not knowing much about this model because Ruf has been known mostly for their outrageous turbocharged models and the RGT was their first real stab at a naturally aspirated model. But a pretty serious stab it was, with a GT3 derived dry-sump flat-6 pumping out 385 horsepower from 3.6 liters – some 30 more than Porsche managed from the same motor. This goal was reached by massaging the heads with larger valves, integrating Ruf’s proprietary engine software along with model specific catalytic converters and exhaust. Performance was close to Turbo levels, with 60 arriving in 4.6 seconds and a terminal speed reported to be 190 m.p.h.. The narrow bodywork also had special Ruf front and rear bumpers along with a purposeful wing that mimicked the race cars, and indeed was later similarly adopted by Porsche on the post-facelift GT3. It ran alongside the first generation 996 GT3 as an equally potent but (theoretically, at least) more street-biased suspension setup. Compared to that model, the expensive Ruf model was apparently a bit of a headscratcher for most and apparently only 17 were produced in the year this car was made. I was lucky enough to see one of these cars new at Summit Point back in 2001; at a time when the GT3 was unavailable in the U.S., it was certainly a revelation to see the lightweight race-inspired RGT and in Viper Green it reminded me of the car which ultimately inspired it – the original RS. Today’s car is a different kind of revelation and is certainly one of the most unique RGTs out there:
We speak a lot about the performance value to be found with the 996. That designation applies most to the 996 Turbo, surely one of the best performance values on the market, but also to the standard 996 Carrera. The GT3 and GT2 have typically been considered exceptions, but when I look around at other available options within the 911 line I’m beginning to wonder whether the 996 GT3 shouldn’t also be held in such company (the GT2 is still very expensive). Granted the price of a GT3 will come in well above most other examples of the 996, including a X50 equipped 996TT, but as a total package, and for fans of natural aspiration, the GT3 brings a lot to the table. The example here showcases some of that nice value potential: a Speed Yellow 2004 Porsche 911 GT3, located in Georgia, with 25,820 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.
The number of Porsche 911 variants can be baffling. Just the other day, Rob and I were joking back and forth that at one point a few years ago, Porsche offered no less than 20 variations of the 911 model to the public. Not to be outdone, the current lineup has added one more and created a nice drinking game of “How many current 911 models could you name?” Add in the racing variants, and things get even more convoluted. Porsche’s top of the heap racing model has always varied, but when it came to the 996 Porsche went full-bore with the 911 GT3 Cup program and created a potent race car for pros and well-to-do amateurs as well. Indeed, the GT3 Cup program was the model for many customer-based race programs that exist in Audi, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Ferrari and the like today. But the lineage of the GT3 gets confusing, too. Launched in 1998, it was effectively a replacement for the 993 Carrera Cup model. Called the GT3 Cup, it was a stripped out factory built race car with a turned up motor and some trick suspension and wheels, along with a little added aero tweaks that would be the basis for the later road going model named after it – the 911 GT3. Confused? Well, in 1999 Porsche dropped the “Cup” from the name and added “R” to make race models distinct from road going models. Now, that’s easier. Then, they brought the GT3 Cup model back in 2000 with some mild performance upgrades. But things really started to get messy in 2001, when the company launched the GT3 RS model – not to be confused with the GT3 RS road going model, which wasn’t launched until 2003. Still with me? Well, then in 2004 they needed to differentiate the road and race GT3 RS, so with some more upgrades was launched the GT3 RSR. On the way from Cup to RSR, Porsche added more downforce, wider flares and more vents, along with more power and even wider tires. The 2001 RS model struck a balance between the Cup and RSR, with wider rear track and flared front fenders, but without the massive venting and sequential gearbox of the later model:
