This car, Lot 151, sold for $314,612 (€291,875), including buyer’s premium, at RM Sotheby’s Monaco auction on May 11, 2024.
The 997.2-series 911 GT2 RS was a revelation: a lightened, rear-wheel-drive coupe with a twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter flat-6 engine, producing 620 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, delivered through a 6-speed manual gearbox and a noisy single-mass flywheel — a beloved quirk. The RS accelerated to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and reached a top speed of 205 mph. It was a driver’s dream. Well, almost.
Rare, fast, expensive
Porsche produced 500 of these cars, with 141 bound for North America. All quickly sold. The specs were mind-blowing. Based on the GT3 RS chassis, it was 154 pounds lighter than a standard GT2 and 400 pounds lighter than the all-wheel-drive 911 Turbo, with 90 more horsepower than either. Simply put, the GT2 RS was the king of the hill in Porsche performance.
Its light weight (3,085 pounds with glass rear windows) came from its carbon-fiber hood and trim, aluminum doors, lightweight carpets, rear-seat delete, plus the optional lightweight battery and carbon-fiber front fenders. Some suspension parts were aluminum. Except in North America, the car also had plastic rear side windows and rear windscreen. Center-lock 19-inch wheels were shod with Michelin Pilot Sport Cups, while Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB), Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) and a limited-slip differential were all standard equipment.
A $245,000 MSRP in the U.S. was typically optioned up to over $260,000 delivered. Almost required on the secondhand market are optional Sport Chrono, Sound Package Plus, PCM with navigation, Additional Interior Carbon Package, lithium-ion battery, and carbon deep-bucket sport seats — not the power Adaptive Sports Seats. A bonus is always attributed to the 55 North American cars with carbon-fiber front fenders — a $6,800 option. These are identified by the small flare being molded in on the carbon fender versus clearly added on with a small gap on the steel fenders.
The engine was a derivative of the famous Mezger-designed GT1 race motor from the late 1990s. The all-aluminum flat-6 displaced 3.6 liters, with variable-pitch twin turbochargers that puff up to 23 pounds of pressure. In my experience with the car, the boost is linear but feels sudden and huge. Fortunately, the brakes are fantastic. Handling is superb, with a proviso.
Neo-widowmaker
The proviso is that the GT2 RS was the newest “widowmaker,” a term coined for the very first 911 Turbo in 1975. With all that horsepower driving through the rear wheels, it was obvious that a driver should be careful. But horsepower in itself did not a widowmaker make. The added flaw was that on cold tires, torque from the rear end could steer the front end. Extreme care was needed with a GT2 RS.
Owners quickly got word that they needed to thoroughly warm up the front tires before dropping the hammer. Your author used 12–15 miles with some racer-like “first-lap-out” tire scrubbing. Oh, and if the temperature was under 45 degrees, the car stayed in the garage.
An active market
In the hierarchy of collectible 911s, for many people, the 2011 997.2 GT2 RS ranks only behind the 2011 997.2 GT3 RS 4.0-liter as the most desirable of all late-generation 911s. Right behind them comes the 2010–11 997.2 GT3 RS. See a trend here? Yes, they are all 997.2s — the last of the mostly analog 911s without all the electronic driving aids on 991s and 992s. The 997s are also smaller in size, lower in weight, and had available 6-speed manual gearboxes. It’s a sweet spot in the Porsche lineup — and in the marketplace.
Because some cars were purchased on speculation, there are enough 2011 GT2 RSs to sustain an active market. Price trends had been way up but are back to some semblance of sane. Since January 2022, there have been 22 reported public transactions. Two findings are certain. First, non-North American examples have been less expensive to buy. Second, there has been a premium on any paint color other than Carrara White. There were three paint-to-sample cars, and those are nose-bleed expensive.
In North America, there were three sales over $700k between January 2022 and November 2023, the highest being a silver car with 2k miles that sold on Bring a Trailer for $776k. Three more sales between January 2022 and November 2023 fell between $600k–$700k, while nine more cars sold in the $500k window. Meanwhile seven cars transacted in Europe between November 2022 and November 2023, ranging from a white 19k-mile U.K. car at $281k to a silver 4k-mile Italian car at $474k.
Another Euro bargain
Add to those sales our white subject car at RM Sotheby’s Monaco auction that sold at nearly $315k. This car had 18,600 miles (29,959 km). It came nicely equipped, had just one owner and a reportedly good maintenance record. There was no DME report shown, so engine over-revs (an oft-used data log that helps ensure the engine was not abused) are unknown.
Compared to $513k to $776k for 15 North American sales, this car was a steal even with its higher miles. That raises an interesting point. An astute friend has purchased both a 2011 GT2 RS and a 2011 GT3 RS 4.0 in Europe, where he will keep them and drive them occasionally. When they are 25 years old, he will repatriate them to the U.S. Perhaps bargains come to those with patience? ♦
