Rennsport Version

The 1990s resurgence of international GT endurance motorsport, born of the ashes of the defunct Group C formula, was characterised by its spirit, which returned to the sport’s roots and embraced levelling the playing field.

And no car designed for this burgeoning new formula embodied this egalitarian philosophy than Porsche 993-generation 911 GT2R. Essentially a rear-wheel-drive version of the all-wheel-drive 911 Turbo exhaustively developed for competition, the GT2R must have felt like manna from heaven to privateer teams when Porsche announced it at Essen in November of 1994.

Here was a fast, technologically straightforward and, comparative to its competitors, affordable racing car with which to contest – and genuinely compete in – the fast-increasing number of domestic and international GT series around the world. Porsche initially targeted 30 orders. Just three months after presenting the GT2R to the world for the first time, it had sold 45 cars. The 993 GT2R goes down in the marque’s fabled history as the final air-cooled international GT sports-racing car.

“Here was a fast, technologically straightforward and, comparative to its competitors, affordable racing car with which to contest – and genuinely compete in – the fast-increasing number of domestic and international GT series around the world.”

M005. An innocuous code, perhaps, but the ‘Rennsport Version’ factory equipment package it denotes defines the motorsport fundamentals of the GT2R. The long list of features chronicles the extensive transformation from road to race car, developed by the wizards of Weissach – Porsche’s Motorsports division.

To the naked eye this included the deletion of the carpets, roof lining and engine-bay insulation. The singular Recaro racing bucket seat complete with six-point harnesses. The roll-cage welded directly to the bodyshell by Matter Industries. The three-piece centre-lock Speedline wheels. And, of course, the comprehensive aero package, characterised most obviously by those comically wide riveted on arches – facilitating the widest possible wheel-and-tyre combination.

Naturally, the modifications were not just skin deep. Beneath the surface, Porsche’s engineers did away with the dual-mass flywheel, relying instead on a lighter single-plate clutch. They added an oil cooler to the gearbox.

And an extra 22 horsepower was freed from the M64/81 3.6-litre air-cooled turbocharged flat-six engine thanks primarily to a considerably larger intercooler and the implementation of a state-of-the-art TAGtronic 3.8 electronic control unit. Such was its versatility that Porsche offered its privateer customers five different engine specifications, designed to adhere to the drastically different sporting regulations in racing series around the world.

Multiple class wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Daytona 24 Hours and 12 Hours of Sebring tell only half the story when it comes to the competition success enjoyed by the Porsche 911 GT2R and the plucky band of privateers who ran them right around the world between 1996 and 2003.

Chassis number 393099

Porsche built an initial run of 42 GT2Rs by the end of April 1995, including the incredibly special Speed Yellow example we’re thrilled to be offering. Chassis number 393099 was ordered in 1995 via Porsche Motorsports North America by the American eye doctor William ‘Bill’ Jackson from Denver, Colorado.

Through the decades, Jackson had established himself as a pioneering collector of road-going and competition Porsches, with a particular penchant for low-mileage examples in time-warp condition.

Given the specification of this GT2R, you’ll be surprised to hear Jackson had zero intention of ever racing it. He ticked virtually every box on the admittedly thin factory optional-extras sheet, chief among them the fast refuelling system, larger 380mm endurance-spec brakes, adjustable Bilstein dampers and TAG data-logging system.

“Upon receiving his new thoroughbred Rennsport Porsche, Bill Jackson tucked the car away in his collection. And it remained there, carefully stored, for the entire 12 years he kept it.”

The Michelin tyres, strut brace, switchable fuel-reserve system and Nomex seat upholstery complete the picture of what would have no doubt been an extremely effective competition car, particularly on longer-distance races such as the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Alas. Perhaps unsurprisingly, upon receiving his new thoroughbred Rennsport Porsche, Jackson tucked the car away in his collection. And it remained there, carefully stored, for the entire 12 years he kept it.

Showing a mere 44 kilometres on the odometer, this Porsche was acquired by a Texan collector in 2007. As a man who called a racetrack his own, it must have been especially difficult to exercise restraint in not driving his new GT2R. But sure enough, he didn’t drive it. He kept chassis 393099 for six years, before the car joined the collection of its third – and current – owner and returned to Europe for the first time since it was delivered in 1995..

Today, having always been carefully stored and having covered just kilometres in 29 years, this Porsche 911 GT2R is unsurprisingly in genuine factory-fresh and flawless condition. Needless to say, chassis number 393099 retains its original matching-numbers chassis, engine and gearbox and all of its factory identification markers and stampings are present and correct.

In July of 2024, Girardo & Co. specialist Davide De Giorgi travelled to our Turin facility, where this Porsche is currently kept, and carried out a comprehensive visual inspection, including a complete paint-depth reading. The purpose was to conclusively determine the originality of chassis number 393099. The results of the paint-depth readings can be distributed on request, but suffice to say, the inspection presented no reason to suggest that this GT2R is anything other than 100-percent factory original.

The market for modern-era (post-1980) Porsches today is perhaps more discerning than any other marque, with mileage and corresponding originality of the utmost importance for collectors. The less a Porsche has been used, the more desirable it is – after all, you can always repaint or restore but ‘they’re only original once’, as the old adage goes.

Further to its rarity, specification and significance as the final air-cooled international GT sports-racing model from Porsche, chassis number 393099’s minimal mileage (48 kilometres), clear provenance and according time-warp condition elevates this car not only above most of its competition counterparts but also towards the very top of the illustrious air-cooled Porsche tree.

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