Porsche of the Week Series - 2 minute read
Welcome to Porsche of the Week! A series where, each week, we take a look at one of our favourite Porsche's from the brands illustrious history! This week we look into a car that is as rare as it is beloved in 2024, our Porsche of the Week is the 997 GT2!
(Image Credit: Porsche)
Sporting a 3.6L Flat Six which provided around 530bhp, the 997 GT2 was, at the time of release, one of the absolute fastest cars in the world. The GT2 accelerated from 0 to 62 mph in 3.6 seconds (although we're sure you could shave another tenth or two off that time in the right conditions) and boasts a truly astonishing 0 - 200 km/h (124 mph) time of just 10.6 seconds, which I can assure you, is both thrilling, and slightly frightening. The Wow factor doesn't stop there however, as the 997 GT2 boasts a top speed of 204mph, this made it, at the time of release, only the third Porsche production road car to exceed the 200mph (322 km/h) barrier. This is with the exception of the iconic 1998 911 GT1, of which only 20 street legal units were ever produced, which was done for the sole purpose of satisfying homologation requirements for racing).
(Image Credit: Porsche)
(Image Credit: Porsche)
The 997 GT2 was an instant hit, particularly as it was only available with a manual transmission, making for a much purer driving experience in a car that has incredible power and weight distribution. Unfortunately, as is the case with most cars from this time period, the only disappointment is the lack of colour available. While the 997 GT2 is indeed a rare beast in 2024, what's even rarer is to find one that isn't Black, White or Silver. While there's nothing wrong with these colours, we're suckers for a nice Guards Red or a Racing Yellow. Something that really makes your jaw drop!
2007 marked a much less colourful time in the car industry, and this seems to ring particularly true for Porsche! It is tough to find a 997, or a 987, or even an early type Cayenne, in anything like the fruitful colours of today. Nowadays, you can find yourself a 911 in almost any colour you like, from bold colour schemes like Lava Orange and Viper Green, to classics like Rubystar Red, people love bold colours, especially on their sports cars! however this wasn't always the case, and certainly wasn't in the late 2000's, hence you'll do extremely well to find a 997 GT2 with a factory original, colourful paint scheme.
If you are looking to get your hands on what has become a modern day classic, prices are currently anywhere between £170,000 and £250,000 depending on all the usual stuff; number of previous owners, mileage, colour etc... So while it's by no means cheap, we'd say its worth every penny, I mean, just look at it!
(Image Credit: Bjorn R, Flickr)
The 997 GT2's evil sister, the GT2RS was unveiled in 2010, and that's a car we know all our Porsche Fanatics adore! So check back in with us next week, when we will do another mini deep-dive into next weeks Porsche of the Week! Have a great week!
By Hugo Pickering