2000 Porsche 911 GT3 Coupé

Footnotes

'The 911 GT3 is the quintessence of half a century of Porsche motor sports. It is a roadworthy sports car, which incorporates our collective technical expertise from motor sports. As such, it wastes no time in delivering the goods. Every command is carried out directly and with precision. Its handling characteristics are superb; its level of safety is exceptional even in extreme situations. In short: the 911 GT3 places maximum performance at your fingertips at all times. Not just on the racetrack.' - Porsche Cars North America Inc.

Intended primarily for racing, though still road legal, the Porsche 911 GT3 can trace its ancestry all the way back through a succession of high-performance models to the legendary 911 Carrera RS of 1973. The car takes its name from the FIA's GT3 category of production sports car racing, and has been produced in a variety of versions since its introduction in 1999 on the Type 996 iteration of the perennial 911.

The 3.6-litre flat-six engine, though, departed from mainstream Type 996 practice by virtue of its water-cooled cylinders, leaving only the heads cooled by air. Called the 'Metzger' engine after its designer, Hans Metzger, this unit was closely related to that of the Porsche 962 sports prototypes and the 911 GT1 racer. In the GT3 it produced 355bhp, 59 horsepower more than in the standard Type 996, which was delivered to the road via a strengthened gearbox boasting interchangeable ratios. To make the GT3 fit for track use, the brakes, suspension, and wheels were up-rated to cope with the substantial increase in performance, while aerodynamic downforce was enhanced by a larger front air dam and a rear spoiler.

Weight reduction extended to the removal of the rear seats and most of the sound deadening, rear speakers, sunroof, and air conditioning, though the latter could be ordered as an option, as could a CD/radio. There was also a 'Clubsport' package, comprising racing-type bucket seats, bolt-in half roll cage, six-point driver's harness, fire extinguisher, and a single-mass flywheel. In its original Type 996 incarnation, as seen here, the Porsche 911 GT3 was produced up to 2006.

This limited edition Porsche supercar was purchased by the current vendor from a friend of his in 2004, since when it has formed part of his private collection. While in the vendor's care, the car has been serviced by RW Autos of Southwark, London, and it has also benefited from the attention of Porsche Chiswick, which carried out a major service at a cost of £8,000 in 2010.

Finished in red with black leather interior, the latter featuring Recaro seats and safety belts, the car is presented in generally very good condition, just as one would expect given the relatively low mileage. Accompanying documentation consists of a V5C Registration Certificate, current MoT to May 2017, and sundry service bills. Used for Continental touring, including a recent trip to the Nürburgring, this beautiful GT3 is ready to enjoy.

Assessing the model's significance, Auto Express declared: 'the Porsche 911 GT3 has been the benchmark against which every other track-focused car has been rated. There are more powerful, more expensive 911s, but the GT3 represents the sports car at its purest and most intense. In fact, all four generations of GT3 arguably rank alongside 1973's legendary 2.7 RS in the annals of greatest 911s.'