Porsche doesn’t build delicate things. Stuttgart’s cars are meant to be driven in anger and violence, run hard and put away wet. These are not the fanciful, fragile things of Sant’Agata or Modena, which is why when one dies such a pitiful death, all we can do is cry over the life it could’ve led, as is the case of this 142-mile 2019 Porsche GT3 RS.
Discovered among the broken down denizens of the salvage auction site Copart, this essentially brand-new Porsche 911 GT3 RS is one of the first RS’s we’ve seen come across the site’s block. On its right side, the super sports car looks like the righteous track demon we all know and love. Perfect lines, carbon-ceramic brakes, “GT3 RS” script across the door, and its signature massive rear wing all give the impression that everything under the skin is a-ok. Go to its left side and you’ll find that’s not the case.
The GT3 RS’s opposite side reveals that a good portion of the car’s front fender and bumper have all but been annihilated by some accident. Sans fender, you can see the spindly suspension components and a number of the sports car’s hoses, wires, and hydraulic lines are all exposed to the elements. From the pictures, whatever the GT3 RS impacted, or whatever slammed into it, hit right at the car’s left-side headlight.
Apart from the very apparent damage to the front quarter panel, bumper, and potentially the suspension components, you can see that the force of the impact has actually shifted the front frame rails of GT3 RS to such a degree that the hood and front trunk no longer line up properly. There’s also the issue of the force being great enough that the steering wheel airbag deployed.
As for its operation, according to the listing the car’s naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six engine “runs and drives,” which also means that the car’s PDK gearbox also works. When new, which this car essentially still is, the 4.0-liter-heater put down 520 horsepower and 346 pound-feet of torque. Those numbers meant it was capable of sending the GT3 RS to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds, 100 mph in 6.6 seconds, and on to a top speed of 194 mph.
The practically new, apart from its gapping head wound, 2019 911 GT3 RS is currently in the great state of California where it will be auctioned off later next week. Prices for new GT3 RSs start at $187,500, while slightly used ones will go for just a tick under that. As for how much salvage ones go for, that’s anyone’s guess. What we do know is that the car looks fixable. It’ll take a lot of work, but if you’re in the market for a nearly race-ready, track-day fiend, this project may be right for you.