Factory One-Off Porsche 911 Sells for $1.3 Million. Long Live the 996
The 996 isn’t seen as the most desirable 911, yet one example just sold at auction for serious money.
The 996-generation Porsche 911 has always been a less-valued model by virtue of its weird headlights and abandonment of the air-cooled engine. That's not to say that these cars can't still bring big money on the used market, though, as one special example has now demonstrated with a seven-figure sale.
As covered by Road & Track, the car in question is a one-of-one factory special built as a collaboration between the Porsche Club of America and Porsche Classic. Known as the Porsche 911 Classic Club Coupe, it sports the drivetrain from a 996 GT3 and distinctive styling unique to the build. Built in 2022 as a tribute model, it scored a ducktail spoiler, a double bubble roof, and 18-inch Fuchs wheels. It's finished in Sport Grey Metallic with a racing stripe which we feel is pretty sharp. Inside, it scored a Pepita pattern interior in Black and Slate Grey leather.
That GT3 driveline goes a long way to waking up what was originally a humble 911 Carrerra. It's good for 381 horsepower, with a tingly redline sitting up at a lofty 8,000 rpm. The car has the handling to match, too, with both the suspension and brakes from the GT3 swapped over as well.
As per the auction listing, the car sold for a mighty $1.325 million at the Porsche 75th Anniversary Auction in Atlanta on the weekend. That makes it far and away the most expensive 996 ever sold. The 996 is otherwise normally seen as the bargain choice of older 911s.
However, when it comes to rare Porsches, huge sale prices are the norm. A great example is the Sally Carrera model built in tribute to Pixar's Cars, which went for $3.6 million in 2022. Racing heritage also helps, with a 1964 Porsche 904 GTS sold for $2.54 million over the weekend, too.
The 996 may not be the most desirable 911 of all time. However, it's at that point in its depreciation curve now where prices will probably start to creep back up as it enters classic status. Eventually, collectors may prize the model as the harbinger of the modern water-cooled 911, rather than decry it as the end of the air-cooled era.
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