McDreamy's 997.1 GT3 RS

Good Morning! And happy Monday! Dollar volume took a bit of a hit this weekend as we fell just shy of the $1m mark. But with a strong sell-through rate, I’m not sure $1.5 was even possible, even with the potential sale of a famous GT3 RS. More on that below.

THE MARKET

Sell-Through Rate (STR): 76%
Market Volume ($): $935,276
Market Volume (Units): 21

TOP SALES

2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS $198,500 Bring a Trailer
1996 Porsche 911 C4 Coupe 6sp $98,500 Bring a Trailer
1959 Porsche 356A 1600 Coupe Project $96,500 Bring a Trailer
1991 Porsche 911 Cab. 5sp $81,000 Bring a Trailer
2013 Porsche 911 C2S Coupe $67,500 Bring a Trailer

SPOTLIGHT

As with the 996 GT3 RS that came before it, Porsche’s 997.1 GT3 RS was a homologation model used to meet requirements in various race series worldwide. But unlike the 996, the 997 found its way to our shores with 410 units sold here in the U.S.

The RS differs from your standard GT3, weighing 44 lbs lighter thanks to carbon fiber and lightweight plastic windscreen, although U.S. models received the standard rear glass. The body of the RS is also 2.5 in wider at the rear than the GT3 using the Carrera 4 body shell and a larger rear wing. Mechanically the RS gets an increase in horsepower to 415 and a single-mass flywheel allowing the engine to rev more freely and enable the RS to sprint to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds.

Now you’ve probably noticed the decal on the nose of the 2008 911 GT3 RS pictured above. Typically one sees “p” and “d” and thinks “Porsche Design,” but not in this case. Today’s Spotlight car was initially owned by Patrick Dempsey, actor, and Porsche racer, before finding its way to the selling dealer in Canada last year. It is finished in a Black and Orange livery with Black leather and Alcantara and shows 37,000 miles on the odometer. It presents in excellent condition with a ton of service history and documentation. It is modified with a custom ECU tune and aftermarket exhaust with a side-muffler bypass.

Over the last twelve months, 997.1 GT3 RS have hovered just above the $200,000 mark with a high sale of $390,000 for a 3,600-mile example finished in desirable Green over Black. The mileage at which cars appear to drop below the $200k mark seems to be 24k, so I’d expect this 37,000-mile example to head in that direction, but the seller thought otherwise. I mean, it was owned by McDreamy, right? It failed to sell at a high bid of $165,000 without much action by bidders toward the end of the auction. The seller reported that an agreement was reached post-sale with the high bidder, but at what price, we don’t know. I would be surprised if it crossed the $200k mark, but you never know; someone might be a Dempsey uber fan.

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