Key considerations
• Available for £175,000
• 3.6-litre flat six petrol twin-turbo, rear-wheel drive
• Peak 911, some say
• Driver aids add safety to the exhilaration
• Few inherent problems
• Characterful, charismatic, and probably undervalued
Another mayfly car today, the 997 Porsche 911 GT2, launched at the 2007 Frankfurt show and only available for slavering enthusiasts to buy new between 2008 and 2009. Road testers who had driven the gifted but edgy 996 GT2 welcomed the 997 GT2 with a sigh of relief. Not only was it generally considered to be somewhat better looking than the fried-egg-lights 996, it was a lot less demanding to drive than the earlier car. Indeed, more than one ventured the view that the 997 GT2 might just be the best roadgoing Porsche ever, categorising it as ‘peak 911’ for its just-so mix of rawness, raciness and real-world reliability.
The GT2 formula was simple. Bung a high-power twin-turbo engine into a light rear-wheel drive chassis – a development of the GT3’s but without the front driveshafts – and see what happens. What happened in this case was the fastest Porsche ever, and one of the most appealing. There were no rear seats, no 911 Turbo-style all-wheel drive, and reduced insulation, all of it contributing to a 145kg weight saving over the Turbo. The transmission choices were a six-speed manual or, well, nothing, the car’s high power-to-weight ratio of 1hp for every 2.7 kilos making it possible for Porsche to install a manual without fear of the box grenading.
PCCB ceramic brakes were standard for the GT2, along with lightweight sports bucket seats with six-point race harness compatibility. The Turbo’s fog lights gave way to horizontally-vented air intakes and the bonnet – which was made of aluminium, as were the doors – had a distinctive extra air outlet ahead of the GT2’s additional third radiator. The traditionally large and hollow GT2 dual-plane rear wing had intakes built into its support beams to force extra air into the motor.
Talking of which, the 997 GT2’s 3.6 was one of the last Mezger-engined dry-sump 911s, the GT3 RS of 2011 being the actual last one. In the GT2 it delivered great power, torque, revs and sound. New (and bigger compared to the 911 Turbo) variable-turbine geometry turbos plus a fiendishly clever intake manifold lifted the GT2’s power to 530hp, 50hp more than the regular Turbo. As a bonus feature, the GT2 used up to 15 per cent less fuel than the Turbo under full load.
It was the first Porsche with a launch control system, the primly named Launch Assistant. All you had to do was press both throttle and clutch pedals to the floor and then dump the clutch. The ECU would select the optimum combo of 5,000rpm and 0.9 bar of turbo pressure, and the result would be impressively repeatable 0-62mph times of 3.6 seconds and 0-100mph times of 7.4 seconds. They were the official times which, in time-honoured Porsche fashion, a reasonably dextrous chimpanzee would be able to hit given a decent track surface and unintrusive weather.
A top speed of 204mph put the GT2 into a rare group of Porsches, one of only three to crack the 200mph barrier. The Carrera GT halo model was faster, but only by 1mph. Porsche said the GT2’s Nürburgring lap time was ‘comparable’ to the CGT’s but what they actually meant there was that the GT2 was five seconds quicker, Walter Röhrl having hurled one around the Ring in 7m 32sec on a public day. Röhrl would have exited the GT2’s cabin at the end of that lap with a lot less sweat on his brow than he would have done at the end of any hot CGT lap because the 911 was nowhere near as challenging to drive at seven-tenths or above. For that he could (and did) thank its Porsche Stability Management driver aids of stability and traction control – appearing as standard on a GT model 911 for the first time – and its Porsche Active Suspension Management electronic actively damped suspension.
The GT2’s ride height on its harder springs was 25mm lower than the standard Carrera’s. Rubber rear axle mounts replaced the 911 Turbo’s metal ones. For regular trackdayers, the GT2’s core suspension was fully adjustable for ride height, camber, toe angle and anti-roll bar settings. For maximum nerding you could fine-tune individual corner loads. That wasn’t all. The transmission gears were inserted into the gearbox shafts rather than pressed on, giving a truly serious and time- or cash-rich owner the opportunity to change ratios for different tracks.
A Clubsport Package was available at no extra cost. This trimmed the bucket seats in a flame-retardant fabric (rather than the normal leather and Alcantara) and added a bolted-in rear roll cage, red six-point driver’s seat belt, fire extinguisher and main battery switch prep kit. You could also specify Chrono Package Plus which put an analogue stopwatch on the dash, a digital stopwatch in the main instrument cluster, and a performance gauge and individual data storage unit in the PCM (Porsche Communication Management) unit. By 2010 the 997 GT2 had been discontinued and replaced by the similarly engined but considerably boosted-up, lightened-down, and aero-revised 997.2 GT2 RS, with 620hp and 516lb ft.
At a UK launch price of £131,000 ($192,000 in the US) the 997 GT2 was the most expensive 911s ever, but as we write this in 2023, fifteen years later, you’ll not find one at that sort of money. Around 1,240 GT2s were built between 2007 and 2009, just under 200 of them for the US market and 62 right-hand drivers for the UK, so it’s not that rare in the general scheme of things, but prices are high because sellers are rare. The high auction bid on an unpampered 34,000-mile UK ’08 car in November 2022 was £112,500. We don’t know if it actually sold for that, but as things stand in the UK in mid-2023 dealer cars start at £175,000 for mid-mileage right-hand-drive examples. Having said that, we can point you in the direction of something a bit saucy for under £170k. Check it out in the verdict at the end.
SPECIFICATION | PORSCHE 911 GT2 (997, 2008-9)
Engine: 3,600cc flat-six, twin-turbo
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 530@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 502@2,200-4,500rpm
0-62mph (secs): 3.6
Top speed (mph): 204
Weight (kg): 1,440
MPG (official combined): 22.6
CO2 (g/km): 298
Wheels (in): 8.5x19 (f), 12x19 (r)
Tyres: 235/35 (f), 325/30 (r)
On sale: 2007 - 2009
Price new: £131,000
Price now: from £175,000
Note for reference: car weight and power data are hard to pin down with absolute certainty. For consistency, we use the same source for all our guides. We hope the data we use is right more often than it’s wrong. Our advice is to treat it as relative rather than definitive.
ENGINE & GEARBOX
A little over 500hp might not seem all that much these days but it was more than enough in the 1,440kg 997 GT2 to deliver a dynamic and hugely rapid drive. ‘Time-bendingly quick’ was the open-mounted assessment by one UK mag of the way it gobbled up ground, and that was down to the nature of its peak torque delivery as much as it was to the twin-turbo 3.6’s outright power. Its 502lb ft was identical to the Sport Chrono-packaged 911 Turbo’s, but the difference was that the GT’s 502lb ft was always available from 2,200rpm to 4,500rpm, whereas the SC Turbo only had it for a brief burst in Overboost mode. In normal use the Turbo was about 50lb ft down.
The expansion type intake manifold was clever. In simple terms it ‘wobbled’ the inlet air pressure up and down, bringing a cooling effect to the charge to improve efficiency and reputedly add around 30hp. On the exhaust side the tailpipes and the rear section of the lower back-pressure system were made of titanium, saving 9kg.
The bore scoring and intermediate shaft failure that could arise on early 997s shouldn’t be an issue on 2007-on cars like the GT2 as these had a stronger IMS bearing. In 997.2 models from the 2009 model year on, the IMS bearing was done away with altogether. The troublesome rear main oil seal was also sorted for the 997s. Tandem vacuum pumps (which scavenged oil from the engine and supplied braking vacuum supply for the braking system) could corrode, allowing oil to leak from the back of the engine. Ten years is often mentioned as the lifespan for this item, but some 997 owners have been through two or even three replacement units.
This engine and in fact all 997 engines (which had dry sumps with an external oil tank) had an integrated dry sump, the oil flow being controlled by no fewer than nine pumps. If you’re used to cars that never use any oil you might need to reset your expectations with the GT2 as that can use some. Oil level warning lights illuminating on the GT2 could be down to faulty sensors, which weren’t expensive on their own but sometimes the sensor would be rusted to the sump pan, which was a £500+ item.
Low oil temperature thermostats could be fitted to keep engine temperature under control for track driving. Turbo wastegate actuators should be tested for free movement. Overrev test reports are de rigueur for any prospective manual 911 purchase as buzzing the motor was likely to invalidate whatever warranty you might have. You can do these tests yourself by plugging a laptop into the car via a PIWIS cable. That will also confirm or deny the veracity of the mileage on the clock and reveal any fault codes. Coil packs can crack but they’re not expensive. Some 997 alternator cables were faulty but again that was on earlier cars.
There aren’t many manual gearboxes around that can take more than 500hp and 500lb ft. The one in the GT2 was built to survive with steel synchro rings instead of the usual non-ferrous metal ones, but unlike some heavy-duty boxes the GT2’s still managed to deliver a fine action, positive and chunky but never heavy. If the clutch felt heavy it was probably on, or getting towards, its last legs.
Servicing was every 20,000 miles. Independents would charge you £400-£500 for a major service. The bill from an Official Porsche Centre could be double that and the postcode of your chosen garage will affect things too. Considering the performance, the 25mpg that can be readily achieved in everyday driving is pretty good. Even if you’re flogging it you should still get something in the high teens.
CHASSIS
The 997 GT2’s new package of driver aids combined with tyre improvements gave it a significant advantage over the 2001-05 ‘widowmaker’ 996 model. In addition, the 997 had both traction and stability control. You could have both on at once, or have the stability control off, or have both off. Whichever combination you chose, the result would be a wonderfully rich, communicative and detailed driving experience.
In the 997 GT2 more than 60 per cent of the weight was over the back wheels. That was OK because the car was rear-wheel drive and rear weight bias was a key element in the 911’s fabulous off-the-line traction, maximised in this case by a pair of 325/30 Michelin Pilot Cup tyres. That rear bias also allowed Porsche to fit an ‘asymmetric’ limited-slip diff to the GT2 which had different locking points under load (28 per cent) and overrun (40 per cent) to mitigate any tendency for the car to twist going into bends.
The GT2’s rear suspension subframe was made of aluminium to improve stability and steering precision. It was larger than a steel one would have needed to be to deliver the same strength, but the absence of any Tiptronic auto option on the GT2 meant there was room back there to accommodate the bigger aluminium item. It worked a treat. Walter Röhrl said the GT2’s back end was the best he’d ever experienced on any 911. A squirt of throttle would bring the new car’s back end round quickly but controllably, and the transitions between under- and oversteer were noticeably less pronounced.
In this car, the PSM functions didn’t reset to on once they were off. You were in control of that for the duration of your drive. Turning the engine off and on again would return it to Normal mode with all the stability, traction and anti-lock braking functions enabled. The SC+TC OFF button was effectively the GT2’s ‘drift’ button with a less common name.
If the PASM adaptive suspension system was working correctly you should be able to tell the difference between the ride in Normal and Sport. When it was in good nick the 997 GT2’s ride on broken British tarmac was incredibly good for such a focused car, and noticeably superior to the 996’s.
Noise from the suspension is almost a given on any 997 that’s been driven properly over a medium or high mileage, and even with its more bespoke accoutrements the GT2 is not immune. Bushes, arms, links, mounts and dampers, any or all of these will go eventually.
The GT2 had 380mm ceramic brakes with yellow calipers as standard, all nicely visible through the wide openings of the ten-spoke wheels. This system had none of the pedal feel loss that was associated with some other less well-integrated ceramic set-ups. Owners going in for plenty of track days would often remove the PCCB setup and fit normal steel discs while they owned the car, replacing the carbon gear at resale time.
The standard brake fluid could overheat in a 30-minute track session especially if your track was in a hot climate. The standard pads have been known to chunk up in arduous use, potentially scoring the discs.
BODYWORK
The GT2’s widebody was based on the 911 Turbo’s. The front boot lid and doors were made of aluminium. On the previous 996 GT2 the engine cover and rear wing were made of glassfibre-reinforced plastic, but for the 997’s wing Porsche switched to a sandwich of GRP on the inside and carbon fibre-reinforced plastic on the outside, delivering good strength and lightness. The drag coefficient was down from 0.34 on the 996 to 0.32 with the aero/underfloor package significantly reducing the amount of air flowing under the car.
Body rigidity was very high. If you parked a GT2 on a bit of road where one corner of the car was slightly lower than the rest of it, the tyre on that wheel would not be touching the ground. Firm suspension meant that the bi-xenon headlights didn’t need Porsche’s dynamic headlight range control feature.
It’s common practice for dealers to touch up the stone chips on 911 front ends, and that’s fine as long as it’s been done well enough for their work to be invisible.
INTERIOR
Maybe, if you were being really picky, the GT2 cabin could have been a bit more special but really there was nothing to criticise about it. The instrument panel was just like the GT3’s, with an upshift light and the same Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel, and the rest of the interior wasn’t that dissimilar to the 3’s high-quality environment, right down to the superb driving position. Some taller drivers found that they couldn’t push the seats back as far as they might have wanted to in rollcaged Clubsport cars, so that’s something to try before you buy if you’re a big ‘un.
The excellent GT2’s bucket seats were new. In fact, they were a Porsche first. Made from a mix of glass- and carbon fibre-reinforced plastics surfaced with carbon fibre, they had fore and aft adjustment, but the backrests were fixed insofar as you couldn’t adjust the angle for driving. You could however gain access to the seat-free rear cargo area by pulling a toggle and flipping the entire back forward. If you wanted more seat height it was a case of popping down to your local DIY shop and experimenting with some high-density foam. The clever location of the pivot points meant that most owners were perfectly satisfied with the standard setup. Less extreme electrically adjustable adaptive sports seats with Alcantara centre sections and memory/heat on the driver’s side were available from Porsche at the speccing stage.
The GT2’s standard PCM setup gave you a 5.8-inch colour screen, a double tuner, a 2 x 25watt amp and four speakers. If you weren’t that interested in the howl of the engine and felt that the standard system was a bit feeble, Bose surround sound was your option. Sat-nav and telephone modules were extras. Air-con was standard but the 997 did get a reputation for leaky condensers. There was more front boot space in the GT2 than in the all-wheel drive Turbo, which again was something to consider if you were planning on going in for touring and trying to choose between the two.
PH VERDICT
Looking at the GT2 and other high-performance 911s it seems incredible that the whole rear-engined 911 concept was once seen as a busted flush and in real danger of being permanently binned. The thing about the 997 GT2 specifically was how driveable it was in spite of its enormous performance. If you wanted to use that enormous performance to the full without fear of imminent disintegration, which you would really want to do, you absolutely could. Porsche engineering saw to that. When the GT2 came out the 997 had been on sale for four years and in development for ten. Most if not all of the major 997 problems had been ironed out by the time of its release in 2008.
It might not have sounded quite as hair-raising as the GT3, and that car’s naturally aspirated engine did give it an edge in terms of throttle response, but the addictive midrange surge of the GT2’s turbo motor was a very ample compensation. If there was such a thing as a list of ultimate dailies for non-family use the GT2 would be right up near the top of it.
The most affordable 997 GT2 for sale on PH Classifieds at the time of writing was this 2009 24,000-miler in (desirable) white at just under £175k. That’s pretty much the 997 GT2 entry price. £5k on top of that would put you into this 12,500-mile car from a year earlier.The carbon buckets have been forsaken for the sports seats and it also has Bose sound.
An immaculate-looking Guards Red ’08 car with 15,000 miles on it had ‘POA’ on its PH ad. Hard to imagine that one coming in under £200k, but a much smaller sum you might be taken by this 600hp Manthey Racing tuned car that’s been repainted in a Ferrari shade of green that’s a bit like a modern version of Porsche’s classic Oak Green. Customised 911s generally are not a great idea but MR has plenty of credibility in this field. This is certainly the highest-mile GT on sale in the UK, if not Europe, with 69,000 on the clock, or presumably 111,000km because it’s a left-hand driver too with German papers. If you’re up for something different at a ‘bargain’ price it’s £169,000 at July ’23 exchange rates.
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