Overview

For those who felt the 997 Turbo was too tame for them, Porsche offered the GT2. This was essentially a Turbo but with rear-wheel-drive rather than four-wheel-drive to give a more track-focused experience.

The original 993 GT2 was very much a track car that was compromised on the road. Porsche went some way to address this with the 996 GT2, but with the 997 version, here was a car that was just as much at home on the road as the racetrack.

The limited-edition GT2 had more power than the 997 Turbo, at 530bhp, yet was 145kg lighter due mainly to its lack of four-wheel-drive, no rear seats, alloy rear subframe, and a titanium exhaust system.

Unlike earlier GT2, this version was equipped as standard with PSM and PASM. Some say this took away from the rare concept of the car, but most accepted that it made this GT2 far more practical (and safe) for everyday use. PCCB was standard, too. Porsche 911 GT2 (997)

The practicality was thoughtfully taken inside: the race-style bucket seats with carbonfibre backs were cleverly designed with tilting backs to give access to the storage area behind, something that was not possible with the 996 GT2.

For no extra cost, you could opt for the Clubsport package. This gave a bolt-in rear roll cage behind the seats, a bright-red six-point racing harness for the driver, flame-retardant seat coverings, fire extinguisher with mounting bracket and preparation for a battery master switch.

The 997 GT2 was signification in that it was the first production 911 to break the magical 200mph barrier, with a top speed of 204mph.

How to spot
  • Yellow brake calipers
  • Air intake slit at front of bonnet
  • ‘GT2’ rear badge
  • Large fixed rear spoiler
Specification

Capacity: 3600cc

Compression ratio: 9.0:1

Maximum Power: 530bhp @ 6500rpm

Maximum Torque: 680Nm @ 2200-4500rpm

Brakes: Front: 380x34mm discs; rear: 350x28mm discs. Servo assisted with ABS and PSM

Suspension: Front: Lower wishbones and MacPherson struts with combined coil springs and dampers, plus anti-roll bar Rear: Multilink with combined coil springs and dampers, plus anti-roll bar PASM

Wheels & Tyres: Front: 19×8.5J with 235/35ZR19 tyres. Rear: 19x12J with 325/30ZR19 tyres

Length: 4469mm

Width: 1852mm

Weight: >1440kg

Did you Know?

The GT2 badge first appeared on the 993 version back in 1995.

0-62mph: 3.7 sec; top speed: 204mph

Extended Spec

Body:

Coup, monocoque; lightweight all-steel structure hot-galvanised
on both sides; full-size frontal, side and head airbags for the driver
and passenger; two-seater.

Aerodynamics:

Drag coefficient: Cd = 0.32
Frontal area A = 2.05 m2
Cd x A = 0.66

Power Unit:

Six-cylinder aluminium horizontally-opposed power unit, watercooled;
engine and cylinder heads made of aluminium; four overhead
camshafts; four valves per cylinder; variable valve timing
(VarioCam Plus); hydraulic valve play compensation; two exhaust
gas turbochargers with variable turbine geometry; two intercoolers;
dry sump lubrication; three-way catalyst with dual oxygen
sensor control; engine oil 11 litres (2.42 imp gals); coolant 25
litres (5.50 imp gals); DME (Digital Motor Electronic) engine
management of the ignition, fuel injection and camshaft adjustment;
electronic ignition with solid-state distribution (six ignition
coils); sequential multi-point fuel injection.

Bore: 
100 mm/3.94″
Stroke: 
76.4 mm/3.01″
Capacity: 
3600 cc
Compression:
9.0:1
Max output: 
390 kW (530 bhp) at 6500 rpm
Max torque: 
680 Nm/501 lb-ft from 2200 4500 rpm
Output per litre: 
108.3 kW/147.3
Max engine speed: 
6750 rpm
Fuel grade:
Premium plus (RON/MON 98/88), unleaded
Electrical system: 
12 V, 2100 W alternator, battery capacity 70 Ah

* Specifications may vary according to national homologation standards

Power Transmission:

Engine and gearbox bolted together to form one drive unit; power
transmission via double propeller shafts to the rear wheels;
single-plate dry clutch with hydraulic control; limited-slip differential
mit 28% locking action under power and 40% in overrun.

Gear ratios: Manual
1st 3.15
2nd 1.89
3rd 1.40
4th 1.09
5th 0.89
6th 0.73

 

Reverse 2.86
Final drive: 3.44
Clutch diameter: 240 mm/9.45″

Chassis and Suspension:

Front axle in McPherson design (optimised by Porsche); springstrut
axle with independent wheel suspension on track control
arms, longitudinal arms and spring struts; cylindrical springs
with inner-mounted dampers; fully-controlled single-sleeve gaspressure
damper units (PASM).

Rear axle:

multi-arm axle configuration; wheels suspended independently
on five control arms; cylindrical coil spring on each
wheel with co-axial inner-mounted shock absorber; fully-controlled
single-sleeve gas-pressure damper units (PASM).

Brakes:

Two-circuit brake system with front/rear axle subdivision; six-piston
aluminium monobloc brake callipers at the frontl; cross-drilled,
inner-vented ceramic brake discs measuring 380 mm/14.96″ x
34 mm/1.34″ in diameter x width; four-piston aluminium monobloc
brake callipers at the rear; cross-drilled, inner-vented ceramic
brake discs measuring 350 mm/13.78″ x 28 mm/1.10″ in
diameter x width; vacuum tandem brake servo; PSM.

Wheels and Tyres: 

front 8 1/2 J x 19 on 235/35 ZR 19 (sports tyres)
rear 12 J x 19 on 325/30 ZR 19 (sports tyres)

Weight:

DIN, unladen 1440 kg/3175 lb
Max permissible 1750 kg/3859 lb

Dimensions:

Length 4469 mm/175.9″
Width 1852 mm/72.9″
Height 1285 mm/50.6″
Wheelbase 2350 mm/92.5″
Track front 1515 mm/59.6″
rear 1550 mm/61.0″
Luggage comp capacity to VDA standard 105 litres
Tank capacity 90 litres

Performance:

Top speed 329 km/h (204 mph)
Acceleration in sec
0  100 km/h 3.7
0  160 km/h 7.4
0  200 km/h 11.2
0 300 km/h 33.0
Standing-start km 20.7

Fuel Consumption

(EU standard): 
urban 18.8 litres/100 km
extra-urban 8.9 litres/100 km
composite 12.5 litres/100 km

CO2 emissions

(EU standard): 
298 g/km