Feature
Our 12 Picks from the RM Sotheby's Monterey Auction
The rarest, most amazing and most expensive results from RM Sotheby's Monterey Auction.
August 22, 2025
Is now the time to buy one of Porsche's legendary GT2s? Let's find out.
The original Porsche 911 Turbo (the 930 generation) had a formidable reputation. Big power (280hp!), big lag, rear-wheel drive, and all the weight out of the back.
Many 1980s stockbrokers came a cropper to the 930's notoriously spiky demeanour, so as the years went by, Porsche made the CEO's daily 911 of choice less threatening, with four-wheel drive, ever more advanced traction control systems and smoother power delivery.
The downside? That left those who like to live life on the edge a little uninspired. The upside? For those lunatics, there was the GT2. First offered in the 993 model which can now be worth in excess of a million pounds, the 996 and 997 models carried on the tradition of big boost, rear-wheel drive, manual box insanity with cars that continued the widowmaker reputation.
Right now, a silver example of each is up for sale, so we thought a little comparison was in order. Of course, the 993 GT2 came before and the even more insane GT2 RS came later, but good luck finding either of them without selling your left arm, and then the 991 GT2 RS, as amazing as it is, is a much more balanced machine with a PDK gearbox.
These two represent old-school brutality at very appealing money, so let's get into it.
2003 | 40,160 Miles | £99,950
The 996 has a reputation as fearsome as Mike Tyson walking his tiger. Brute power and surprisingly little finesse for a Porsche GT product. Out of the box, they were known to understeer before snapping aggressively into oversteer, but word has it a good setup and set of modern tyres sorts things right out and makes the 996 a heavily underrated monster.
It puts out a hefty 463hp through the rear wheels alone in a very boosty fashion, weighs just 1,440kg, no traction control, no auto blip. You're on your own, and it has me feeling modern, budget F40 vibes. From what I can see, less than 100 of these are currently registered in the UK, which to me makes it an absolute bargain at under £100k.
2008 | 30,184 Miles | £142,900
The 997, you would expect to be more refined, safer, and it is, kind of, a little bit. Its chassis is more tied down, and there's traction control (which is easy to dismiss with a quick tap of a button if you feel lucky, punk), but the recipe remained, power was up to 530hp (it feels like much more than that) and the 997 GT2 was still an absolute animal.
I drove this exact car in 2018 before John Holland sold it to its previous owner, and I was gobsmacked when I first put my foot down. The way the nose lifted from the sheer thrust, the way the rear liked to give these little snaps before squatting down and hurling you along the road — it was a truly wild experience.
Surprisingly, the 997 is even rarer with just 53 examples currently registered in the UK, hence the higher price. Still though, it seems like cracking value to me for such a unicorn that you'll have an absolute hoot trying to tame.
