Estimate: £275,000 - £300,000
Registration no. not registered
Chassis no. WP0ZZZ99Z2S692066 Engine no. 63223007
• Genuine factory-built GT3 RS
• Delivered new to Orbit Racing in the USA
• Considerable in-period race history (fully documented)
• Restored by Orbit Racing in 2017
• Present ownership since 2023
• Circa £70,000 spent on professional recommissioning and race preparation since acquisition
• Eligible for Endurance Racing Legends, Masters Endurance Legends, Rennsport Reunion, Le Mans Classic
"Since its launch in 1999, the Porsche 911 GT3 has been the benchmark against which every other track-focused car has been rated. There are more powerful, more expensive 911s, but the GT3 represents the sports car at its purest and most intense. In fact, all four generations of GT3 arguably rank alongside 1973's legendary 2.7 RS in the annals of greatest 911s." - Auto Express.
Intended primarily for racing, though still road legal, the Porsche 911 GT3 - first introduced in 1999 - can trace its ancestry all the way back through a succession of high-performance models to the legendary 911 Carrera RS of 1973. The car takes its name from the FIA's GT3 category of production sports car racing, and has been produced in a variety of versions since its introduction in 1999 on the Type 996 iteration of the perennial 911, the 996 being the first to have a water-cooled engine.
Following the launch of the original Type 996 GT3, Porsche introduced an out-and-out racing version: the GT3 R, which made it track debut at Le Mans in 1999, winning its class. The GT3 R would go on to dominate its class in the American Le Mans Series for the next couple of years and proved equally successful in the FIA GT Championship. In 2000 a GT3 R entered by the factory supported Phoenix Racing won the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring.
The concept's next development, the GT3 RS, arrived in 2001. Standing for RennSport (literally 'race sport') the 'RS' designation referenced that iconic first-of-the-line model of 40 years previously. In GT3 RS specification, the 3.6-litre flat-six 'Metzger' engine was up-rated, producing around 400bhp, although the claimed output remained unchanged at 318bhp for homologation purposes. The RS was lighter than the 'ordinary' GT3; weigh saving measures included a polycarbonate rear window, and carbon-fibre bonnet and rear wing, while the stock cast-iron brake discs were replaced with ceramic composite rotors for greater fade resistance under competition conditions. RS suspension was adjustable, and the car ran some 3mm lower than the stock GT3.
The GT3 RS not only continued to dominate its class but also proved capable of scoring outright victories against more powerful prototypes; standout results being overall wins in the Daytona 24-hour and Spa-Francorchamps 24-hour races in 2003. The successor RSR arrived for 2004.
The Porsche Certificate of Origin on file confirms that chassis number 'WP0ZZZ99Z2S692066' is a genuine 2002 GT3 RS delivered new to the USA-based Orbit Racing and built to ACO specification. This car made its competition debut at the 2002 Sebring 12 hours and Daytona Finale 3 Hours, and was also a reserve entry for the Le Mans 24 Hours that same year. In 2003 it took part in the prestigious 24 Hours of Daytona, finishing 2nd in the GT class before ending its frontline career at the Barber 250 miles.
Immediately after the Barber race the RS was sold to Fort Lauderdale-based dentist the late Robert (Bob) Mack. Mike Calucci ran the Porsche for Bob in several local SCCA and PCA meetings before he moved to North Carolina. During this period Phil Pierce converted the suspension to 2005 RSR specification. Sadly, Bob Mack passed away and in 2013 the car was sold via MGM Motorsport. The new Florida-based collector/owner commissioned the original owners Orbit Racing to restore the RS, which included having the engine rebuilt by Porsche Motorsport North America approximately 10 hours running since). In 2017 the RS was purchased and imported into the UK to join a collection of historic competition cars.
Our vendor purchased the Porsche at Bonhams Goodwood Revival sale in September 2023 (Lot 297). At that time we described it thus: "We are advised this Type 996 GT3 RS remains in excellent condition having not been raced since restoration. It benefits from a recent new battery and has been run up, running excellently and displaying good oil pressure. It is presented in the dramatic yellow, black and white vinyl-wrapped livery of sponsors Yes Network dating from its appearance at the 2003 24 Hours of Daytona."
In November 2023 the car was sent to Datum Motorsport, whose circa £70,000 estimate for the extensive works required to make it race ready is on file, which included replacing the fuel cell, fitting a set of Image split-rim wheels, and installing a Recaro Pro Racer SPA seat (perusal essential). All the works mentioned therein were carried out with the exception of fitting the Autotel pit-to-car radio system with 2 headsets; the Video Vbox HD 2 camera system; and the associated workshop labour. In addition, the power steering pump was renewed.
The car comes with a substantial file detailing its entire history of race results together with numerous period photographs of it in action at Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring. Its full competition history is on file. Eligible for Endurance Racing Legends, Masters Endurance Legends, Rennsport Reunion and Le Mans Classic, it represents a rare opportunity to own one of these very special Porsche GT racers.
Goodwood Revival: Collectors' Motor Cars and Automobilia
|13 September 2025, 13:00 BST
|Chichester, Goodwood
Text & Image: Bonhams
