Porsche 911s are a common sight on a track day. But with only 600 made, the 997 GT3 RS 4.0 is an elusive strain only a few had the fortune to drive.

The Porsche 911 is one of the most common track day cars. Depending on where you live in the world, it will never be complete without a 911 ripping it with some of the day’s best lap times. Of all the 911s, the high-performance 911 GT3 RS has always been the enthusiast’s favorite track car. They are not as expensive and as difficult to maintain as the turbocharged GT2 RS. They are reliable enough to drive daily on the street, and yet they still pack a punch on the track.

On a special day, one might find a 997 GT3 RS with a distinct pair of front canards, a huge wing, and a louder, more powerful roar. This car is a rare variant of the Porsche 911 – the 997 GT3 RS 4.0.

This car is a classic. There is no other conceivable way to end the 997’s run than a limited edition car that outclasses everything that came before it. The 997 GT3 RS 4.0 became THE Porsche to drive and was every enthusiast’s dream. But with its limited release, it became the most elusive Porsche to drive, much less to own.

Porsche Built Only 600 Units Of The 911 GT3 RS 4.0White Porsche sports car drivingPorsche

Only 600 units of the 997 GT3 RS 4.0 rolled out back in 2011. In comparison, Porsche sold a total of 17,607 911s on the same year. The law of supply and demand made it easy to see how the GT3 RS 4.0 became an instant collector’s favorite.

It was a limited release to cap off the run of the Porsche 997 and the Mezger engine. This final trim cemented it to become one of the rarest cars to come out of Porsche’s lineup. As expected, they all sold out when it came out. All those who were not able to get their hands on one were only left to dream.

Over the years, the 997 GT3 RS 4.0 was the benchmark for styling and performance among enthusiasts. Many of them would install 4.0-styled front canards or wings, among other mods to achieve that unique 4.0 look. However, only 600 of those 997s sold in 2011 came with the much-coveted 4.0-liter Mezger power plant. Only the chosen 600 will have the small details that make the 997 GT3 RS 4.0 a unique driving experience.

When the GT3 RS 4.0 started to roll on the track, it exceeded all expectations. It packs a 500hp naturally-aspirated Mezger engine bored to 4.0-liters from 3.8. The biggest 911 engine, ever. It easily screamed to 8,500 rpm, and produced one of the most distinct roars from a flat-6 engine. Paired with this powerful, responsive engine was a lightweight 3,000-pound chassis and a rock-solid suspension that kept the car planted even on high-speed cornering. The lightweight frame tips the power-to-weight ratio at 6 lbs/hp. A lap time of 7 minutes and 27 seconds on the Nordschleife was enough cause for it to be touted to be the ultimate driver’s car.

What makes the 997 GT3 RS 4.0 special was that it’s not one of those sports cars that you would love to own and have it sit in your garage for years at a time. Coming with a manual transmission and an interior that looks more like a race car than a sports car, the 997 GT3 RS 4.0 begs to be driven. Hard.

The 997 GT3 RS 4.0 can easily handle abuse on the track or on the road. Anyone owning it would likely have the full intent of sending it on the track or taking it out on the back roads for spirited drives. This unique driving experience that only the 997 GT3 RS 4.0 can give is why this car a much higher value in the hearts of enthusiasts. And the more value perceived, the higher the price will be.

Over the last 5 years, listings for Porsche 997 911s were at an average of around $186,000. Some of them even sold for as low as $35,000. These prices for the lower-tier 997s pale in comparison to the GT3 RS 4.0.

Over the past decade, listing prices for the 997 GT3 RS 4.0 shot up in value with no end in sight. The 911 GT3 RS 4.0 costs €178,596 when it came out in 2011. That’s nearly $340,000 in today’s money, and was more than double the price of the base 911. From then on, their prices skyrocketed. The prices for the 997 GT3 RS 4.0 shot up to around half a million dollars, with the most expensive listing so far going close to a million at $865,000 according to Classic.com. Even the most recent, cheapest one fetched $302,000 which was just slightly lower than the original listing price.

Every dollar spent on this vehicle is a dollar well spent. The Porsche 997 911 GT3 RS 4.0 offers a driving experience that even some of the best GT2 RS trims can never match. There may be only 600 of these cars existing in the world today, but each one of them guarantees the best and the rarest driving experiences any car can offer.