It doesn’t require a championship racing pedigree to recognize the amazing capabilities of this car – but the winning bidder may just feel like hoisting a trophy when the hammer falls on this impressive Porsche in Scottsdale. Register to...
Written by independent automotive journalist Steve Statham
Professional racing drivers know how to pick a sports car for their personal entertainment ? especially sports cars that straddle the line between weekend canyon-carvers and full-tilt race cars. Case in point: this 2019 Porsche 911 GT2 RS offered with No Reserve at the 2024 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction, January 20-28. It was previously owned by 2003 Champ Car World Series champion Paul Tracy. In more recent years IndyCar fans know Tracy from his TV commentary role, but long before his broadcast booth days, he was racking up wins at major races such as the Grand Prix of Long Beach, Road America and Surfer’s Paradise in Australia.
Obviously, the man knows his way around road courses and street circuits, so it’s only natural he would be drawn to what was the most powerful street-legal 911 Porsche had ever built up to that time. Porsche engineers elevated the 911 platform with both more power and reduced weight for the 911 GT2 RS, with spectacular results. Porsche immediately set out to prove the car’s mettle and set a lap record for a road-approved production sports car at the Nürburgring in Germany. “This result makes it official: The GT2 RS is not only the most powerful, but also the fastest 911 ever built,” said Frank-Steffen Walliser, then Vice President Motorsport and GT Cars at Porsche, following the record-breaking feat.
The GT2 RS delivers a visceral driving experience thanks to a twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter flat-6, rated from the factory at 700 hp and 553 ft/lbs of torque. The extra output over other 911 models comes via larger turbos pushing more air into the engine. “A new additional cooling system delivers optimum cooling at peak loads and, at very high temperatures, sprays the charge-air cooler with water,” Porsche explained in the car’s press release at launch. Porsche rated the GT2 RS’s top speed at 211 mph.
The flat-6 is teamed with a Porsche PDK 7-speed shiftable dual-clutch automatic transmission and a limited-slip differential. Modifications to the powertrain on the car offered at Scottsdale include a Vivid Racing tune and a custom exhaust.
This GT2 RS is finished in Chalk White paint with Satin Black painted wheels. The towering rear wing is the dominant exterior feature, but the more subtle air intakes and outlets play key aerodynamic roles as well. This example features the Weissach Package, which added magnesium wheels, carbon-fiber anti-roll bars and exposed carbon-fiber components that add up to 66 pounds of weight savings on an already light car.
The interior is a hospitable environment for spirited driving, featuring black leather and Alcantara surfaces with platinum gray stitching, heated 18-way seats and a Bose sound system. Detailing includes illuminated carbon-fiber door sills, Alcantara sun visors and an Alcantara storage compartment lid with “PORSCHE” text. A white-dialed sport chrono stopwatch on the dashboard has Lap Trigger functionality via the Porsche Track Precision mobile application. For peace of mind, an aftermarket radar detector has been installed that offers 360-degree detection capabilities and laser-jamming functionality.
It doesn’t require a championship racing pedigree to recognize the amazing capabilities of this car – but the winning bidder may just feel like hoisting a trophy when the hammer falls on this impressive Porsche in Scottsdale. Register to bid today.