# Porsche 911 GT3 (997)
Source: https://fullysorted.com/research/models/porsche/911-997-gt3
Publisher: Fully Sorted (fullysorted.com), collector car research
Last updated: 2026-09-21

## Key facts
- Make: Porsche
- Model: 911 GT3
- Generation: 997
- Factory code: 997
- Years: 2007 to 2011
- Body styles: 2-door coupe, two seats, narrow Carrera body (GT3), 2-door coupe, two seats, wide body with wider front and rear track (GT3 RS and GT3 RS 4.0)
- Engines: 3.6-liter Mezger-architecture flat-six, naturally aspirated, 415 hp, maximum engine speed 8,400 rpm (997.1 GT3 and GT3 RS, US 2007-2008 model years); 3,797 cc M97/77 flat-six, naturally aspirated, 102.7 x 76.4 mm bore and stroke, 12.0:1 compression, 435 hp and 317 lb-ft, maximum engine speed 8,500 rpm (997.2 GT3, US 2010-2011 model years); 3.8-liter flat-six in RS tune, 450 hp per the Porsche Cars North America release, 8,500 rpm redline (997.2 GT3 RS, US 2010-2011 model years); some references print 444 hp; 4.0-liter flat-six with the 911 GT3 RSR crankshaft, titanium connecting rods and forged pistons, 500 hp at 8,250 rpm and 339 lb-ft at 5,750 rpm (2011 GT3 RS 4.0)
- Production notes: Porsche does not publish a production figure by variant for the 997 GT3 family in any page fetched for this research, so everything below comes from secondary sources and productionTotal is left null. 997.1 GT3 RS: Sports Car Market gives 1,169 built with 452 for this market; the duPont Registry guide says production numbers vary by source and cites about 1,150. No count for the 997.1 GT3 was found. 997.2 GT3: Stuttcars and classic.com both give 2,256 units, which may be one figure repeated rather than two confirmations. No source consulted publishes a US total for the 997.2 GT3; a Rennlist thread on US production by model year exists but could not be retrieved, and a forum count would not be citable as production in any case. 997.2 GT3 RS: the sources disagree. classic.com prints 1,619 built. Sports Car Market says Porsche built 1,500, of which 612 came to North America, and the duPont Registry guide says approximately 1,500. RM Sotheby's describes a 2011 car as believed to be one of just 100 built for the 2011 model year, which it does not source. GT3 RS 4.0: 600 worldwide is the manufacturer's own stated limit and every car carries a numbered plaque. The US share is not published by Porsche in anything fetched here. Stuttcars states that 126 were sent to the USA. Sports Car Market states that 157 arrived in North American garages. Those are different geographies, so they may both be right, but neither writer names a source and the gap has not been reconciled. US list prices are documented for the 2010 GT3, the 2010 GT3 RS and the RS 4.0 from Porsche Cars North America releases; the 997.1 GT3 RS price rests on Sports Car Market alone, and no documented US list price for the 997.1 GT3 was found in the pages fetched.

## Summary
The 997-generation 911 GT3 was sold in the United States for the 2007 and 2008 model years with a 3.6-liter, 415 hp engine, and again for 2010 and 2011 with a 3.8 making 435 hp. Each phase had a wide-bodied RS, and the 997.1 car was the first GT3 RS Porsche officially sold here. The run closed with the 2011 GT3 RS 4.0, 600 numbered cars worldwide with 500 hp. Every one is a six-speed manual, and every one uses the race-derived flat-six that owners call the Mezger, which makes these the last 911s with that engine. For someone looking at 2011 cars the choice is among three: the narrow-body GT3 at $112,200 new, the RS at $132,800 with 450 hp, shorter gearing and standard dynamic engine mounts, and the RS 4.0 at $185,000. As of September 2026 classic.com benchmarks them at roughly $171,000, $344,000 and $790,000, a wider spread than the window stickers ever suggested. The known weak point is shared by all of them: coolant fittings glued into the engine rather than welded.

## Specifications
- power: 415 hp (997.1 GT3 and RS); 435 hp (997.2 GT3); 450 hp per the US release (997.2 GT3 RS); 500 hp at 8,250 rpm (RS 4.0). All manufacturer figures
- brakes: Cast iron rotors standard, 13.8 in (350 mm) at the rear on the 997.1; PCCB ceramic rotors optional, 15.0 in (380 mm) front
- engine: Naturally aspirated, water-cooled Mezger-architecture flat-six with dry-sump lubrication: 3.6 liters (997.1), 3,797 cc (997.2 GT3 and RS), 4.0 liters (RS 4.0)
- layout: Rear-mounted flat-six, rear-wheel drive, two seats
- torque: 317 lb-ft (997.2 GT3 and GT3 RS); 339 lb-ft at 5,750 rpm (RS 4.0)
- weight: 3,075 lb (997.1 GT3, manufacturer); 3,076 lb (997.2 GT3, manufacturer); 2,998 lb with a full tank (RS 4.0, manufacturer)
- chassis: Steel 997 unibody; narrow Carrera shell on the GT3, wide shell on the RS cars; aluminum doors and luggage compartment lid, carbon fiber front fenders and lid on the RS 4.0
- redline: 8,400 rpm (3.6); 8,500 rpm (3.8)
- us_msrp: $112,200 (2010 GT3, base at announcement); $132,800 (2010 GT3 RS); $185,000 excluding destination (2011 GT3 RS 4.0); $123,000 (997.1 GT3 RS, per Sports Car Market)
- top_speed: 193 mph (997.1 GT3); 194 mph (997.2 GT3); 193 mph (RS 4.0); manufacturer top track speeds
- wheelbase: 92.7 in (2,355 mm)
- suspension: PASM adaptive dampers standard from the 997.1 onward; divided control arms for camber adjustment; optional front axle lift on 997.2, 1.2 in (30 mm)
- acceleration: 0-60 mph: 4.1 sec (997.1 GT3, manufacturer); 4.0 sec claimed and 4.1 sec tested by MotorWeek (997.2 GT3); 3.8 sec (RS 4.0, manufacturer)
- quarter_mile: 12.2 sec at 118 mph (997.2 GT3, MotorWeek test)
- transmission: Six-speed manual only on every variant; shorter ratios on the RS cars; limited-slip differential standard
- nurburgring_lap: 7 minutes 40 seconds (997.2 GT3); 7 minutes 27 seconds (RS 4.0); manufacturer figures
- wheels_and_tires: 19-inch; five-bolt on 997.1, center-lock on 997.2; 235/35 front and 305/30 rear (997.2 GT3); 245/35 front and 325/30 rear on 9-inch and 12-inch rims (997.2 GT3 RS)

## Notable variants
- 997.1 GT3 (3.6), US 2007-2008 model years: The first 997 GT3: 415 hp, 8,400 rpm, 3,075 lb, the first GT3 with PASM dampers and traction control, and conventional five-bolt wheels. It is the least expensive way into a Mezger GT3 of this generation and the one without center locks to service.
- 997.1 GT3 RS (3.6), US 2007-2008 model years: The first GT3 RS officially sold in the United States. Wide body, plastic rear window, carbon wing, the same 415 hp. Sports Car Market puts production at 1,169 with 452 reaching these shores, and the US list price at $123,000.
- 997.2 GT3 (3.8), US 2010-2011 model years: 435 hp and 317 lb-ft, 8,500 rpm, center-lock wheels as standard, stability control for the first time, and the first availability of dynamic engine mounts and front axle lift as options. Base price $112,200 at announcement. Two references give 2,256 built; nobody consulted here publishes a US count.
- 997.2 GT3 RS (3.8), US 2010-2011 model years: 450 hp by the US release, shorter gear ratios than the GT3, wider front and rear track, dynamic engine mounts standard, titanium exhaust and an optional lithium-ion battery. $132,800 at launch. Sports Car Market counts 612 for North America.
- 2011 GT3 RS 4.0: 600 numbered cars worldwide, 500 hp from the largest engine Porsche had put in a road 911, carbon fiber front fenders and luggage lid, dive planes on the front bumper, Carrara White as standard. $185,000 before destination. The US count is given as 126 by one source and 157 for North America by another.
- Front axle lift and dynamic engine mounts (997.2 options): Both arrived with the 2010 GT3. The lift raises the nose 1.2 in (30 mm) at up to roughly 30 mph; the magnetic-fluid mounts stiffen under hard driving. The mounts were standard on the RS. On a car that lives on public roads the lift is the option that gets asked about first.

## History

### Why Porsche kept two engine families

By the time the 997 arrived Porsche was building two different flat-sixes for one car. The Carrera used the M96 and M97 engines with their intermediate-shaft bearing; the Turbo, GT2 and GT3 used an older architecture descended from the 911 GT1 race engine and credited to Hans Mezger, the engineer behind the 917's flat-twelve. RM Sotheby's catalog copy describes the difference plainly: a simpler bearing design with pressure-fed lubrication, dual timing chains, and an engine overbuilt for road use because it was developed for racing. Stuttcars notes that Porsche had never meant to carry two engine ranges for the 911, and the 9A1 engine of 2009 was the rationalization that was supposed to end it. The GT3 was the reason it did not end quite yet.

### 997.1: the RS comes to America

The 997 GT3 was unveiled in 2006 and sold here as a 2007 model. Porsche's own retrospective gives 415 hp from 3.6 liters, an 8,400 rpm limit, 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds, 193 mph and 3,075 lb, helped by aluminum doors and luggage lid. It was the first GT3 with PASM adaptive dampers and the first with traction control. The GT3 had reached North America only with the 2004 model year 996, and no earlier RS had been sold here at all. The 997.1 GT3 RS of 2007 and 2008 changed that. Sports Car Market puts it at 1,169 built with 452 for this market, at a US list price of $123,000.

### 997.2: 3.8 liters, center locks and two new options

Porsche Cars North America announced the 2010 GT3 in January 2009 at a base price of $112,200. Displacement rose to 3,797 cc, VarioCam now worked on intake and exhaust, and output went to 435 hp with 317 lb-ft and an 8,500 rpm limit. Stability control was standard for the first time, switchable in two stages. The wheels moved to a single center-lock nut, a design Porsche had previously kept for cars like the Carrera GT, saving about 6.6 lb a set. Two options arrived that shape the used market today: dynamic engine mounts filled with magnetic fluid that stiffen when the car is driven hard, and a front axle lift that raises the nose 1.2 in (30 mm) at speeds up to roughly 30 mph. Porsche kept the weight at 3,076 lb. MotorWeek tested one at 4.1 seconds to 60 mph and 12.2 seconds at 118 mph in the quarter mile, and listed it at $114,450 with gas guzzler tax.

### The 3.8 RS

The 2010 GT3 RS followed at the Frankfurt show in September 2009 and went on sale here in spring 2010 at $132,800. The US release gives 450 hp, 15 more than the GT3, with shorter gear ratios that deliberately give away top speed, dynamic engine mounts as standard, a wider track front and rear, a titanium exhaust and an optional lithium-ion battery that saves more than 22 lb. It was the homologation basis for the racing GT3.

### RS 4.0: the engine line reopened

On April 28, 2011 Porsche Cars North America announced a final car limited to 600 worldwide. The 4.0-liter engine took its crankshaft unchanged from the 911 GT3 RSR, with titanium connecting rods and forged pistons, for 500 hp at 8,250 rpm and 339 lb-ft. Carbon fiber front fenders and luggage lid brought it to 2,998 lb with a full tank, and the dive planes on the front bumper were a first for a production Porsche. It was priced at $185,000 before destination. Stuttcars records that the line building the Mezger engine had already been shut and had to be reactivated to make these 600 engines. The 991 GT3 that followed for 2014 had a different engine and no manual gearbox.

## What to look for

Start with which car it is. A 2011 GT3 and a 2011 GT3 RS share the 3.8 but not the body: the RS uses the wide shell with a wider front and rear track, 9-inch and 12-inch wheels, shorter gear ratios and, by the US release, 450 hp against 435. The RS 4.0 adds carbon fiber front fenders and luggage lid, dive planes on the front bumper and a numbered plaque out of 600; RM Sotheby's catalogs quote the number, and a car's paperwork should agree with it. Options matter more than usual. Front axle lift and dynamic engine mounts were both new options on the 997.2 GT3, the mounts were standard on the RS, and PCCB ceramic brakes were optional throughout. A Porsche Certificate of Authenticity and the original window sticker settle what a car left the factory with, and auction catalogs for these cars list both as a matter of course. A DME report of engine over-revs is the other standard document: the RM Sotheby's Arizona car was sold with a report showing no over-revving in any of the six ranges, and a specialist buyer's guide treats an over-rev history on a manual car as a serious red flag. Ask whether the coolant fittings have been pinned or welded and who did it. Ask whether the car has been tracked and what was replaced afterwards. On a 997.2, ask who has had the center-lock wheels off and how they were tightened. The Monterey 2025 RS 4.0 carried a note that California emissions rules required sale to a dealer or an out-of-state resident, so a California buyer should check a very low-mileage car's status before bidding. Color counts on the RS: RM Sotheby's described one 2011 car as believed to be one of 26 US deliveries in Aqua Blue Metallic with Guards Red graphics.

## Common problems

Coolant pipe fittings are the fault every guide leads with. On the Mezger engines in the GT3, GT2 and Turbo, certain coolant fittings are bonded into their housings with adhesive rather than welded or mechanically fastened. Heat cycles eventually defeat the glue, and the failure mode is a sudden dump of coolant, which on a track means coolant under the rear tires. Stuttcars and The Stable describe the same cure: remove the fittings and pin or weld them. Both call it the single most important check on these cars, and a car with documented pinning or welding is worth more than one without. It is an engine-out or engine-lowered job, so it is commonly done with a clutch. The rear main seal is the other shared item. The Stable's guide describes RMS leaks as a common finding on 997.1 cars and notes the repair is normally combined with clutch work because the seal sits between engine and gearbox. What the engine does not have is the intermediate-shaft bearing and bore-scoring exposure of the 997.1 Carrera engines; both guides and RM Sotheby's catalog copy make that distinction. The center-lock wheels on 997.2 cars use a multi-tooth central bolt and a nut with a locking ratchet that Porsche says prevents the wheel coming loose even if the nut was not properly tightened. No source fetched for this page documents the service torque or the replacement interval, so those are left unstated here; they are in the owner's manual and the workshop literature. Likewise nothing fetched gives a GT3-specific clutch life or a US cost for front axle lift or dynamic engine mount repair. As a general running-cost marker, one RS 4.0 catalog records a four-year major service in New York at $4,400.

## Market notes

All figures are US dollars, as of September 2026. classic.com benchmarks the five variants at $146,083 (997.1 GT3), $247,558 (997.1 GT3 RS), $170,660 (997.2 GT3), $344,131 (997.2 GT3 RS) and $790,190 (GT3 RS 4.0). Recent US sales it lists run above those benchmarks. 997.1 GT3: $183,000 on PCARMARKET in August 2026 for a 2007 car with 40,000 miles, and $253,250 on Bring a Trailer the same month for an 8,000-mile 2007. 997.1 RS: $352,500 on Bring a Trailer in June 2026 with 12,000 miles, and $237,440 at Bonhams in Greenwich, Connecticut in May 2026 with 33,000 miles. 997.2 GT3: $240,000 in July 2026 for a 2010 car with 47,000 miles and $270,000 in May 2026 for a 2011 with 17,000 miles, both on Bring a Trailer. 997.2 RS: $572,500 on Bring a Trailer in July 2026 for a 10,000-mile 2010. RS 4.0: $995,000 at Broad Arrow in Costa Mesa in April 2026 with 5,000 miles. Lot pages fetched directly from RM Sotheby's add three-figure-mileage cars: a 2011 RS at $406,500 in Arizona in January 2023 (374 miles, premium included per Sports Car Market), another at $412,000 from the White Collection in 2023 (490 miles), and RS 4.0 number 394 at $1,077,500 at Monterey 2025 with under 160 miles. Dealer asking prices on the same pages sit far higher and are not sales.

## Value trajectory

The RS 4.0 has the best documented price history because RM Sotheby's has sold several in the US and leaves the results up. One sold for $418,000 at Monterey in 2017 with about 4,500 miles. Jerry Seinfeld's former car, delivered to him in January 2012, brought $566,000 at the Porsche 70th Anniversary sale in Atlanta in 2018 and $665,000 at Monterey in 2019. Number 499 made $720,000 in Las Vegas in 2023 with 4,226 miles, and number 394 made $1,077,500 at Monterey 2025 with under 160 miles. Against a $185,000 sticker that is a steady climb across eight years, with mileage explaining much of the spread between any two results. The 3.8 RS shows the same pattern at a lower level: $196,000 in Atlanta in 2018 for a 3,625-mile 2011 car, then $406,500 and $412,000 for delivery-mileage cars in 2023, and $572,500 on Bring a Trailer in July 2026 according to classic.com. The lowest sales classic.com records are $58,000 for a 997.1 GT3 in June 2023, $86,000 for a 997.2 GT3 in March 2024 and $145,000 for a 997.2 RS in October 2022. All figures are as of September 2026, and none of them is a forecast.

## Sources

- [Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0: Biggest 911 Engine Ever Offered](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/porsche-911-gt3-rs-40-biggest-911-engine-ever-offered-120846624.html) (Porsche Cars North America via PR Newswire)
- [2010 Porsche 911 GT3: 435 HP, Priced From $112,200](https://jalopnik.com/2010-porsche-911-gt3-435-hp-priced-from-112-200-5141807) (Jalopnik (reprints the Porsche Cars North America release of January 29, 2009))
- [Porsche celebrates 20 years of the 911 GT3](https://newsroom.porsche.com/en_US/products/porsche-celebrates-20-years-911-gt3-18389.html) (Porsche Newsroom USA)
- [First Look: 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 RS](https://windingroad.com/articles/news/first-look-2010-porsche-911-gt3-rs/) (Winding Road Magazine)
- [2010 Porsche 911 GT3](https://motorweek.org/road_tests/2010_porsche_911_gt3/) (MotorWeek (Maryland Public Television))
- [2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS](https://www.sportscarmarket.com/profile/2011-porsche-911-gt3-rs) (Sports Car Market)
- [Porsche's Ultimate Road Going 997: The GT3 RS 4.0](https://www.stuttcars.com/porsches-ultimate-997-the-gt3-rsr-4-0/) (Stuttcars)
- [Porsche 911 GT3 (997.2) (2010 - 2012)](https://www.stuttcars.com/porsche-911-gt3-997-2010-2012/) (Stuttcars)
- [Porsche 911 (997) Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know](https://www.stuttcars.com/porsche-buyers-guides/porsche-911-997-buyers-guide/) (Stuttcars)
- [Porsche 997 Buyers Guide: 997.1 vs 997.2](https://www.thestable.cc/journal/porsche-911-997-buying-guide) (The Stable)
- [Porsche 911 GT3 RS: Buyer's Guide](https://news.dupontregistry.com/blogs/buying-guides/porsche-911-gt3-rs-buyers-guide) (duPont REGISTRY News)
- [Porsche 911 GT3 - 997.1 Market - CLASSIC.COM](https://www.classic.com/m/porsche/911/997/9971/gt3/) (CLASSIC.COM)
- [Porsche 911 GT3 RS - 997.1 Market - CLASSIC.COM](https://www.classic.com/m/porsche/911/997/9971/gt3-rs/) (CLASSIC.COM)
- [Porsche 911 GT3 - 997.2 Market - CLASSIC.COM](https://www.classic.com/m/porsche/911/997/9972/gt3/) (CLASSIC.COM)
- [Porsche 911 GT3 RS - 997.2 Market - CLASSIC.COM](https://www.classic.com/m/porsche/911/997/9972/gt3-rs/) (CLASSIC.COM)
- [Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 - 997.2 Market - CLASSIC.COM](https://www.classic.com/m/porsche/911/997/9972/gt3-rs-40/) (CLASSIC.COM)
- [2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 | Monterey 2025 | RM Sotheby's](https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/mo25/lots/r0108-2011-porsche-911-gt3-rs-40/) (RM Sotheby's)
- [2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 | Las Vegas | RM Sotheby's](https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/lv23/lots/r0026-2011-porsche-911-gt3-rs-40/) (RM Sotheby's)
- [2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 | Monterey 2019 | RM Sotheby's](https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/mo19/lots/r0064-2011-porsche-911-gt3-rs-40/) (RM Sotheby's)
- [2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 | The Porsche 70th Anniversary Auction | RM Sotheby's](https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/po18/lots/r0010-2011-porsche-911-gt3-rs-40/) (RM Sotheby's)
- [2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 | Monterey 2017 | RM Sotheby's](https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/mo17/lots/r110-2011-porsche-911-gt3-rs-40/) (RM Sotheby's)
- [2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS | Arizona 2023 | RM Sotheby's](https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/az23/lots/r0081-2011-porsche-911-gt3-rs/) (RM Sotheby's)
- [2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS | The White Collection | RM Sotheby's](https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/wc23/lots/r0060-2011-porsche-911-gt3-rs/) (RM Sotheby's)
- [2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 3.8 | The Porsche 70th Anniversary Auction | RM Sotheby's](https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/po18/lots/r0006-2011-porsche-911-gt3-rs-38/) (RM Sotheby's)

Cite as: Fully Sorted, "Porsche 911 GT3 (997)", https://fullysorted.com/research/models/porsche/911-997-gt3, updated 2026-09-21.