For most, purchasing a Porsche 911 is an emotional investment, yet for some, the investment is purely financial. Total 911 looks at two very different models from different eras and assesses their investment potential

Written by Wilhelm Lutjeharms

Photography by Peet Mocke

They sit at opposite ends of nearly 40 years of Porsche 911 production, one representing the flamboyance of the air-cooled era, the other a performance icon of the watercooled generation. The 930 Turbo and 991.2 GT3 are very different 911s indeed, but they are Porsche 911s nevertheless – and what they do have in common right now is significant appeal to collectors.

Collectability is not something we’re generally keen to tout in Total 911, yet it is an undeniable facet of Porsche culture today, and so it’d be wrong for us to readily dismiss what is a major appeal of these cars for some. Besides, how else could we meaningfully assemble a beautiful 930 and 991.2 GT3 for a spirited drive? So, while we won’t be comparing and contrasting the drive of these very different 911s, we will be assessing their merit as collectables, which evens the ground up between them rather nicely.

Between the 930’s unveiling at the 1974 Paris Motor Show to, arguably, when the first GT3 arrived in 1999, the Turbo was Porsche’s poster car, the car that was featured in movies and the sports car that wealthy individuals bought. During its 15 years of production, there was simply no faster, no better 911.

Those air-cooled 911 Turbos implemented some of the technology Porsche used in racing, but it was the GT3 that took on that mantle at the turn of the Millennium. Before the arrival of the GT3 in 1999, there were basically only two lightweight, driver-focused, naturally aspirated 911 mainstream production models. In 1973 Porsche released the 2.7 Carrera RS, and in 1987 to 1989 the Carrera 3.2 Clubsport. However, little did we know that the 996 GT3 would start a long list of the most enjoyable, focused and collectable Porsche 911s to have ever been produced.