The 996 GT2 as with the 993 GT2 may best be considered as a lightweight racing version of the 996 Turbo. The four-wheel drive was removed as a part of the weight saving programme. Same applies to unnecessary interior equipment.
The street-legal racecar was fitted with a larger fixed rear wing, PCCB ceramic brakes of larger diameter and an optimized version of the powerplant donated by the 996 turbo featuring larger turbochargers, intercoolers and a revised intake and exhaust system producing 462bhp @ 5700bhp and 620 Nm @ 3500rpm (Mk. I version) respectively 483bhp (Mk. II version). It included a fully adjustable stiffened suspension system.
The 996 GT2 was capable of launching from a standstill to 100km/h in 3.9s (Mk. I: 4.1s) and reached a top-speed of 319km/h (Mk. I: 315km/h).
The GT3 was based on the standard rear-wheel drive 996 carrera but was seriously lightened and optimized and therefore can be named the successor of the earlier 911 Carrera RS versions. It featured a stripped interior, stiffer adjustable suspension and upgraded brakes and used the bodywork of the Carrera and the bodyshell of the four-wheel-drive Carrera 4 due to its incorporated front-end stiffening.
The GT3 was fitted a new front bumper, sideskirts and a biplane wing, all perfectly matched to each other from a design perspective.
The 996 GT3 was powered by a normally aspirated 3.6 liter engine derived from the M64 / Le Mans winning 911 GT1 engine. This M96/76 engine featured drysump lubrication including a separate oil tank, superlight and stable titanium con rods and a compression ratio increased from 11.3:1 to 11.7:1. These modifications transformed the powerplant into a serious racing engine revving up to 7800rpm and providing 360bhp @ 7200rpm and 370Nm @ 5000rpm. The power was transmitted via a six speed gearbox G96/90 featuring limited slip differential.
Performance of the 996 GT3 Mk.I was impressing with a 0-100km/h sprint time of 4.8s and a top speed of 302km/h. The car did convince even more in turns and braking though, lateral acceleration (1.03g) and deceleration (11m/s²) were sensational.
In 2004 Porsche introduced the 996 GT3 Mk. II which featured a new rear spoiler, different wheels, the front lights donated by the Turbo model as well as an improved version of the Mk.I’s engine and improved brakes as well as some minor refinements. The engine now delivered 381bhp @ 7400rpm and 385Nm @ 5000rpm and the rev limiter was set to 8200rpm. Performance improved to 4.5s 0-100km/h and a top speed of 306km/h.
