The 996 GT3 is the car that brought motorsport engineering to the Porsche road-car range with little compromise. This 2003 example was ordered new as a standard GT3. It was built for drivers who wanted a road-legal 911 with the character and feel of a racing car. It is finished in black and has covered 90,645 miles. Its engine is the Mezger-derived 3.6-litre flat-six. It has a motorsport-bred dry-sump design and revs to 7,800rpm. It develops 381PS and drives the rear wheels through a close-ratio six-speed manual gearbox. The chassis is lowered and stiffened, with uprated suspension, large brakes and a wide-track stance, and it sits on lightweight alloy wheels. Weight is just 1,380kg. Porsche quoted 0–62mph in 4.3 seconds and a top speed of 190mph, but the car is better judged on its steering feel and throttle response. While parked, the car was struck by a reversing lorry. The damage was cosmetic only, but the incident led to the car being written off. It was repaired professionally and returned to the road. Today the car is presented as a track day toy that remains fully road legal. It holds a fresh, clean MOT and has been recently serviced. The current owner has enjoyed it on circuit, and it can be driven to the track, used for the day and driven home again. At £70,000, the car offers a way into GT3 ownership at a considerable saving over a “perfect” 996 GT3. It suits an owner who wants to use the car as Porsche intended, rather than preserve it. Porsche launched the 996 GT3 in 1999. It was the first road-going GT3, created to homologate the 911 for GT racing, and it took its name from the GT3 class. It was built by the Motorsport department in Weissach and was designed to deliver a pure driving experience, with the focus on lightness, grip and engine response. Its heart was the Mezger flat-six, derived from the engine that powered Porsche’s 911 GT1 Le Mans car and from the air-cooled engines before it. It is a dry-sump, high-revving engine with a reputation for strength and for an exhilarating character. For 2003, the second-generation GT3 raised output to 381PS and refined the car with revised aerodynamics, a new front bumper and a fixed rear wing. The 996 GT3 earned an enviable reputation. Period road tests praised its steering, braking and balance, and the car has since become one of the most sought-after modern-classic Porsches. Used on circuit, it is capable of embarrassing far more modern machinery.