6 GT3 mark66 GT3996 · unofficial

Compare

996.1 and 996.2

Same idea: naturally aspirated 3.6 Mezger, six-speed, two seats, rear drive. Different lamps, wing, brakes, throttle, and who could buy one new.

Matthew Herman’s silver 996.2 GT3 parked beside an open garage
His 996.2 GT3. This site has no 996.1 photograph — the compare below is sourced text, not a pair of drawings.
Matthew Herman’s silver 996.2 GT3 parked next to a white 997
His 996.2 (silver, taco wing) beside a white 997 at a meet. The 997 is a neighbor, not his car.
996.1996.2
YearsAbout 1999–2001 in EuropeAbout 2003–2005; U.S. 2004–2005
U.S. showroomsNo — first U.S. 911 GT3 is the 2004 996.2Yes — 2004–2005 only
How many (sourced, not averaged)Worldwide: 1,886 in 9WERKS; 1,868 in other tables. Not sold new in the U.S.U.S. headline: 960 (864 MY2004, 96 MY2005), enthusiast-compiled PCNA sales. Nearby monthly table: 959. NA-spec often “slightly over 1,000”; Gooding: 1,018. No Canada-only split. Worldwide 996.2: 2,313 in 9WERKS and other tables.
Official power265 kW / 360 PS (PCNA 2019)381 hp in PCNA 2019 summary; 380 SAE hp in 2004 U.S. copy
Redline7,800 rpm8,200 rpm
WingCurved “taco” wing, adjustableFlatter / biplane wing
LampsOval “fried egg” unit shared with early 996 / Boxster languageTeardrop unit of the facelift 996
Front brakesLarger than Carrera; 330 mm fronts in PCNA’s later compare350 mm, six-piston, optional PCCB
Feel, per 9WERKSMore supple, first-of-line rawnessMore physical, more grunt, higher corner speeds

Figures: PCNA 2019, PCNA 2004 U.S. materials, Hagerty June 2026, 9WERKS, PCA Tech Q&A, Gooding catalogs. Production tallies are labeled, not blended.[1] Porsche Cars North America press database[2] Porsche Cars North America (period U.S. press materials)[3] 9WERKS, Tim Pitt[4] Hagerty Media, Rob Sass[9] Porsche Club of America Tech Q&A[10] Gooding & Company / Gooding Christie’s[11]RM Sotheby’s

Clubsport and Comfort

PurelyPorsche describes two interiors from the start: a track-ready Clubsport and a more passenger-friendly Comfort, with Clubsport actually an option. The stripped car could do without air-conditioning and a radio and pick up harnesses, an extinguisher, and a cage.[7]PurelyPorsche

9WERKS’ later list is the one most buyers still use: single-mass flywheel, half cage, high-back buckets, six-point harnesses, extinguisher, battery cut-off. Comfort cars sometimes have buckets or a cage added. Clubsport cars usually ask more money; the guide calls the package far from essential.[3]9WERKS, Tim Pitt

Matthew Herman’s silver 996.2 GT3 at a parking-lot meet, nose and taco wing
996.2 teardrop lamps on his GT3. No 996.1 lamp photograph is here — fried-egg vs teardrop is in the table above.

If you only remember one visual tell from the sidewalk, it is the lamp. The rest is in the spec sheet.

Sources

  1. [1] Porsche celebrates 20 years of the 911 GT3 — Porsche Cars North America press database, 7 August 2019.Official retrospective covering 996.1 and 996.2 outputs, Röhrl’s 7:56.33 Nordschleife lap, mass, and the first North American GT3.
  2. [2] 2004 Porsche 911 GT3: A Pure Sports Car for the Porsche Purist — Porsche Cars North America (period U.S. press materials), model year 2004.U.S. listing figures: 380 SAE hp, 285 lb-ft, 4.3 s to 60 mph, 190 mph, 3,043 lb. No rear seats.
  3. [3] Porsche 996.1 and 996.2 GT3 buyer’s guide — 9WERKS, Tim Pitt.European-facing spec sheet, Clubsport vs Comfort, Mezger vs M96 ownership notes, and the later market rebound.
  4. [4] Your Handy Porsche 996 Buyer’s Guide — Hagerty Media, Rob Sass, 25 June 2026.U.S. introduction of the GT3 as a 2004 model; Mezger vs M96; dated market comment that a good driver GT3 starts around $120,000.
  5. [5] Porsche 996 Buyers Guide: IMS & Bore Scoring — The Stable.M96 IMS and bore-scoring context; Mezger GT3 / Turbo / GT2 treated as a different engine family.
  6. [6] Porsche Mezger Engine / Porsche IMS Bearing Guide — Renn Driver.Gear-driven intermediate shaft and plain bearing on Mezger engines versus the M96 sealed ball-bearing IMS.
  7. [7] 911 GT3 (996) ~ 1999–2000 — PurelyPorsche.Period description of Clubsport versus the more passenger-friendly Comfort specification.
  8. [8] 15 Important Cars from the 2026 Gooding Christie's Pebble Beach Auction — Hagerty Media, August 2026.One exceptional 2004 GT3 sale, cited as a single auction result rather than a market average.
  9. [9] 996 GT3 production numbers — Porsche Club of America Tech Q&A, 29 September 2007.A member totaled PCNA’s monthly announcements; the running total reaches 959 through October 2005. PCA’s Joel Reiser acknowledged the post. This is a U.S. importer monthly tally, not a Porsche AG worldwide build certificate.
  10. [10] 2004 Porsche 996 GT3 (lot catalogs) — Gooding & Company / Gooding Christie’s, Scottsdale 2020; Amelia Island 2022.Repeated catalog line: “One of 1,018 Examples Built for North America.” Auction-house language, not a Porsche press release.
  11. [11] 2004 Porsche 911 GT3, Magnus Walker: The Outlaw Collection — RM Sotheby’s.States the 996.1 GT3 was not sold in the United States and that the 996.2 arrived for 2004.
  12. [12] Compiled US production numbers for 996TT, GT2 & GT3 — 6SpeedOnline, Divexxtreme, 6 January 2007.Enthusiast compilation the poster said came from PCNA press releases: 960 U.S. 996 GT3 sales (864 MY2004, 96 MY2005). Not a Porsche brochure.
  13. [13] Official U.S. production numbers for 996 GT2 and 996 GT3 — Rennlist, 996 GT2/GT3 Forum, 19 July 2015.Forum description of the 2004–2005 North America–spec fleet (USA, Canada, and sometimes Mexico/Brazil) as slightly over 1,000 units. Not a Canada-only count.
  14. [14] Exterior Color Data - 996 GT3 — Rennlist, 996 GT2/GT3 Forum, member “enthusiast”, 8 February 2007.VIN sample of North American 996.2 GT3s (2004–2005): 393 cars of the ~960 U.S. / ~1,000 NA-spec fleet. Porsche AG does not publish a color census. These are sample counts, not factory production totals.