Good Buy/Bad Buy: The Tale of 2 Porsche GT1s

The Porsche 911 GT1 StraßenversionPorsche 911 GT1Germany, 1998 > present2 photos
(street version in English) is one of the most special and rare super cars of the 90s. It comes from the period when teams were required to build 25 production versions of their racecars for homologation. This led to the Porsche 911 GT1, Mercedes-Benz CLK GTRMercedes-Benz CLK-GTRGermany, 1998 > 19995 photos
, McLaren F1 GTRMcLaren F1 GTRUnited Kingdom, 1995 > present5 photos
and Dodge ViperDodge Viper Gen.2United States of America, 1996 > 20023 versions
4 photos
GT2.

Now, two Porsche 911 GT1s have come up for sale on separate sides of the world. RM Auctions will sell one at its auction in Monterey, California, on August 18, and the DuPont Registry lists one for sale in Monheim, Germany. From the information given, it appears that one of these cars is a significantly better purchase than the other one. What do you think?

First let's look at the history of the GT1 in general. Just 25 of them were made, and they were all very close to their racing counterparts. The GT1 used the 3.2-liter, twin turbocharged, liquid-cooled flat six engine from the Porsche 962. The racing version produced 592hp, but the street version with the same engine was detuned to 537hp to meet emissions regulations. The car weighed 1,150kg, accelerated to 100km/h in 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 191mph. The cars were only sold in Europe. 

The car that RM is auctioning was built in January 1998 and delivered later that year to its buyer in Germany. It was bought by the current owner in 2003 and imported into the US under the "Show and Shine" rule that allows usually illegal cars in the US to be imported and driven no more than 2,500 miles in a 12-month period. RM claims it is the only 911 GT1 legally registered in the US. When the current owner bought it, the car had been driven 7,100km. It has been well maintained and in 2010 received new valve cover gaskets, O-rings, radiator fans, and low-speed fan resistors. Now the car has 7,180kms on it. It comes with all of the original manuals and tool kit. It is estimated to sell for between $1,250,000 and $1,400,000.

The car in Germany has just completed maintenance from the Porsche factory and has 4,900kms on it. It is on sale for $2,325,000. That is all that is listed about the car.

The entire ad says: "Porsche GT1 Strassenversion. Rarely does this amazing car come to market. Unique opportunity to own Porsche's REAL supercar. This one owner car is the last of the 20 (sic) street versions to leave the factory and has just completed a return home to the Porsche factory for a complete service. Just 4900 kms and in museum condition. The car is located in Monheim Germany and available for inspection.” 

Even going from just this information, you get a car with 30% fewer miles for about twice the price, if RM's estimate is correct. Also for buyers in the US, the RM car is already legal in the US, and the GT1 does not meet the 25-year registration exemption in the US yet. The RM car seems to be the better buy. 

Source: Motor Authority, DuPont Registry, and RM Auctions