TO FINISH… THE THREE FASTEST 996s

GT3 RS

The plain GT3 is actually heavier than a stock Carrera 2, but not the RS. Weight-savings came from a plastic rear screen, carbonfibre door mirrors, PCCB brakes and a carbonfibre bonnet with a transfer for a badge. Only 200 were made, all white with either red or blue decals and rim centres. It’s even more complete in its abilities than the GT3, despite the lowering and stiffening, making it the sweetest-handling 996 of all. Price-wise the ship has already sailed, with typical examples up for £130k and pristine low-mileage cars knocking on £200k.

Turbo

Twin turbos, four-wheel drive, 450bhp… the 996 Turbo packed a lot in, and it made huge performance more accessible and exploitable than even the previous four-wheel-drive, 408bhp 993 Turbo, itself effectively the successor to the legendary 959, managed to do. Addictively, head-spinningly fast at the time, with astonishing grip and stability, the 996 Turbo was packed with kit and useable every day. It’s perhaps not a purist’s 911, thanks to the mild but obvious turbo lag and steering that’s a bit woolly compared with the best, but still a mighty machine.

GT2

AKA the ‘widowmaker’. On paper, it’s something special: the grunt of the Turbo, and then some, with the dynamic sharpness of the RS and the purity of rear-wheel drive. Yet it never quite hit the mark, one theory being that, wary of its reputation, the UK press office set up the handling to be ‘safe’. So while it was feistier and faster than the Turbo, its handling didn’t live up to its billing, lacking an exploitable balance and engaging steering. And then there was that early reputation for grenading engines. Could the flawed weapon turn out to be a sleeper?