Cargo Ship Carrying New 911 GT2 RS’ Sinks, Porsche To Resume Production Of Model (Update)

Porsche confirmed our report, saying that it will indeed reproduce the four examples of the 911 GT2 RS that were lost with the cargo ship. Find the official quote at the end of the article. (Update 3/19/2019)

Production of the 911 GT2 RS ended last February, but apparently Porsche is resuming manufacturing (at least a few cars) in order to attend to a handful of customers in Brazil, whose vehicles were lost in a recent shipping accident.

A cargo ship named Grande America sank off the coast of France on March 12 following a fire that broke on one of the containers on deck, taking with it some 2,000 cars. Audi Brazil reportedly confirmed that the ship was carrying a number of A3, A5, Q7, RS4, and RS5 models.

Porsche, however, hasn’t publicly confirmed having cars on the same vessel, but thanks to an anonymous tip, we got hold of a letter sent by Porsche Brazil to a customer, telling them that their 911 GT2 RS can not be delivered due to the accident of the Grande America.

We loosely translated the letter:

”We are sorry to inform you that, due to a fire, a Grimaldi group ship, that was transporting your vehicle, sank on March 12, 2019. And for that reason, your GT2 RS can not be delivered.

 

As you may know, Porsche ended the 991 GT2 RS production on February 2019 and under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be possible to give you another car. But, due to the nature of the situation, and  considering that you’re a loyal and highly valuable customer for our brand, Porsche has decided to resume the GT2 RS production in Germany, and your vehicle will be produced in April, with delivery scheduled for June.

 

We recommend that you contact your local Porsche Center for further information.”

Sources from Brazil mentioned that the cargo ship carried at least four examples of the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, along with few other models, including 718 Caymans and Boxsters, as well as Cayennes.

According to a Porsche spokesperson, Porsche Brasil confirms that 37 of its new cars, in route from Hamburg, Germany to Santos, Brazil, were aboard the vessel Grande America that suffered a maritime incident near the coast of Brest, France, on March 12, 2019. Among the fleet were four 911 GT2RS units.

“In a special decision and to uphold its commitment to its valued Brazilian customers, Porsche has ensured that those units will be reproduced in the order in which they were originally confirmed”, the spokesperson added.