Buying a 996 is the most affordable route to Porsche 911 ownership. A regular Carrera coupe from 1999 might only cost you $25,000 versus more than $114,000 for its 2023 equivalent. But someone just paid more than ten times the price of even a new Carrera for a 1999 model that had been restored and uprated by Porsche Classic.
Called the Classic Club Coupe, the one-off 996 changed hands for $1.2 million at a Broad Arrow auction held as part of Porsche’s 75th anniversary celebration held at the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
The car had started life as an ordinary well-used 1999 Carrera, but was transformed in a joint project between Porsche’s heritage and restoration arm, Porsche Classic, and Porsche Club of America. The inspiration for the rebuild came from from the 997 Sport Classic, a limited edition retro-themed version of the 911 sold in Europe in 2010, but never offered in North America, and the current 992 Sport Classic, which was still secret from the public at the time of the Club Coupe’s development.
Related: Porsche’s One-Off GT3-Powered 911 Classic Club Coupe Is The Ultimate 996 Factory Restomod
Some of details that set the Club Coupe apart from ordinary production 996s include the Sport Grey Metallic paint with light gray and blue accents, doube-dome roof, Fuchs wheels and a fixed rear spoiler styled after the famous ducktail on the rear of the 1973 Carrera RS. Inside, there’s houndstooth upholstery, an Alcantara headliner and flashes of PCA’s signature Club Blue, plus the latest Porsche Classic Communication Management Plus infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
But the most significant changes lie under the skin, where the stock 3.4-liter flat six was replaced with a 3.8-liter engine from an early 911 GT3. That swap lifted the power output from 296 hp (300 PS) to 381 hp (386 PS), which is routed to the rear wheels through the GT3’s six-speed manual transmission. Sensibly, Porsche opted to transplant the GT3’s brakes and suspension at the same time. Do you think this one-off 996 is worth $1.2 million?
