When the Porsche GT3 was launched as a new model in the late 90’s, it was an overwhelming success. All GT3s have since become among the most sought after modern Porsche collectibles. The famous Mezger engines were the foundation of all the 996 and 997 GT3s. This motor is known for being one of the best engines ever built. It is incredibly reliable and able to handle gobs of power. Only 916 997.1 GT3s came to the U.S. and of those, only 47 were in Speed Yellow.
This example was built in February of 2007 and sold new by Blue Grass Motorsports Porsche dealer of Louisville, Kentucky on February 28th, 2007. This example was ordered with the following factory options:
- Sport Seats
- 19” GT3 Wheels
- Fire Extinguisher
- Sport Chrono Package w/o PCM
- Bi-Xenon Headlamp Package
- Speed Yellow
- Carbon Door Sill Model Insignia
- Rear Center Console Painted Exterior Color
- Seat Belts in Speed Yellow
Furthermore, the gauge surround was also painted in exterior color. Also, a carbon fiber upper wing piece was installed and painted yellow on the underside.
The first owner was Mark Buford of Brentwood, TN. He owned the car for over 3-years and added 12k miles. For the majority of the services, he used a local independent specialist. Based on the Carfax® report, it looks like he serviced the car nearly a dozen times. The majority of the services were routine fluid changes and inspections. He did have the A/C system serviced/charged as well as the front crankshaft seal replaced. Mark sold the car in July of 2010 with 12,635 miles to an enthusiast in Charlestown, Indiana. This owner kept the car for 4 years and added another 10k miles. The Carfax® shows 8 services during this time period. Once again, the services looked like routine fluid flushes, oil services, and inspections. Most services were performed at the selling Porsche dealer in Louisville, Kentucky. Just before selling to the next owner, the starter was replaced.
It was then sold in March of 2014 with 22,700 miles to someone from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This owner was the Porsche of Pittsburgh dealer who kept it as a display vehicle for just over a year. They sold it on May 6th,2015 with 26,460 miles to an enthusiast in Solana Beach, California (near San Diego). For the next 5 years/7k miles, this owner serviced the car at local shops in Encinitas, California. In 2019, he installed a fresh set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires (around 33k miles). It was then sold in May of 2020 with 33,935 miles to the next owner in Government Camp, Oregon near the base of Mount Hood.
This owner didn’t drive it much and ended up selling it to a good friend and fellow Porsche enthusiast of ours here in the Los Angeles area. He flew up to Portland at the end of 2020 and did a 1,700-mile road trip with his wife back home. This owner is very handy and enjoys tinkering in his garage. He has a great setup that allows him to do quite a bit of work himself. Plus, he has help from a good friend of his who is also a Porsche tech at the local Porsche dealer. At the beginning of 2021, he performed the following services:
- Oil service
- Spark plugs
- Coil packs inspected
- Air filter
- Clutch safety switch
He gave us the car to sell for him in June of 2021. We quickly sold it to another Los Angeles area enthusiast on June 30th, 2021 with 37,375 miles. Just before selling it, this owner had a pre-purchase inspection (PPI) performed by a local independent specialist. He found the car in great original condition with no serious issues or needs. For the next 15 months and 1,500 miles, this owner used it lightly for local cars & coffee events. He ended up purchasing a home and realized he didn’t use this GT3 as much as he thought and asked us to help find the next caretaker.
Upon receiving the car, we went through our normal inspection and had our local Porsche specialist perform a routine service at the end of 2022 with 39,076 miles. This service included:
- Oil service
- Brake fluid flush
- Air filter & cabin filter
- Fuel filter
- Drive belt
- Full inspection.
Furthermore, a DME report was run showing zeros in all 6 ranges with an average speed of only 32mph over its entire life. The mechanic found the car to be in very good condition with no signs of abuse or damage and generally in very good original condition.
We sold it to another California enthusiast on December 15th, 2022 with 39,284 miles. For the past year, this owner has added just over 2k more miles of fun weekend driving. He did not track it and mostly used it for local cruising and backroad excursions. Jeff Zwart selected this GT3 to be displayed inside one of the main feature areas at the most recent Luftgekühlt Air/Water show on Mare Island in the San Francisco Bay. Also, Larry Chen photographed it for several publications.
During this owner’s time with the car, he certainly brought this GT3 to the next level with the following services:
- New factory steering wheel and shift knob in Alcantera (12/22)
- New trunk switch
- Coolant pipes, clutch/flywheel, and major service (1/23 @39,923 miles)
- Remove engine
- Pin coolant pipes
- Install SharkWerks stainless steel coolant pipes/heat exchangers
- Replace coolant expansion tank
- Coolant system flush
- Replace water pump and thermostat including gaskets
- Oil service (Motul 5W40 – 8.5 liters)
- Original factory coolant hose set
- New lightweight flywheel and clutch kit
- RS pulley with belt
- Crankshaft rear seal
- New spark plugs
- Upgrade to CSF center radiator and hoses
- 4 wheel alignment
- Total service: $15,650
- Refinished wheels in correct factory silver with new center caps (2/23)
- Shark Werks Power Kit for 997 GT3 (3/23)
- New heat shield for muffler
- High flow cotton drop-in panel filter
- Shark Werks muffler bypass system
- CarGraphics 3 piece front bumper radiator screens
- 88mm lightweight stainless steel exhaust tips in black satin ceramic finish
- EVOMSit ECU Tuning with handheld TUNEit module. (passes CA smog)
- New exhaust control solenoid
- Replace side muffler exhaust valves
- Install Function First shift right solution kit
- Suspension tuning and replace parts (5/23 @ 40,339 miles)
- Replace front strut mounts and bearings
- New front drop links and sway bar end links
- 4 wheel alignment
*Earlier this year, he purchased a lightly used set of 997.2 GT3 factory carbon and leather bucket seats, which are available for purchase separately. Seats include the stock leather inserts as well as new custom green tartan inserts by P1 Designs.
This GT3 is in excellent shape and clearly a well-cared-for example. All the metal surfaces are original and wearing their factory paint. It was verified with a paint meter as well. The front bumper was painted in the past and shows hardly any signs of use. The color is slightly darker than the rest of the car. There are minimal flaws on the body. For the miles and age, it’s in superb condition. The glass is in good shape with no cracks and is all original. The proper factory stampings are visible. The windshield has one small chip that’s been repaired and some light road rash. All the exterior lights work. The front right headlight has a broken adjuster with no seal and as a results, the gap at the top is slightly off. However, the light works properly and doesn’t move. The original wheels have recently been refurbished to their correct factory finish and look fresh. They are wearing Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires with more than 50% life on the fronts and between 30-45% life on the rears. They are date stamped at the end of 2018/beginning of 2019 and were installed in 2019. The brakes appear to have around 75% life remaining on the front and about 50% on the rear.
The interior is very clean as well. The original factory leather seats have no tears or rips and some light wear on the exit bolsters. They will be reinstalled for the next owner unless they want to purchase the currently installed carbon bucket seats for an additional fee. The Alcantara finishes on the steering wheel and shifter look new as both parts were recently replaced from Porsche. The carpet looks great with no stains or heavy wear marks. The headliner is in good shape. There are some blemishes where a previously installed roll bar rubbed against it. The door panels show little to no wear as well. The dash has no cracks or other issues. All the gauges work properly. The minute and second hands on the sport chrono clock have fallen off. Also, the driver-side cup holder doesn’t latch in place. The factory radio has been removed and is included with the car. A Bluetooth Kenwood unit has been installed which works great. All the interior lights operate properly as well. The power windows, mirrors, and sunroof all work, and the A/C system blows cold.
The engine compartment, trunk, and underside are in great condition with no signs of corrosion or repairs. It is clear that this example was never abused. The engine area is very tidy with no signs of issues. The hood and deck lid struts work as well as the trunk light.
This 997 GT3 is fantastic to drive. Everything feels tight and responsive. It starts easily and once at operating temperature, it builds revs extremely quickly thanks to the lightened flywheel. That upgrade has really awakened the spirit of this Mezger engine. The transmission shifts smoothly through all the gears with no grinding. The clutch engages properly with no slipping and is even easier to operate than with the stock setup. The brakes have an excellent bite with no fading or pulling. Handling is crisp and responsive with excellent steering feedback. It’s very predictable and anxious to go after any turn with aggression. Yet, it still is fairly compliant on uneven freeway surfaces. Having driven this car several times over the prior years, this is truly the best this car has ever felt.
This GT3 comes with owner’s manuals in vinyl case, original maintenance booklet, 1-key, tools, wheel lock key, tire pressure gauge, tire repair kit, air compressor, original radio, original muffler, original exhaust tips, handheld TUNEit module, and recent service records.
*Vehicle comes with original stock leather/Alcantera seats reinstalled. The factory carbon buckets are available for purchase separately. Buyer of this GT3 has first right of refusal to purchase the carbon seats.**Note: VIN and other numbers withheld to protect against fraud. All numbers including VIN, Engine, and color will be provided to serious buyers.
The specified gallery is trashed.