These days, any Porsche is a hot commodity. Still, limited-production models are particularly desirable, like the 1995 993 RS ClubSport recently for sale on eBay in Miami, Fla.
A Popular Porsche
Porsche fandom is at an all-time high. The recent Rennsport Reunion - opens in new window or tab. event in northern California sold more than 90,000 tickets. It’s hard to imagine another brand that could attract that kind of audience.
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The 993 generation of the iconic Porsche 911 - opens in new window or tab. was built between 1994 and 1998. It represents the final generation of air-cooled models, a demarcation that concerns purist Porsche collectors greatly (with pricing to match).
As the final luftgekühlt (air-cooled) series, it also represents the pinnacle of the traditional 911, which had 40 years of history at that point. It’s a perfect blend of traditional values and modern performance that doesn’t feel outdated 30 years later.
The Many Moods of the 993
993 Porsches came in a wide variety of flavors, with the standard Carrera being a naturally aspirated, rear-wheel-drive layout in either fixed-roof, open-top Cabriolet - opens in new window or tab., or retractable-roof Targa body styles. A Carrera 4 - opens in new window or tab. model added all-wheel drive for extra grip, while a Turbo model had a wider body, forced induction, and over 100 more horsepower.
Porsche also offered the Carrera S and 4S, which used the Turbo wide-body shell with a naturally aspirated engine. Prices for these cars have risen to lofty levels in the past decade.
The Turbo S eked out even more horsepower: 424 in US spec. Then there was the Carrera RS, a lightweight variant of the Carrera for hardcore drivers. Above that was the GT2, a road-legal racing version of the Turbo stripped of the heavy all-wheel-drive system and other amenities, of which only 57 were built.
Add to this mix year-by-year improvements that squeezed out a few extra horsepower here and there, rare color combinations, and oddball concoctions like Turbo Cabriolets ordered through the Porsche Exclusiv build program. There’s a dizzying array of rarity for the aficionado to obsess over.
240 Pounds Lighter
On top of all that, Porsche made a limited run of ClubSport models of its top racing variants. Take, for example, the 993 RS Clubsport like the one for sale.
The “standard” Carrera RS (Rennsport, which means “racing” in German), already had lightweight pistons and rocker arms, larger-diameter intake valves, a variable-length intake manifold, and dual oil coolers - opens in new window or tab. on its 3.8-liter flat-six good for 296 horsepower.
However, the RS’s true claim to fame was its weight-saving measures, such as removing the rear seats, thinner glass, and sound-deadening material. In total, the RS dropped more than 240 pounds from the Carrera. With stitch welding and braces to stiffen the chassis, a stiffer suspension, larger brakes, and improved gear ratios, it was a seriously honed track machine.
The ClubSport went even further, removing the carpet, radio, climate control system, and power windows while adding a welded roll cage - opens in new window or tab. for safety and stiffness. Porsche also threw in a deeper chin spoiler - opens in new window or tab. and larger rear wing - opens in new window or tab. for aerodynamics. Just 227 Porsche RS ClubSports were built, but that’s a veritable ocean compared to the only 20 examples of the GT2 ClubSport.
With so few examples of the Porsche 993 GT2 ClubSport trading, it’s difficult to pin down a value, but estimates hover near $2 million. With that in mind, the RS ClubSport that was offered on eBay in Guards Red is a relative bargain for $365,000.
It might not be the ultimate model, but plenty of Porsches have sold for eye-watering prices due to other rarity factors, like paint and option combos. One of 227 is still hen’s teeth, considering Porsche sold over 68,000 993 models, plus the fact that it was never sold in the US (this is a German import). The price will never be this low again.
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