Porsche 911 GT3 Track-Day Special Now on Hemmings Auctions

This 2004 Porsche 911 GT3 might be one of the most track-focused specials ever to come from a company that has dedicated the past 76 years to creating the perfect sports car.

Porsche is known for creating drivers’ cars and the most recognized driver’s car among every product they peddle is the 911, a model that has been thrilling drivers—and winning races—for 60 years now. There have been eight generations of the venerable sports car with more than 1.2 million sold. Among the most thrilling and dialed-in of all the 911 variants is the GT3, which first debuted in the U.S. for the 2004 model year on the updated 996 platform.

Featuring significantly more power, a sharper suspension package, and other details to make it faster around a race track, the GT3 was based on the late 1990s Porsche Supercup race series. One of just 958 examples produced for the U.S. market, this 2004 Porsche GT3 now listed on Hemmings Auctions appears to be an excellent example of the most track-focused Porsche 911 of the era.

Porsche 911 GT3 Exclusive 3.6-liter Flat-Six

At the heart of this GT3 is a factory hot-rodded version of the company’s water-cooled, 3.6-liter flat-six. In the standard 911—which was no slouch—the 3.6-liter engine was rated at 320 horsepower at 6,800 rpm, with a 7,300-rpm redline. Porsche engineers went to town when building the GT3’s mill. While the regular car had a bore and stroke of 96 mm and 82.8 mm, respectively, the GT3’s specs were 100 mm x 76.4 mm, resulting in 4 cc additional displacement. Lightweight engine internals, such as titanium connecting rods, shorter pistons, and lighter valve tappets, allowed Porsche to skip the installation of a vibration damper on the crankshaft, further reducing rotating mass. Compression ratio was listed at 11.7:1.

For the 2004 GT3 in the U.S., Porsche rated the engine at 381 horsepower at 7,400 rpm, with a redline at a screaming 8,200 rpm. Even torque was rated higher in the sportiest version of the 911 at 284 lb-ft, some 11 lb-ft greater than the standard 911. Magazine road tests of the day reported 0-60 mph acceleration at a formidable 4.0 seconds and the quarter-mile at 12.3 seconds at 118 mph. For a normally aspirated car whose specialty was getting around a race track with left and right turns as opposed to the straight line of a dragstrip, those numbers still impress 20 years later. More impressively, from the driver’s perspective, was a more immediate throttle response.

GT3 Specific Six-Speed Manual

As a proper sports car, a six-speed manual was the only transmission offered in the GT3.
Just like the engine, the gearbox was built different than the six-speed of the standard 911. With stronger internals overall, fourth and fifth gears were shorter and third through fifth featured steel synchros rather than brass ones for long-term durability. Engineers also saw fit to include a transmission-oil cooler as well, given the tendency for a gearbox to experience high temperatures when pushed at the track. For the guy changing gears, a short-throw linkage added to the GT3 experience.

Porsche 911 GT3 Dedicated Suspension

While the suspension was similar to the standard 911’s fully independent MacPherson struts up front with a multi-link rear, the GT3’s components and specification were geared more toward better lap times than overall touring comfort. Both the spring stiffness and shock specs were changed from the regular car, resulting in a machine “carefully configured for optimum driving characteristics,” according to the Porsche literature of the day. Even the suspension mounts were specific to the GT3, in some cases directly mounted to “eliminate elasticity and ensure much more accurate wheel location.” The rack-and-pinion steering was also tuned specifically for the GT3, which has been especially noted for its superb steering feel and feedback.

Upgraded brakes were also part of the GT3’s comprehensive glow up for track use. Six-piston calipers up front clamped down on massive 13.78-inch vented, cross-drilled rotors and four-piston calipers did the same on the similarly vented and cross-drilled 12.99-inch rotors on the rear axle. Eighteen-inch light alloy wheels, 8.5 inches wide in front and 11 inches at the rear, were part of the package along with sticky summer-only high-performance tires to match.

Unique Looks of the Porsche 996 GT3

Hotter Porsche 911 variants have never been known for their outrageous looks (beyond perhaps the slantnose 935 racer from the 1970s) deviating too far from the standard car, and the GT3 carried on that tradition. Sitting approximately 1.2 inches lower than the 911 Carrera, the GT3 featured a massive fixed wing at the rear, along with unique side skirts and bumpers at both ends. The car retained its distinctly 911 looks, obvious to any casual or serious observer.

That first 996 GT3 sold in the U.S. quickly garnered a reputation as a capable track machine, and a decent back-road companion. Of course, it isn’t a car for everyone, as the stiff suspension is not the most forgiving on less than perfect roads. Likewise, with a short shift and steel synchros on a close-ratio gearbox, it’s setup for track domination, not commuting.

2004 Porsche 911 GT3 on Hemmings auctions

This 2004 Porsche 911 GT3, now listed on Hemmings Auctions, showed just 34,338 miles at the time of submission and looks to have been owned by an enthusiast, with a handful of mods focused on the car’s performance. Finished in Arctic Silver Metallic over black leather at the factory, the 3,043-pound sports car has been updated with a front bumper from a GT3 RS and black vinyl stripes that run the length of the car in the center. Three CSF aluminum radiators have been installed and the center radiator has been flipped to make better use of the airflow from the RS’s bumpers vents. Clear paint protection film has been applied to “vulnerable areas.”

Other focused upgrades include the installation of shift cables from a Porsche 996 Cup car and a Function-First Shift-Right kit. Transmission mounts were sourced from a later 997 GT3 and engine mounts from the earlier 964/993 were also used. Adjustable rear toe links from Tarrett Engineering allow for even more precise adjustments in the handling department. The big Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires are freshly mounted, showing 2023 and 2024 date codes.

According to the dealer who is offering the vehicle on consignment, the car is in “pristine condition” and is “a joy to drive.” While we’d love to get behind the wheel, we’re happy to share the listing. Take a look at this 2004 Porsche 911 GT3 at Hemmings Auctions and ask yourself: Where would I like to drive this car? Or perhaps, what track would I like to dominate with this car? Let us know in the comments here or on the listing.

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