The 992 generation GT3 is the current pinnacle of the 911 range. First impressions of this beast from behind the wheel are pretty much what you would expect. However, at this point in time, actually putting one in your garage is almost impossible even if you have serious money to spend.
Wealthy buyers who have been active in the Porsche community for a while already know that buying a GT series car isn’t just about having the cash. However, if this is your first time jumping into 911 ownership and you want “the best one,” here is the cold-hard reality of scoring an allocation for the current GT3. As a professional car shopper, I’ve successfully secured GT3 allocations for a few clients. I’ve been able to do this through a combination of connections and luck...but mostly luck. Here the obstacles a new GT3 customer will probably encounter.
First, there are likely to be fewer of them this time around. Due to the microchip shortage and other COVID-related factors production is going to be limited. I’ve had several conversions with multiple Porsche dealers in various areas of the county about GT3 allocations, they are telling me that getting a “standard” 911 is super difficult and they have gotten word from Porsche corporate to expect fewer sports cars in general. Dealers get a distribution of 911 allocations throughout the year, the bulk of these will be the standard Carerra and Carerra S models, within that grouping there will be a handful of Turbos and then a few GT series cars. Larger dealer groups that sell in higher volumes will get a bigger pool of cars and therefore more GT3s. Though it seems that everyone will have their total allocations reduced until the supply chain issues are worked out.
Dealers that will get GT3s are going to prioritize their local clients that are either current GT series owners or other high-dollar clients. Most of the folks that bought a previous generation GT3 put themselves on the waitlist for this car before the model even existed. So your best chance of getting a GT3 is to already have bought one. Your next best shot is to have purchased or leased several cars from the same store. If neither one of those apply, the likelihood of an allocation is reduced dramatically. Most dealers will be happy to put you on a “waitlist” for a spot, but you will want to know where you stand on the list. If you are number ten and the store is only likely to get four or five cars over the course of the year, don’t get your hopes up. It is usually worthwhile getting on several dealers’ waitlists in case someone drops out of their order and an opportunity arises. I’ve spoken with a few dealers who are telling buyers that while the customer won’t get this year’s round 992 GT3s by being on the list now, increases their chances for the cars made the following year.
There may be a way to skip the line, but it’s going to cost you. Some dealers will prioritize today’s top dollar over repeat business, meaning that the allocations will go to the person willing to pay the most. In many cases, this can mean a premium upwards of $50,000 over the MSRP of the car. Porsche corporate isn’t thrilled about this practice. However, even if you are willing to spend over sticker, that still doesn’t guarantee you the car.
So what should you do if you have GT3 dreams but don’t have the ownership history or want to pay the markup? My solution is not the one most people want to hear. First, be honest with yourself as to why you want a GT3. Is this a car to enjoy as a daily driver or is it a track weapon? If you are in the first camp, buy any 911 you can get. Even a “base” Carrera is still a fantastic car and way more livable on normal roads compared to the extreme GT3. If you are looking for a track toy, do you have the training and skill to capitalize on the GT3s engineering? We are not born as racecar drivers, so rather than spending $180,000 or more on a GT3, perhaps a better investment is a used 911 and some professional instruction.
Updated 3/4/22 with new details.