10 Of The Rarest Porsche 911s Ever Made

In the six decades since Porsche introduced the 911 the German automaker has produced more than 1.2 million examples of this signature vehicle. This is a testament to this revered sports car's staying power and lends credence to the argument that the Porsche 911 is one of the best German cars in automotive history. 

While it could also be said that every 911 is special in its own way, if the definition of special is tied to rarity, then some 911s are clearly more notable than others. Of the million-plus 911s Porsche has built over the past 62 years, there are instances where just a single version was created. Along with one-offs, Porsche has produced short runs of 15 or 20 remarkable 911s that often become coveted collector items, trading hands for values in the millions of dollars. 

Often the product of Porsche's bespoke Sonderwunsch and Exclusive divisions, these are the kind of exceptional variants that leave enthusiasts salivating. Today, we'll be focused on cars built by Porsche, so aftermarket racing firms or customization houses don't count. From as far back as 1967 up to the current 911 generation, these rare beasts are not necessarily the last word in rarity, but each one definitely qualifies as special. Here are the rarest Porsche 911s.

Running a 2.2L air-cooled flat-six, the 1969 Porsche 911 ST was designed to go racing. Factory modifications included plexiglass windows and swapping steel body panels for units constructed from aluminum and fiberglass-reinforced plastic. Bumper overriders were removed along with auxiliary headlight mounts, chrome cabin trim, sound-deadening materials, and even the passenger-side sun visor in the name of weight savings. Though it was sold as the 911 S to avoid having a new model approved, this car was known internally as the ST, a moniker that has stuck with it.

Porsche sold this 911 configuration as a street-legal Sport Standard Version that could be ordered directly from dealers if you were in the know. Over a three-year production run, the 2.2L mill would increase to 2.5 liters of displacement and wider tires would be fitted. The most potent 911 ST setup, with bespoke intake manifolds, high-lift cams, and dual-ignition systems made 266 horsepower. Only 50 are estimated to have been built, making these original STs one of the rarest Porsche 911 series ever.

The legacy of this remarkable 911 is still felt today, and in 2023 Porsche released a limited edition 911 S/T in honor of the model's 60th anniversary. Only 1,963 examples were built in a nod to the first year of 911 production and this special 911 was all about lightweight purist-centered driving. 

In 1995, McLaren was dominating Le Mans with its mighty F1 GTR, a legendary racer that inspired Porsche to build the 911 GT1, one of the best looking Porsches ever designed. Blending the front end of a 993-generation 911 with the back end of a 962 race car, the 911 GT1 placed second and third at Le Mans the following year with McLaren in fourth and the Porsche WSC-95 Le Mans Prototype in first. That same year, the first two 911 GT1 Strassenversions, or Street Versions, were created.

These two prototypes led the way for the 1997 Porsche 911 GT1 Strassenversion, one of the most intense homologation specials in history that was available for purchase by connected and well-heeled Porsche customers. Featuring 996-generation 911 headlights, these rare 911 GT1 road cars came with a 3.2L twin-turbo flat-six engine making 600 horsepower at 7,200 rpm. Mounted amidships on a tubular chassis, the GT1 was a barely disguised Le Mans track weapon.

Granted, changes were made in the interest of making things street legal like a higher ride height, a softer suspension tune, and a dashboard lifted from the 993 Porsche 911 generation. However, with a starting price of $890,805 — in 1997 — they were certainly reserved for the most serious Porsche fans. Only 21 of these 1997 911 GT1s were made and today the rarity and racing pedigree has driven values up considerably. At the 2017 Amelia Island auction, Gooding & Co. sold one for a cool $5,665,000.

Porsche is an automaker with a history of employees racing. Take Jürgen Barth, who managed the Porsche client racing department in the 1980s, and Roland Kussmaul, a Porsche engineer. Both active rally racers, they returned to work after competing in the 1983 Monte Carlo Rally with an idea for building a short run of Group B Evolution homologation vehicles.

It was well timed as Rothmans, the now defunct cigarette company, was looking to expand its Porsche sponsorship deal beyond the 962 program and into rallying. So, Barth and Kussmaul got to work creating the 1984 911 SC/RS 3.0. Starting with the existing 3.0L SC engine, the compression ratio was bumped from 9.8:1 to 10.3:1, the cast pistons were swapped for forged units, and Porsche 935 cylinder heads with increased valve lift were fitted.

This pushed output up to 255 horsepower, versus 204 in stock SC form, which was more than enough to motivate the revised 911 that was roughly 660 pounds lighter than stock. This trick was accomplished via a full gutting of the cabin, the use of aluminum body panels, and thinner glass throughout. In combination with a host of suspension modifications, the 911 SC/RS 3.0 was a fierce rally competitor, winning the Middle East Championship in 1984 and 1985. 

Only 21 were built and today, these rare Porsche 911s trade hands for upwards of $2,000,000.

Like the modern 911 S/T, the naturally aspirated 500 horsepower 2016 Porsche 911 R and its blend of high performance, lightweight, and small production volume pays tribute to a 911 from the early days — the 1967 911 R. Designed to see what the new sports car was capable of with extreme weight reduction, the R — for racing — variant was the brainchild of Porsche technician and future James Dean mechanic Rolf Wütherich.

Removing 500 pounds from a car that weighed less than 2,300 pounds to begin with certainly qualifies as extreme. To get there, the automaker's experimental department swapped steel body panels for fiberglass units, plastic door hinges were fitted, and unneeded amenities like the ashtray, passenger-side sun visor, and even a pair of gauges were pulled. Of course, the 1967 911 R also had a heavily modified powertrain for the track.

This included the 2.0L 901/22 flat-six engine out of the Carrera 906 with titanium connecting rods and triple Weber carburetors. Making 210 horsepower at 8,000 rpm, the 911 R could go from zero to 60 in 5.9 seconds on to a top speed of 152 mph. Porsche would ultimately make just 19 copies of the 1967 911 R with 15 sold to individual customers and four retained for use in factory-backed racing.

Imagine driving a rear-engine 315 horsepower race car from the 1970s that rides on 11.2" wide rear rubber and features a 10,000-rpm tachometer with no redline. Those are just some of the scary exciting highlights of Porsche's 1974 911 Carrera RSR 3.0, a whale-tailed screamer developed specifically for the International Race of Champions (IROC).

That race series, brought to life by Roger Penske, Les Richter, and Mike Phelps gathered all-star drivers from nearly every motorsports discipline into a winner-take-all competition using identical cars. In year one of the IROC, the 911 RSR 3.0 was that car. Based on the 911 RS 3.0 road car, it boasted widened bodywork and a massive rear spoiler, an air-cooled 3.0L flat-six, and a top speed of 179 mph.

15 identically prepared 911s were built with high-butterfly Bosch mechanical fuel injection, five-speed manual transaxles, cross-drilled brakes all around, and a fully independent torsion bar suspension design. Piloted by legends like Denny Hulme, Richard Petty, and Mark Donohue — who would win the 1974 IROC Championship — these are some of the rarest Porsche 911s in existence. 

Unsurprisingly, getting your hands on one today would require deep pockets given the $742,500 strike price at a Gooding & Co. auction back in 2013.

Currently, Porsche lists 20 distinct 911 variants for sale — including two flavors of the Turbo Cabriolet — but 911 fans didn't always enjoy such an array of choices. The 993 generation, for example, could be had in Carrera spec as a cabriolet and Turbo guise as a coupe but not as a 911 Turbo cabriolet. After seeing the convertible at the 1993 Geneva Auto Show, the owner of MAHAG Porsche in Munich — Fritz Haberl — approached the automaker about producing a turbocharged version.

Porsche agreed to create a limited production run of such a car on the condition that Haberl buy 10 or 12 of them, although the exact figure is a bit of a mystery today. In either case, 14 of these 1995 911 Turbo Cabriolets were manufactured as Mr. Haberl was happy to pay more than double the cost of a standard 993 convertible for the privilege. Porsche Exclusive, the automaker's division dedicated to satisfying VIP whims, set to work and one of the rarest 911s ever was built.

Instead of using the twin-turbo powerplant from the 993 Turbo, these unique convertibles received the 3.6L flat-six with a single turbocharger from the 964-generation 911 Turbo. The RWD configuration was another interesting distinction as the period 911 Turbo was AWD. Making 360 horsepower and 384 lb-ft of torque, the rare 1995 911 Turbo Cabriolet was capable of a 174 mph top speed — although it is unclear whether that can be managed with the top down.

These days, members of the worldwide Porsche Club community of enthusiasts number at least 240,000 across 86 countries. In 1952, however, membership numbered just 13 between two clubs in Germany. To honor those founding members, Porsche created the 911 Club Coupe in 2012 and built just 13 examples. Leaning on the talents of its Porsche Exclusive department, these 911s were all finished in Brewster Green, a favorite color of the Porsche family.

The cabins of these 911s were trimmed in Espresso leather with Luxor Beige contrast stitching, a combination said to be inspired by one of Ferry Porsche's personal cars. Exclusive touches included a trim panel crafted individually for each of the 13 customers granted access to the 2012 Club Coupe. Access which was determined by a lottery system that only Porsche Club members could participate in.

To punch up the performance of these rare 911s, the Carrera S Powerkit was fitted. Featuring modified cylinder heads, upgraded camshafts, and a variable resonance-type intake system, it bumped output up to 430 horsepower. Other unique 2012 Club Coupe touches included 20" SportTechno alloys with Brewster Green accents, the Sport Design body kit and its classic ducktail-style rear spoiler, 911 Club Coupe door badging, and a sports exhaust system with quad outlets.

When the 964 Porsche 911 series debuted in 1989, it boasted a Carrera 4 model with AWD, a Carrera 2 with RWD, and a Turbo variant for 1990. What the 964 generation did not offer, however, was a Turbo Cabriolet. In an attempt to satisfy customers, Porsche did sell a Turbo-look package for the 911 coupe, targa, and convertible that included the Turbo's blistered bodywork, whale tail spoiler, and upgraded chassis components.

However, to appease those fans who demanded a true turbocharged 911 cabriolet, the automaker put its Porsche Exclusive division to work. Pulling six stock convertibles off the assembly line, this team of specialists in Weissach swapped the standard engine for the 3.3L turbocharged M30/69S mill that was upgraded with the X33 S package for a total output of 355 horsepower. Other changes consisted of upgraded Boge struts, beefed-up half shafts, cross-drilled brakes from the Carrera RS, and 17" Cup wheels fitted with Pirelli rubber.

Of the half-dozen 911 Turbo Cabriolets Porsche made in 1993, three were destined for Germany with a left-hand drive layout and the other three were divided between Britain and Australia with right-hand drive. Not surprisingly, this rarity is closely tied together with value as evidenced by the 2018 RM Sotheby's auction where one of these cabriolets, finished in Amethyst Pearl Metallic, sold for nearly $500,000 in 2018.

When it comes to finding the rarest Porsche 911, it's hard to argue with a factory-built example produced in a quantity of exactly one. Though not the only one-off 911, the 1983 Porsche 911 Turbo Strassenversion is arguably one of the most well-known. Referred to as the 935 Street, this rare Porsche was the product of Porsche's Sonderwunsch, or Special Requests, department.

To obtain a car like this, one must be effectively on the Porsche CEO's speed dial list, and back in 1983, Mansour Ojjeh certainly could have been. Owner of investment firm and motorsports sponsor TAG, Mr. Ojjeh was captivated by the 935, one of the most iconic Porsche race cars and its unique slant, or flat, nose front bodywork. Thanks to his connections and open checkbook, Mr. Ojjeh was able to commission the first bespoke car built by Porsche's burgeoning personalization division.

Starting with a Porsche 930 body shell, the 935 Street was filled with racing components like the 3.3L engine from the 934 and of course, the 935-style bodywork. It even had BBS wheels with the same ultra-wide 345/45 VR-spec tires found on the Porsche 935 race car. Referred to as a Porsche 911 Turbo Spezial in original documentation, the one-off 935 street had an exclusive Candy Apple finish to go with its bewinged body and 374 horsepower turbocharged powertrain.

Another one-off Porsche of note is the 2022 911 Sally Special, a vehicle immediately recognizable to fans of the "Cars" animated film franchise. Inspired by the Sally Carrera character from the film, Porsche took a 2022 Carrera GTS with its 479 horsepower powertrain and created a real-life Sally Carrera. In collaboration with Pixar designers from the film studio, Porsche developed the Sally Special with loads of Porsche Exclusive touches.

The most immediately obvious of these is the custom Sally Blue Metallic finish, a color that was carried into the cabin trim pieces and thread for stitching. Tying it back to the 2002 model year 911 that Sally Carrera was based on are the 2022 model year wheels, which were redesigned by the Style Porsche team to flow with the 996 generation look. The Sally Special even sports the film character's 'tattoo' decal hidden beneath the rear spoiler.

Featuring a seven-speed manual transmission in tribute to Sally Carrera's love of driving, the 2022 Sally Special took 10 months to complete. However, perhaps the best aspect of this unique 911 is that every dollar of its $3,600,000 auction price in 2022 was donated to Girls Inc. and USA for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to support children and families. This makes the Sally Special not only one of the rarest, but one of the most heart-warming Porsche 911 variants ever created.