The first Porsche to wear the GT3 badge debuted in 1999. The goal was to build off of the success of the previous generation’s 993 Carrera RS. The new GT3 was based off of the newly introduced watercooled generation 996 and offered improvements over the standard 911 such as a stiffer chassis, sportier suspension, rear seat delete, and a mezger-designed engine that made about 355hp.

The same type of improvements happened to the 997, 991, and 992 generations. With each succeeding iteration being more aggressive and motorsport-inspired than the last. By the 992 generation, the GT3 was all the way up to 500 hp. Ground-breaking changes aren't typically the Porsche way, rather incremental improvements over the decades. However, for the 992 Porsche introduced an all-new upgrade that would really allow the GT3 to shine, that being the double wishbone front suspension, which is the first time it has been introduced on a road-going 911. This unlocked many different suspension set up options that could be exploited on a race track and proved how far Porsche is willing to go to continue to evolve the GT3 and increase its performance ceiling.

Ever since the 991 generation, when Porsche threatened to kill off the manual GT cars, their popularity has skyrocketed. A strong % of buyers for new and used GT cars will only accept a third pedal. This has made the wait time for a new one well over a year out and even if you're patient, the ‘additional dealer mark-up’ has rubbed many buyers the wrong way, nudging them towards lightly used models, like the 992.1 GT3. This perfect storm means acquiring any good modern manual GT car, new or used, is an incredibly tall task.