Description:

Highest specs 993 GT2, one of 6 cars built by Roock 

GT2 Class winner at the 1999 Daytona 24h

Last aircooled 911 to score a major international victory

This breathtaking 993 GT2, built in 1998, has the Porsche shell number 0480053, which designates a bare 993 GT2 EVO chassis. For the aforementioned reasons, it did not receive a 17-digit chassis number and was instead given a Roock number: 98 RST 530 003. The car was sold new in September 1998 to David Warnock, an English property tycoon with a passion for racing. He set up an endurance racing project with Cirtek's Rob Schirle, driving GT2 Mustangs built by Saleen. Following Saleen's cars withdrawal from Le Mans in 1998, Warnock joined forces with Roock and raced one of their 993 GT2s to a promising 22nd place. Impressed by the Roock car, Warnock immediately ordered one to compete in the British GT Championship instead of his Saleen. At this time, Roock was further developing the cars, and a joint venture was created between Cirtek and Roock, whereby Cirtek modified and seam welded the chassis and modified the roll cage. Warnock received his new car just in time for the FIA GT race at Donington on 22 September, and he scored two podiums in GT2, with two seventh places overall in the last two races of the British GT. His co-driver was still Cirtek's boss, Rob Schirle.

The car’s racing glory came from the 1999 Daytona 24 Hours. With a field of 78 cars, including Prototypes, the car was entered under the Roock name with the number 83, but was jointly operated by Cirtek. It was driven by André Ahrlé, Hubert Haupt, Raffaele Saguioli, and its owner, David Warnock. It qualified at an impressive 28th place. In GT2, the real opposition didn’t come from the other 13 993 GT2s, but from the ORECA Viper factory car and the two Pratt & Miller Corvette C5Rs. The Viper retired at night after a collision, and the C5Rs were plagued by transmission and engine issues. However, the #2 C5R still led the GT2 class by fourth lap, five hours before the finish and the other 993 GT2 in third place already 15 laps behind our car. Three hours before the end, the leading Corvette began consuming an enormous quantity of oil. It had to reduce its pace and visit the pits frequently, which offered the lead to our car. With heavy rain and no real competition in the last two hours, it was decided to reduce the pace and simply bring it home to secure an amazing GT2 victory. RST 530 003 crossed the finish line at an impressive 7th position overall and 1st in GT2. This is not only the sole 993 GT2 to have ever beaten both the factory Corvettes and Vipers, but it also scored the last victory for an air-cooled 911 in a major endurance race.

For the 1999 season, it was entered into the British GT Championship for Warnock and Schirle. From the third round onwards, however, they switched to the GT1 category, driving a Lister Storm. The 993 GT2 has since been loaned to Cirtek,  Charlie Cox and Jonathan Baker finished the 1999 British GT in it, and it made an appearance in the FIA GT at Donington, finishing 13th. It did a few rounds of the British GT in 2000 and the FIA GT at Zolder. In June 2001, it was sold to Phil Hindley of Tech 9, who raced it three times in the British GT. In 2002, it was sold to Neil Gatt of the famous R.E.D. Rally Team. Gatt used it for track days and raced it once at Oulton Park in the Michelin Porsche Open Series in 2003. Colin McRae, a friend of Gatt, also drove it once at Oulton Park.

In 2007, Gall consigned the glorious GT2 for sale at Okfields, where it was purchased by a French collector. The car was then serviced and cosmetically restored to the 1999 Daytona historical decoration scheme. In 2011, it was sold via Art & Revs to Hubert Haupt, one of its Daytona drivers, who commissioned Michael Roock to carry out an unrestricted restoration. Between 2012 and 2014, all the mechanical components were restored, and in 2018, the bodywork was stripped to bare metal and carbon in order to make it race-ready and present it in immaculate condition. Invoices totalling €237,000 were issued for these works. Haupt used the car twice for private testing, but never raced it in vintage events. In 2014, it was exhibited at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, accompanied by a large photograph of the car in the back ground on the Victory Lane at Daytona, thereby acknowledging its significant historical importance.

The RST 530 003 is a race-ready car in fabulous condition. It was recently serviced and completed a 10-lap shakedown to ensure it was in perfect working order. It comes with an impressive history file, and, very importantly, it still bears its 1999 Daytona scrutineering tag, the 1998/99 FIA GT plumbing and 2000 FIA GT sticker on the roll cage.

This fabulous 993 GT2 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a historically significant Porsche, as well as one of the fastest example ever built of the EVO Roock. It would satisfy the most demanding Porsche collector or racer.

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