Porsche is one of the biggest names in the world of performance vehicles.
Most famous for the 911, Porsche has developed excellent sports and incredible race cars, winning the Le Mans 24 Hours 19 times in their history.
Some of Porsche’s very best vehicles are also some of the rarest. In this list, we have 24 of those unique cars. Some of these were production cars, while others were to dominate the racetrack.
Porsche 911 ST
One of the rarest forms of the 911, the ST, was in production from 1970 to 1971. Porsche produced only 24 production examples for racing at events such as Daytona, the Targa Florio, and the 1,000 km Nurburgring. Under the hood is a 2.3-liter flat-four with 240 hp and 163 lb-ft of torque.
Porsche 911 GT1 Strassenversion
Porsche built the 911 GT1 in the 1990s to participate in the FIA GT Championship. This led to a street version, with a 542 hp 3.2-liter twin-turbo flat-six powering the car. A six-speed manual transmission ensured it was also a gearhead dream. Porsche made just 22 Strassenversions.
Porsche 914/8
The 914/8 is one of the most exclusive Porsches ever made. Porsche made two for their family members, and they had a six-cylinder engine under the hood. The 914/8s also differed, with one in red and one in silver. The latter has more refined handling to create a better sports car.
Porsche 550 RS Spyder
One of the rarest Porsches today, the 1956 550 RS Spyder, was also the first purpose-built race car in the Porsche lineup. Steel and aluminum formed the construction of the 550 RS, and under the hood sat a 1.5-liter 110 hp flat-four. Few examples remain, and one sold for over $6 million at the Goodwood Revival Bonhams Auction in 2016.
Porsche 718 RS60 Werks
Porsche would evolve the 550 RS Spyder to become the 718 RSK series. The RS60 was a select version, with just four in total produced, and they raced for only a couple of seasons. Drivers like Stirling Moss, Graham Hill, and Jo Bonnier would all drive the RS60. One sold at RM Sotheby’s in 2019 for $5,120,000.
Porsche 935 Strassenversion
Easily one of the rarest Porsches, only one road-legal 935 Strassenversion has ever existed. Based on the 930 Turbo 911, this remarkable Group 5 racer produces 740 hp from its 2.9-liter turbocharged flat-six, a de-tuned version of a race engine. The styling also led to a “slant nose” option for the 930.
Porsche 911 993 Project Gold
Another one-off, the 993 Project Gold, came from the people at Porsche Classic. A 993 shell was at the Zuffenhausen factory, so in 2018, the Porsche Classic division took the body to build a commemoration of 70 years of Porsche sports cars. A gold paint job is on the exterior, with the wheels and exhaust tips in black gloss. Powering it is a 430 hp 3.6-liter turbocharged flat-six, the same engine in the standard 993 Turbo S.
Porsche 911 964 Speedster Widebody
The 1989 964 Speedster pays homage to the original and classic 356 Speedster. Porsche produced 936 964 Speedsters, making them rare on their own. But they went one better and produced 15 wide body versions as well. Powering the widebody is a 3.6-liter flat-four engine with 250 hp, good enough for a top speed of 162 mph.
Porsche 993 Turbo S
While the modern-day 911 Turbo S is firmly part of the standard Porsche range, back in the 1980s, it was in an exclusive club. The 993 Turbo S’s production run was just 345 units, with a twin-turbo boxer engine forming the powertrain. Their rarity ensures they can sell for well over $200,000.
Porsche 911 993 Speedster
Also part of the 993 generation, Porsche’s Exclusive division created the ultra-rare 993 Speedster. Based on the 993 Carrera 2, only two have ever existed, with one built for a Porsche designer. Powering the Speedsters is a 272 hp 3.6-liter flat-six engine with an impressive 164 mph top speed.
Porsche 924 Carrera GTS
Easily one of the coolest Porsches ever made, the 924 GTS was a homologation special of the 924 Carrera GT. Porsche uprated the 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four to 245 hp, and the optional Clubsport package elevated it to 270 hp. The 0-62 mph time was a sprightly 5.2 seconds.
Porsche 968 Turbo S
Just 14 examples of the transaxle 968 Turbo S have ever existed, and it was a street-legal version of the 968 Turbo RS ADAC GT Cup car. It shared the same engine as the 968 Clubsport, but with only two valves per cylinder and not the usual four. The engine delivered 305 hp, enough for a top speed of 174 mph.
Porsche 911 SC/RS
The 911 SC/RS is a Porsche rally car, and the 911 SC engine provides its power. However, Porsche tuned it in the SC/RS to 250 hp, which turned the sports car into a lightweight rocketship. Porsche produced just 20 expensive examples, costing $66,000 at the time. It was a successful car, claiming 14 victories and a further 18 podiums during its rally career.
Porsche 356 America Roadster
The 356 America Roadster was a request by importers from the United States, creating a lightweight version of the regular 356. The new Roadster had a hand-built aluminum body and a ridiculously low weight of just 1,333 lbs. While it only had a 70-hp four-pot boxer engine under the hood, that made the Roadster good enough for 109 mph.
Porshe 911 991 Club Coupe
While not the most exotic 911 worldwide, the 991 Club Coupe is rare. Based on the 991 Carrera S, it came in a limited run of 13 units, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the first Porsche club. Power came from the Carrera S with the Sport Chrono package, the 3.8-liter flat-six producing 424 hp.
Porsche 911 993 Turbo Cabriolet
Another Porsche Exclusive product is the 14 993 Turbo Carbiolets. These were requests from customers to remove the fixed head from the coupe and create a folding soft-top version. Under the hood, however, was a 964 3.6-liter turbocharged flat-six with 385 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque.
Porsche 924 Carrera GTR
A brutal and exclusive Porsche, the manufacturer made just 17 road-going cars, yet nine raced at Le Mans. The talking points were the new 935 disc brakes, a five-speed transmission, and a 375 hp2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four engine, while the race versions had a more powerful engine with 180 hp. The Carrera GTR had a dizzying top speed of 180 mph.
Porsche 911 964 Carrera 4 Liechtbau
The Carrera 4 Liechtbau is the most exclusive Porsche RS model and one of the best thanks to the 300-hp 3.6-liter flat-six. Unused components from the 953 Paris-Dakar program were also used in the 964 Leichtbau, creating a limited run of just 22 vehicles that also had all-wheel drive.
Porsche 911 R
Porsche wanted to build a 911 that was a pure racing machine for both the track and rally stages. This led to the 911 R, with 23 in total produced, but only 19 were street-legal road versions. The road-going 911 Rs had a 210 hp flat-six under the hood, taken directly from the 906 race car. The 911 R remains the lightest 911 ever made, weighing just 1,764 lbs.
1979 Porsche 935
The 935 was one of the most dominant cars in GT racing history, as it swept aside all competition in the late 1970s. Chassis #009-0030 would succeed greatly, taking second overall at the 1979 Le Mans 24 Hours. Another 935 would also win the race; the flat-six engine produced close to 600 hp. To this day, it remains one of the defining GT racers of the 1970s.
Porsche 917K
When people think about Porsche and Le Mans, the 917K is one of the cars that instantly comes to mind. Chassis #917-024 is perhaps the most famous of them all. It raced at just one race, the 1969 1,000 km of Spa, before Steve McQueen revived it to become the star car of Le Mans. Porsche’s 917s would take the first-ever victory for the marque at Le Mans in 1971, repeating it in 1971.
Porsche 356B Abarth Carrera GTL
In the 1960s, Fiat’s tuning division, Abarth, worked on various vehicles to build their portfolio. One was a Porsche 356B Carrera, for which the manufacturer requested a lightweight body kit. Carlo Abarth came up with one of the most beautiful-looking Porsches of all time, and it had the speed to go with it by winning its class at the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans.
1985 Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar
Porsche’s 959 Paris-Dakar is one of the rarest of all Porsches. When launched in the 1980s, it was the fastest street-legal production car in the world, topping out at 197 mph. Remarkably, it never raced in its intended Group B rally series. But after Porsche finished it, the 959 was too heavy compared to its main rival, the Lancia Delta Integrale. Plus, the Group B rally category had ceased to exist. However, it competed in the 1985 Paris-Dakar Rally, providing the building blocks for the later 959s that won the 1986 event.
1982 Porsche 956 C
Another Porsche prototype, only 10 956 Cs have ever existed. But they achieved immense success, with chassis #956-00e winning events at Spa, Fuji, Kyalami, and Brands Hatch. It would also add to Porsche’s Le Mans win tally, taking an overall victory at the 1983 running of the endurance race. A 2.65-liter turbocharged flat-six engine with 620 hp sat in the heart of the sports car.
