911 GT3 RS

Make
Porsche
Segment
Coupe

The legendary Porsche 911 has been around since 1963 and there are almost too many variants to count. Even if you only include the ones that are sold today, there are still 20 different models to chose from. It was a daunting task to chose only five of our favorite variants from the 911's illustrious history, but we gave it our best shot. Your favorite 911 may not have made our list, but that doesn't mean we don't love it too. Let us know in the comments what your favorite 911 model is and what you think of our picks for the greatest 911 models in no particular order.

We thought that an easy place to start would be with the most powerful and bonkers 911 that the company has built to date. The 991.2 GT2 RS will outdo this figure, but the 997 model will still hold a special place in our hearts. Porsche only built 131 units of the GT2 RS, which makes it even rarer than the overpriced 911 R. The GT2 RS packed 620 hp from a 3.6-liter flat-six engine with two turbochargers. The car was only available with a six-speed manual transmission which sent power to the rear wheels. This made the GT2 RS a bit of a handful in the wrong hands. This hardcore model is definitely not the 911 to take on a long road trip.

We actually decided to put two 997 variants on this list because we love each of them for similar reasons. The GT2 RS may be the most powerful 911 ever, but the GT3 RS 4.0 is possibly the most unique. The GT3 RS 4.0 used an enlarged version the GT3 RS engine with an impressive 500 hp, which is a ton for a naturally aspirated engine. The car weighed just under 3,000 pounds, which made it extremely good on a track. Like the GT2 RS, the GT3 RS 4.0 only came with a manual transmission. The 4.0 is a very track-focused 911, but many have been parked away in a garage due to their ever-increasing values. It was only around $185,000 new but can now be worth almost $500,000.

Today, Porsche has been tossing turbochargers on almost all of its models. Even the base 718 Boxster and Cayman come with turbochargers. Back in the day, turbochargers were only reserved for the best of the best in Porsche's lineup. The original 911 Turbo was the 930. In the US, the car was referred to as the Turbo Carrera. The original 930 was sold from 1975 to 1977 and came with a 3.0-liter turbocharged flat-six with 260 hp. Power went out to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual transmission. The 930 lived until 1989, but was later upgraded with a 3.3-liter engine (now with 300 hp) and a five-speed manual transmission that was introduced in the car last year.

It may surprise some people to hear that the original 911 actually lasted until 1989 when it was replaced by the 964 generation. There were plenty of variations of the original 911, and our favorite has to be the 2.7 RS. Only 200 examples of this lightweight 911 were ever built, which makes them incredibly valuable today. Compared to a normal Carrera S at the time, the RS had a larger engine with 210 hp, stiffer suspension, larger brakes, a "ducktail" spoiler, and Bosch mechanical fuel injection. Many people attempt to make clones of the 2.7 RS because it is one of the coolest 911 variants ever built.

The 993 generation 911 is often regarded as most people's favorite. This is because it is the most modern 911 model that still keeps the original air-cooled layout. The most special of all 993 models was the GT2. The 993 GT2 produced 430 hp from a 3.6-liter twin-turbo flat-six. The car was built from 1993 to 1998 for homologation requirements, so only 57 were ever built. These cars are incredibly valuable and some have sold for well over $1 million. The 993 may be the most valuable 911 model ever at this point and the GT2 is the best of the best.