Porsche people sure do love memorizing numbers; the German automaker almost has its own numerical language. Which 911 is a 991? What’s the difference between a GT2RS and a GT3RS? There are plenty of guides and keys you could look at to figure this out, but Chris Harris’ visual tour of one Porsche barn, in particular, is a fun primer on understanding some nerdery here. Also, there are a lot of cool cars to look at.
Chris Harris, well-known for his automotive journalism profession and current host of BBC’s Top Gear, also does some work for CollectingCars.com. That’s a UK-based enthusiast auction site that seems to be their version of Bring-a-Trailer. Harris also hosts its podcast which I’ve written about before.
But in this video, he’s highlighting a warehouse full of cars that, as of this writing, will soon be auctioned off on the platform. Dubbed the Leonard Collection, it’s full of some choice enthusiast faves that’ll have general car enthusiasts and Porsche worshippers alike salivating all over their keyboards.
There’s a Carrera GT, 996 911 GT3RS, old 911 Carrera Clubsport, two 997 4.0 RSs, and even one of yours truly’s top dream cars, a 993 Carrera RS. I guarantee I’ll never be able to afford one, but hey, a guy can dream. There’s also a fine collection of non-Porsches, like a BMW Z8 and early-’00s Ford GT.
What’s particularly noteworthy about all of them is they all have barely any mileage. Some only have a few hundred miles on their odometers, whereas others are just-about-ready-to-be-cycled-out-of-press-duty-spec, with just a couple thou’.
Going one further, his commentary about each of the rides he says a few words about, is full of quick tidbits about what makes them so special, and a good starting point for anyone who’s interested in learning more. The camera work is also top notch, which would help someone distinguish the differences for their studies. As you can tell, the 996 GT3RS is a 996.2 due to its headlights, and fun fact: it was never sold in the USA; in my opinion its one of the rarest of the lot (or, lots, since they’ll be auctioned off in separate lots).
Check out the video. There’s so much good stuff!
