Like many of the most revered road cars, the first 996-type GT3 RS was conceived as a homologation special to up the ante of 911 Cup Car. The model has certainly taken on a life of its own since then, but the success of subsequent generations has been borne out of the same formula: a more powerful, more track-focused development of the GT3.

Available in any colour, so long as it was Carrera White, the example offered here features a blue racing side script and 18-inch wheels. The exterior is completed by carbon fibre mirrors, with the boot lid and rear wing also constructed from composites. Meanwhile, a pared back cabin houses a rear roll cage plus Recaro bucket seats fitted with Schroth six-point harnesses.

Delivered on 22 May 2004 via official Porsche dealer Giustozzi of Perugia, this GT3 RS remained in Italy over the next decade, with stamps in the accompanying service book reflecting maintenance carried out in Turin and Florence. Then, in May 2015, the car was sold via August SA of Ohain, Belgium to join the Curated Collection.

Complemented by its owner’s guides plus three-spoke airbag steering wheel, this posterchild of modern-classic enthusiast cars displayed 61,279 kilometres at the time of cataloguing.