When the ALMS merged with Grand Am, ending with the 2013 Petit Le Mans, it also signaled the end of the 997 chassis' use in competition. 2013 wasn't a pretty year for the GT3 RSR in North America, as the balance of performance proved a bit unwieldy, and the competition got the long ends of many sticks. The "big one" at Baltimore didn't do Porsche any favors either, as all three of the teams running GT3s were taken out in one fell swoop.

With the 991 RSR now out and winning in a big way, the 997 generation car has been relegated to mothballs. It's no longer useful to CORE, and it has since been sold off. It would appear that ZSA Motorsport now has the car, and they're offering this 997 RSR for sale on eBay . The car they are selling, so they claim, is the "last 997 RSR ever built" (WP0ZZZ99ZCS799912), and was originally purchased by Flying Lizard Motorsports for use in the 2012 season, making its debut at the "wheels down winter test" in February 2012 at Sebring.

The 2012 season was a rough one for FLM, only managing a single victory at Lime Rock Park in July, and muddling along, struggling for most of the year. This chassis, driven by Jorg and Patrick, occasionally joined by Marco Holzer, contested Sebring, Le Mans, and Petit in 2012, and the rest of the ALMS season, providing it with history, but not victory. At the end of a season that resulted in a disappointing 4th in class, #799912 was sold off to CORE Autosport to see if they could manage any better. Flying Lizard, for 2013, moved to the GTC category, using the much less expensive GT3 Cup to much better result.

CORE received the car early enough to prepare it, and themselves, for the 2013 season, starting with Monterey. Their choice of a 997 RSR was important, in that it came with the use of Patrick Long for the season. Long would later become one of the team's largest proponents, arguing for CORE to run the 2014 factory RSR team. Even with CORE's now notorious ability to prepare a car, their RSR was only able to claim a pair of podium positions, though the season did allow them to become acclimatized to the "Porsche way". The car was completely written off in the Baltimore crash, and before the dust had even settled, CORE had already made the call to Germany, ordering their last 997 RSR tub in order to have the car ready for the next race at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas.

This tub, then, is less than a year old, and ZSA claims to have "nut-and-bolted" the car, completely disassembling it and reassembling it in perfect order. It isn't often that anyone is offered a nearly-brand new RSR, especially in the much wider 2012/2013 specification, and now is your chance to buy one. Whether your aim is to compete internationally in GT2/GTE events, to be a master of the vintage racing scene, or to absolutely own your next Porsche Club DE, this RSR is just begging you to key in a bid.

ZSA has set the bidding to start at 375 grand, and though there are no bids currently placed, don't expect this deal to last for very long. The car in question has a long history at the hands of pro drivers, and has been developed by two of the top teams in the Porsche world. The car includes a huge spares package, capable of running the car for a number of years competitively. The complete package is said to have well over a million dollars invested, and it is easy to see where the money went.

This is a well prepared car, and if it goes for anywhere near the starting bid, it will be the bargain of the century.

From the ad:

This is the ex-#45 Flying Lizard Motorsport (2012) and ex-#06 Core Autsport (2013) ALMS Porsche RSR; Factory car; never owned privately, always owned by Porsche Motorsport, driven by Patrick Long , Michael Christiansen ; This is a different car than the #44 customer RSR we sold a few months ago. New retail was over $650,000 plus a ton of options, Metalore axles, ADL3 etc. etc. Well over a $1mil in the car by the FLM and Core squads. RSR suspension; Sach4ways; Metalor Axles; ADL3; Traction control. 2013 latest 4.0liter spec motor with 15 hours on motor and trans. huge spares package massive, about $90,000 value; about 200 hours of custom interior development done by Core Autosports and Porsche motorsports; new chassis as of post-Baltimore 2013, all new bodywor work Was the factory car, driven by Long and Christiansen, it has significant pedigree and heritage and is the last 997 RSR. SInce purchasing the car directly from Porsche Motorsports, its only been driven at one event by a gentlemen driver, no issues or problems. flawless operations. The car has the Teves Race ABS configurable system install. This was an $11000 option; The car is fully prepped, just set down and re-set up for Lime Rock. new fluids, nut and bolted and ready to go on track. The spares package is extensive. Email or call for more details on the car or the spares package listing. The other #44 Ex-FLM RSR we had sold in about 1 week given its rarity and exceptionalism. This ex-45 car is even that much nicer, more rare, and was the factory car making it that much more valuable. It has been fully nut and bolted, aligned, new fluids and is ready to go on track. We will spend a full day with the new shop/owner walking them through the car, setup, technologies. You can see some flickr photos here by searching for the following set# 72157637945830923 (ebay strips out flickr links sometimes) View the original advertisement and more pictures on eBay email: steve 'at' zsamotorsport 'dot' com or call 201 602 8272

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Source: [Hooniverse.com via eBay ]