Four free Porsche 911 GT2 RS cars up for grabs

When an Italian cargo ship loaded with tonnes of sulphuric and hydrochloric acid caught fire and sank off the coast of France, the 2000 luxury cars on board also sank to a watery grave.

Such events are not unprecedented and insurance companies normally cover the losses.

However, in the case of the Grande America vessel, it was carrying four examples of the rare and expensive Porsche 911 GT2 RS.

If you had the equipment and courage, there's a slim chance you could descend 15,000 feet below the ocean surface, roughly 140 nautical miles off the coast of Brest, and retrieve a few of the limited-edition GT2s — or what’s left of them.

Originally destined for owners in Brazil, the four range-topping Porsche 911 GT2 RS supercars – each priced at $645,000 in Australia — are powered by 3.8-litre twin-turbo boxer engines that belt out stellar performance.

We're talking 515kW/750Nm and a 9000rpm rev limit, which is good for an astonishing 2.8-second 0-100km/h sprint, making the GT2 RS the quickest and most powerful road-going Porsche 911 ever produced.

That and the fact that production was strictly limited before it ended in February makes the cars savvy investments. But in a move that will warm the cockles of car enthusiasts' hearts everywhere, Porsche said it will recommence production and build four more to replace them.

"Porsche Brazil confirms that 37 of its new cars, en route from Hamburg, Germany to Santos, Brazil, were aboard the vessel Grande America that suffered a maritime incident near the coast of Brest, France, on March 12, 2019,” said Porsche's Brazilian arm in a statement.

"Among the fleet were four 911 GT2 RS units. In a special decision and to uphold its commitment to its valued Brazilian customers, Porsche has ensured that those units will be reproduced in the order in which they were originally confirmed."