First drive in a while

[Perfectlap]

The 2.5 and its gear box, imho is the best fit for the 986. That car can handle a hell of a lot more power and still keep its special feel, but when you do go bigger on power it's the engine doing all of the work. The ideal Porsche racing car for those without unlimited budgets.

Historically, Porsches with big engines, except for the special editions and the really expensive variants, represent only a very small % of all Porsches. I'd bet the 2.5 is probably in the middle of the curve on total cars produced basis. So I don't see anything lowly about the re-introduced 356A#1 or 550 (take your pic).
RN, with a few mods like lighter wheels, brakes, fw/clutch, battery, exhaust/headers that 2.5 can be brought down to ~2,600 lbs. with still room for more weight savings. That's barely a stone's throw from Spec racing weight except that you can keep on modifying and they can't.