A love letter to classic 911s
The desire to combine retro romance with modern amenities has made restomods hugely popular. This one-of-one project is the perfect usable classic 911.
A passion project for a classic Porsche enthusiast who wanted the raw, unbridled driving experience that goes with a classic Porsche, sprinkled with a few modern amenities, this unique, one-off restomod brings together the new and the old into one compelling entity that will pull on your heartstrings from the moment you set eyes on it.
Originally proposed as a catalyst for many more classic 911 restomods, this project was completed to such a high standard by its creator with no expense spared, that a long-term, multi-car production was deemed financially unviable. Therefore, this is a truly unique example, never to be repeated.
The base car is a left-hand drive 1973 911T which was originally sold in the USA, meaning it had the K-Jetronic fuel injection system. It was finished in Tangerine when first purchased and used to ferry parts around in its early life.
At first glance it comes across as an incredibly clean and original F-body 911, and that’s exactly the point. Its creator didn’t want to engineer out the retro feel of these cars, but rather enhance it by restoring and renewing original parts. The bumpers, doors, deck lid and all the panels are original, having been taken back to bare metal and then painstakingly rejuvenated.
This car is built to be a reliable classic with subtle modern touches hidden beneath the seventies style. To the untrained eye, nothing would seem amiss with the headlights, but they now host more modern HID bulbs for high beams, whilst maintaining a period-correct aesthetic on low beams. It also still has a proper heater and even a Bluetooth system enabling you to listen to your favourite podcast or Spotify playlist (other music streaming services are available). It was paramount to the designer that the interior remained faithful to the period feel of the original, so there’s no bulky-looking modern head unit cluttering the dash.
The phrase 'no stone left unturned' truly doesn't do this example justice. The 2.4-litre air-cooled flat-six has been rebuilt and modified with a Crane cam, Weber 40 IDA carburettors, a Perma-Tune ignition system, and the desirable magnesium 7R crankcase. All that brings the power to just shy of 175hp, a figure that doesn’t sound earth-shattering by today's supercar standards, but it’s more than enough to get the hairs on the back of your neck standing to attention in a car that weighs not much more than a ton. The custom exhaust just adds to the recognisable air-cooled clatter and makes the whole experience even more exhilarating.
The handling has also received an upgrade with a set of KW V3s, originally for a G series car, modified to fit with the geo set up by Centre Gravity. The wheels are lightweight custom items from a company called Braid, utilising a square setup rather than the more traditional staggered approach.
The work doesn’t stop there. Step inside and you’ll find black Muirhead leather adorning the dashboard, door cards and seats. The door handles come from a Porsche 356 and are also wrapped in leather. Period-correct styling remains with the seats which are a pair of Cobra Stuttgarts, as well as the Momo Prototipo steering wheel and classic wooden gear knob. Even the rear seats are still in place, making this a truly usable classic car.
It’s almost impossible to cover everything that has been meticulously honed on this car, from its zinc-coated bolts to its US-spec rear lights. There are so many delightful details that you could walk around it for hours and continue to uncover more subtle hidden gems. Looking through the many images of the process from start to finish gives you a little glimpse at how many hours have gone into this Aubergine masterpiece. It's designed to be a usable and authentic classic Porsche 911, and there's no question that it delivers on that promise.
