1996 Porsche 911 Remastered by Gunther Werks
While the 993 generation of the legendary Porsche 911 effectively spelled the end for Stuttgart's beloved air-cooled engines, it also laid the foundations for an entire secondary industry dedicated to building air-cooled Porsche models. Some of these companies are now among the best-known workshops in the world and have droves of fans who admire them at car events and on social media. Gunther Werks from Huntington Beach, California, however, makes the 993 something truly exceptional. As Gunther Werks himself says, the company's "Remastered" 911s are meant to be the car Porsche would be building today - if the automaker hadn't stopped producing the 993 in 1998. This starts with the impressive amount of carbon fiber that Gunther Werks has superbly incorporated into the chassis. Numerous exterior body parts and many of the interior components were replaced with the lightweight composite material. According to Gunther Werks, 80% of the Remastered 911's interior is bespoke, while the remaining 20% has been replaced with brand new Porsche equipment. With this carbon fiber exoskeleton, Gunther Werks created an impressive suspension setup that combines an adjustable JRZ coilover suspension with remote reservoirs, custom rear control arms, reinforced anti-roll bars, lightweight steering knuckles, a front strut brace and a state-of-the-art hydraulic front lift system.
Next, Porsche's stock 3.6-liter flat-six went to Rothsport Road and Race in Sherwood, Oregon, where the powerplant was stripped and rebuilt to 4.0 liters. The remastered engine features an extensive list of forged internals and race-specific equipment, including a two-stage MoTec engine management system, individual throttle bodies, and a custom intake design based on the intake chamber of a 996-series Porsche 911 GT3. These efforts are rewarded with an output of well over 400 hp and a torque of over 400 Newton meters, giving the car acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in under four seconds. Power is transmitted via a standard Getrag G50 six-speed gearbox from the 993, which is of course considerably improved with stronger internal parts, a lighter flywheel and a clutch taken from a 997.2 GT3 RS.
The efforts of Gunther Werks bore fruit in 2020, when professional driver Randy Pobst set a lap time of 1:30.99 on the Weathertech Raceway in Laguna Seca, California - only around two tenths of a second behind a McLaren P1.
THE CHELSEA GRAY COMMISSION
The first of these automotive masterpieces ever to be completed for a customer is a 400R Sporting Touring "Chelsea Grey Commission" by Gunther Werks, which has been offered for sale It is a truly magnificent, bespoke creation full of original details that are more than just skin deep. Since its unveiling by Gunther Werks during the 2018 edition of The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, this 400R Sport Touring has captivated Porsche fans and automotive journalists alike with its uniquely contrasting set of high-tech features and subtle retro aesthetics.
The Sport Touring package offers Gunther Werks customers the opportunity to give their vehicle a retro look inspired by the Carrera RS. This includes an exclusive tailgate spoiler, Fuchs five-spoke forged aluminum wheels and a unique intake chamber for the 4.0-liter naturally aspirated engine.
As the car's name suggests, its carbon fiber exoskeleton is painted in an exquisite Chelsea Grey - an extremely elegant, sophisticated hue that is a not-too-distant relative of Porsche's own China Grey paint scheme. The widened sills are decorated with red Porsche lettering within a trio of gray side stripes.
At the rear, the Chelsea Grey features a Gunther Werks-designed LED light bridge, while the black bi-LED headlights made of black anodized aluminum and carbon fiber house the distinctive GW lens diodes that complete the sinister appearance of this vehicle. Black satin exterior details continue on the window trim, emblems and Brembo brake calipers for the carbon ceramic brakes and a black satin X-frame on the Sport Touring lid.
Anyone entering the cockpit via the carbon fiber sills with the lettering "Chelsea Grey Limited to 1 of 25" will see an interior that at first glance appears to have been milled from a solid block of matt carbon fiber. Although the iconic 993-style layout familiar to all Porsche fans has been retained, Gunther Werks has turned the structural and aesthetic aspects of the interior on its head. The dashboard, doors, sports seats, steering wheel, transmission tunnel and rear seat trim are all made of matt carbon, which is visible in many places. Nonetheless, the lower dashboard and footwells are covered in luxurious, crisp red leather, while the door handles and floor mats, also in red leather, harmonize perfectly with the grey Alcantara suede trim of the headlining. The Alcantara steering wheel is crowned by a metal 12 o'clock marker, as is the five-axis milled surround of the sports buttons.
After several years of careful fair-weather use, the Chelsea Grey Commission returned to Gunther Werks in September 2022, where it received additional mechanical and cosmetic upgrades for $22,500. Among the most notable upgrades performed at this time were the addition of a matte carbon fiber chin spoiler, new rear suspension, and painting the forged aluminum wheels a stunning bronze hue.
Gunther Werks limited production of its 4.0-liter naturally aspirated remastered coupes to just 25 examples, all of which were completed and delivered. The Chelsea Grey is the first, and perhaps the best known and most generously specified of its brethren. It represented an extremely rare and significant opportunity to acquire arguably one of the most extraordinary bespoke 993s at auction on March 2, 2024 in Coral Gables, Florida, where it sold for US$1,022,500. (Source: RM Sotheby's / Photos: Zach Brehl ©2024 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's)