Total 911

It was a real joy to have the 997 and 992 Sport Classics tested back-to-back for your latest issue of Total 911. These two specials from the Exclusive department at Porsche are considered unicorns in the world of 911s, such is their rarity, and so we’re grateful to owner Paul Pressland for allowing us to sample them both in one thrilling test. You can see the complementary video from our head-to-head appraisal via YouTube on 9WERKS TV. With only 250 ever made, it’s extremely rare to see a 997 Sport Classic on the road. Very few people have driven or even tested them, which is why there’s scant literature out there in defence of the original Sport Classic when it’s – unfairly, in my view – likened to the 997…

Bespoke 964s make their debut Two British-built custom 911s from Theon Design and Everrati wowed the crowds at the prestigious Salon Privé London show Porsche specialist Theon Design has revealed its latest creation, based on a 964 generation 911 Carrera 4 (top photo). This unique build is the latest reworked offering from the Oxfordshire-based team. The ITA001, affectionately known as the Italian Job, will soon be winging its way to its new owner in Milan, Italy, following its debut at Salon Privé London at the end of April. Theon Design ITA001 features lightweight carbon bodywork, semi-active suspension and a 400bhp 4.0-litre air-cooled flat six engine, mated to an original 993 RS six-speed gearbox and limited-slip differential. Meanwhile, 993 RS brakes hide behind 18-inch Fuchs alloy wheels. According to the company,…

GTS: from a mishap to a blessing Dear Sir, In Total 911 issue 94, you featured my first Porsche 911: a 997.2 Carrera GTS. In September 2019 this awesome Coupe was destroyed while parked on a San Francisco street. A driver collided with the car at approximately 50 miles per hour. From the photograph you can see how well it withstood the impact. However, this isn’t the end of the story. My insurance was generous and in March of 2022, I purchased a manual 911 Targa 4 GTS with 473hp. This 3.0-litre, twin-turbo 992, Gen1 Targa 4 GTS, while not naturally aspirated, is just as much fun as my Carrera GTS. The 569Nm of torque comes at early rpms and thrills with each drive. Interior noise is less than the…

How does 415hp, an 8,400rpm redline, a sweet-shifting six-speed manual and an RS badge grab you? We’ve got to say that we find it a compelling proposition and, in relation to the car we’re talking about, something of a motoring bargain. It’s the 997 GT3 RS, more specifically the Gen1 car. Inexplicably, this model appears to be somewhat unloved, or at least a little bit overlooked, in relation to the Gen2 car that followed it. We’ll admit that we’ve been guilty of banging the drum for the Gen2 – after all, the second-generation car is by definition ‘better’. Yet when looking through the classifieds we find it difficult to marry up the slight improvements that the Gen2 car brought, to the extra £50,000-£60,000 required to drive it off the forecourt.…

It’s difficult to comprehend that when the idea of the original 997 Sport Classic was first presented, there was uncertainty within Porsche about how receptive the market would be to such a special, limited-series model. Thanks to such lingering doubts, a series of just 250 examples was proposed. That number proved to be conservative – such was the clamour for the Sport Classic, it could have sold many multiples of its tiny production run. The car was conceived partly as a means of communicating a shift in Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur’s business model. It wanted to move from a specialist dream-fulfilment concern – building one-offs and bespoke cars – to that of a division able to produce limited-series models to complement the volume business. The Sport Classic presented a hitherto unseen…

From the very beginning at Porsche, its customers have been asking about the possibility of enhancing its production cars from the stock specification. Porsche has been happy to oblige, with the early Sports Purpose catalogues outlining what was officially available, albeit quietly, for those customers intent on racing. Within those pages were a myriad of possibilities for either track or rallying, including different capacity and engine output options. While the Sports Purpose catalogue explicitly stated that these were competition-only engines, it’s inevitable that some customers would use Sports Purpose-equipped cars as faster road cars. Stealthy revisions have always been available, whether it be it through the Sonderwunsch (special wishes), Motorsport, Exclusive or Tequipment routes. However, the possibility to do so would remain a well-kept secret until the turn of the…