Table of contents for Restomods Bookazine 2026 in Classic Porsche

Backdating has long been de rigueur in the classic Porsche scene, so much so taking a late air-cooled 911 and transforming its looks to mirror those of a far earlier example of the model is now big business. Really big business. At the extreme end of the scale, output from big-name brands, such as Singer Vehicle Design, commands massive money when new and even more at auction, highlighting the imbalance of supply and demand — budget in the region of two million of your hard-earned dosh for a Singer Dynamic and Lightweight Study (DLS), mixing headline-grabbing power, exotic composite materials and other F1-derived technology in a 964 package looking very much like an older 911, albeit one appearing to have lived on a staple diet of steroids. What we don’t…

This time last year, 911 & Porsche World photographer, Ade Brannan, was getting ready to work his way across mainland Europe. Specifically, I’d asked him to zig-zag around Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany in the interests of meeting up with enthusiastic Porsche owners and frequenting a selection of specialist workshops. In the magazines I manage, you’ll have read about the cars and Porsche personalities he encountered on his travels, but there was a 911 he put forward for consideration independent of my picks. “It’s a 911 featuring a huge amount of carbon-fibre,” he told me. Enter Thomas Heimberg and his personalised 964 Carrera 4. Based near Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany, Thomas is a successful architect. Eschewing the stereotype of someone in his profession opting for SAAB ownership, he…

The 911 is the only car you can drive from an African safari to Le Mans, then to the theatre and on to the streets of New York. So said Ferry Porsche. Wind the clock forward to 2023, and it’s clear Porsche intended for the 992 Dakar to live up to Ferry’s bold claim. Indeed, before the car was unveiled in full, we were told about a torturous endurance test schedule subjected to a series of prototypes. The work included three hundred thousand miles of driving. Of these, six thousand miles were off-road. Cold-weather testing was carried out on the snow and ice of Sweden, heat testing was conducted in Morocco and, impressively, Porsche engineers managed to convince their bosses the car needed to be blasted up fifty-metre-tall sand dunes…

Another town, another unremarkable industrial estate, yet behind the roller doors before us, amazing things are happening. This is true not just of where we find ourselves on this wintry day in Devon, but all over the UK. Forget the big stuff. We are, at heart, a nation of small businesses fuelled by passion, where traditions and skills are preserved, not to mention batons passed, often behind an unremarkable company identity. Today, we’re in Barnstaple, home to North Devon Metalcraft. The ‘craft’ bit of the name might give you a hint regarding what happens here. Equally, ‘light’ and ‘bushel’ spring to mind — within the firm’s unassuming workshop, a small but perfectly formed team of metal gurus are handcrafting, beating, tapping, shaping and cajoling steel and aluminium. The resulting bodyshells…

We’re at the Cotswold headquarters of independent Porsche restoration and accessories specialist, Stuttgart Classica. Company boss, Will Chappell, is keen to show us his 911 racer, fresh from its star turn in front of cameras at Gunhill Studios in Hailsham, East Sussex. “How many years have we been talking about this supposedly quick project?” I ask, tongue in cheek. “Too many,” Will laughs, smiling knowingly, safe in the knowledge the build is finally finished. “It was totally worth the wait, though,” he adds. He’s not wrong. The story stretches back almost a decade. “Everybody loves a barn find,” Will grins. When he says barn find, he really means barn find. “One of my customers was walking his dog and spotted what appeared to be a couple of rusty old 911…

One-stop shop. In automotive circles, this is a term often denotng a company capable of accomplishing a wide range of services under one roof. While it may indeed work as a sweeping description for many businesses, few are in a position to offer the depth and breadth of expertise, experience and facilities as historic Porsche specialist, EB Motorsport. Based in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, the firm is owned and directed by brothers, Mark and James Bates, both of whom are keen motor racing enthusiasts with a predilection for Stuttgart’s finest. Their company is renowned the world over, not only for its flawlessly manufactured replacement parts for classic Porsches, complex repair solutions and painstakingly meticulous nut and bolt restorations, but also for the incredible accuracy of its reverse engineering, enabling rare or…

Chances are, if you’re a fan of cars from Porsche’s transaxle family of products and find yourself on a staple diet of Instagram image feeds, you’ll have come across David Chapman and his astonishing 1988 944 Turbo S. Memorable for its E944 CUP registration plate, this relatively standard-looking Porsche conceals a secret beneath its bonnet: the car is powered by a turbocharged three-litre M44 inline-four. “How Porsche should have done it,” as David suggests. In readiness for the 1986 model year, the 944 Turbo was launched with a turbocharged and intercooled incarnation of Porsche’s trusted 2.5-litre eight-valve water-cooled inline-four. Ground-breaking in many ways, the model was the first car to make the same power with and without a catalyst. Forged internals, ceramic cylinder head port liners (one of many upgrades…

Never meet your heroes, as the saying goes. Well, meet them, but be prepared for heartbreak. The dream house may have dodgy wiring. The legendary rock band could be pithy and uninterested. Your teenage self’s poster car? It’ll almost certainly be louder, harsher and more awkward to drive against modern traffic than you imagined. Even if it is almost perfect, the fact it doesn’t entirely live up to the dream will gnaw at your heightened expectations, driven by years of anticipation. Thankfully, in the realm of Porsches, there are solutions. A word of caution: like all the best relationships, elevating experiences to the best they can be requires time, deep understanding and commitment. Passionate owners of classic cars often see this way of thinking as a necessary price to pay…

Bridgnorth-based fuel injection throttle body manufacturer, Jenvey Dynamics, was established as a consequence of company founder, Richard Jenvey, finding it difficult to obtain engine components for his personally owned race cars. “If he couldn’t get hold of a part, he’d make it,” smiles Richard’s son, Mike, who took over the running of the family business in 2006. An eye for detail, exquisite precision engineering and a passion for innovative design have been hallmarks of Jenvey Dynamics ever since the business was launched as a design consultancy serving all corners of the motorsport industry. The firm’s reputation was galvanised by Richard’s impressive performances in the ModSport Championship, which he won driving a Lotus Elan, and the World Sportscar Championship, which he contested in a Lotus Esprit S1. He was also a…

If it’s Wednesday, then it must be Augsburg. Hello, Augsburg! We’ve been on tour, you see. Specifically, we’ve spent weeks on the road in snapper Ade Brannan’s trusty BMW E39 wagon, taking the opportunity to gather the very toppermost and poppermost Porsche stories from Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. Greatest hits? You could say so. In fact, we really should produce a tour t-shirt with all the trip’s Porsche gigs displayed on the back. Highlights? There are many. Here’s another monster hit for the Porsche retromod chart: Manfred Kerker’s homage to Porsche’s original S/T. Bask in the car’s 1970s glam Conda Green glory. This 911 is a small-but-significant part of Manfred’s extensive Porsche collection, which majors mainly on the modern, with GT cars holding a particular faszinatizion (as they say…

For many 911 enthusiasts, myself included, the 997 represents something of a high watermark. A runaway success after model launch in 2004, this new 911 for a new era did away with its predecessor’s controversial ‘fried egg’ headlights, though it should be noted, when paired with certain colours, they look perfectly placed. Not retro-cool, just cool. Regardless, protest from so-called purists was such Porsche reintroduced ellipsoid headlights for production of the 997. While the rear of the newer 911 clearly demonstrates a direct link to the 996, the updated nose could have the uninitiated thinking the 996 was just a dream — the 997’s front-end owes more than a passing nod to that of the 993. In a world where we’re used to the 911 growing substantially between generations, the…

It doesn’t happen often, but every now again, a build comes along and stops you in your tracks. It’s even better if you’re least expecting it. No surprises, then, this is one of those ‘least expecting it’ moments. It started with a call from the boss, Dan Furr. Can I get my backside over to photographer Dan Sherwood’s gaff tomorrow? Yep, I can. What’s the gig? A 914 restomod from an outfit named Fifteen Eleven Design, located in Bakewell, Derbyshire. Vague cranial bells chime. A quick Google search reveals news stories announcing the project as far back as 2021. Renders of a proposed prototype exhibit a selection of vivid Porsche colours from the 1970s. Yep, I remember now. Cayman S-powered, destined to reach production, rally team connections. The proposed car…

Secretive. This is the word best used to describe the operations of many of today’s big-brand Porsche restomodders. Think Singer Vehicle Design, think Gunther Werks. Getting a behind-the-scenes view of what goes into the design, development and production of one the 911s reimagined by these companies is often met with a mountain of red tape, non-disclosure agreements and decisions by committee, the latter when it comes to determining what media outlets are allowed to report on. Granted, for highly sensitive development work and new customer projects intended to remain private, an air of discretion is necessary, but we throw the towel in when told text will need to be vetted and approved prior to print. In fact, in some cases, we’re told access to whichever establishment we’re attempting to showcase…

How does the lyric go? Ah, yes. I fought the law and the law won. We’re not talking speeding citations here. It’s the fact this 356 B looks every inch an Outlaw, but has been so well executed, it’s actually too damn smooth to be a desperado on the run. So, actually, it’s a bit of a poseur, albeit a really nice one. A fair cop, then? Its restoration newly finished, this superb restomod is on the books at Porsche sales centre, Bure Valley Classics, a stone’s throw from the Norfolk Broads and conveniently close to the perimeter roads of the former RAF Coltishall aerodrome, providing a great setting for our test drive. Company proprietor, Oli Tappin, feeds us the background. “This Porsche is chassis number 11262B, a matching-numbers 356…

Kevin Hawney considers his evocative RSR 3.0 replica. “It’s a real honey trap,” he says. He’s not wrong. Mind you, the location helps. You see, we’re photographing the car in the heart of Richmond Park, the largest of London’s eight royal parks, home to deer and, as we discover, cyclists, who love nothing more than lapping the five-mile perimeter road. It’s a Tuesday morning, but there are hundreds of high-speed two-wheelers coming at us from every direction. Most of them appear to be manufactured from carbon-fibre. Let’s not be shy. We’re talking about a wealthy bunch here. They’re riding ten-grand-plus bikes with disc brakes and electronic gears. It’s safe to assume there are Porschephiles present. And so it proves. Indeed, we attract plenty of attention and find ourselves the stars…

The piercing whine of the straight-cut gear ratios invades the cabin and melds with the roar of the race-tuned 3.6-litre flat-six as the Alcantara steering wheel bucks and writhes in your hands. As you’re pressed hard into the thinly-padded racing seat wrapping around your shoulders and gripping your thighs, the rabid acceleration you feel from a squeeze of the throttle is breathtaking. It pales into insignificance, however, when the first corner arrives. Stabbing the long sequential shifter twice to drop down two gears in fast succession as you smash the middle pedal into the stripped-out footwell, you feel your chest strain against the tight race harnesses as they cut into your shoulders. The turn itself is no less visceral, with the wide footprint of the sticky Michelin slicks working in…

Do you dream in colours? If so, do they harmonise or clash with one another? Back when mind-expanding drugs were in vogue, psychedelia ruled. The wilder the hues, the better the trip. Paul Leyton harbours no such motives, but he loves to get a reaction to his Orange Blossom Special and its Purple Haze upholstery. His Porsche started life as a 1976 2.7-litre 911. Don’t be fooled by the external oil filler cap — this car was, at one time, on its way to becoming a Singer Vehicle Design wannabe. Paul shows me a photo of the car when newly arrived in the UK from the USA. It was a lovely-looking G-series in silver, endowed with a tea-tray and Fuchs wheels. Under normal circumstances, you’d be delighted with this spec,…

With this bookazine themed around restomods, what do you do if the Porsche you want simply isn’t available to you? Come again? Surely, Porsches are built in sufficient enough numbers for this not to be a concern? Well, yes, in high-end sports car terms, this is the pretty much the case, but there are GT models everyone gets excited about, but only the few can buy, not because these cars are necessarily prohibitively expensive, but because they are rationed. To get one, you really have to be in your local Porsche Centre’s very good books. Perhaps take the Sales Director on holiday? We jest, obviously, but there’s no disputing there are hoops to jump through, criteria to be met, rolled up trouser legs, funny handshakes and so on. Seriously, though,…