Porsche 911 Classic Club Coupe is one-off 996 restomod
Latest Porsche Classic Sonderwunsch project features 996 GT3 engine; took two years to build
Porsche has shown off a one-of-one 911 Classic Club Coupe made for America’s biggest Porsche club.
Built on a 996-generation 911 Carrera found in Virginia, the 911 Classic Club Coupe was sent back to Stuttgart for a bare-metal restoration, with the body reassembled and strengthened.
During the two-year restoration, a number of unique features were added. Most notably, a bespoke double-dome roof - designed to allow taller drivers to wear helmets in the car - is fitted, while a handmade ducktail spoiler pays tribute to the famed 911 Carrera RS 2.7.
The car sits on 18in forged Fuchs alloy wheels, painted in black with details in Club Blue - the signature colour of Porsche Club America.
Under the bonnet, the standard engine has been replaced with the 3.6-litre flat six from the 996-generation 911 GT3, producing 376bhp. The manual gearbox, toughened chassis and brakes are also taken from the 911 GT3.
The 911 Classic Club Coupe is painted in Sport Grey Metallic, inspired by the colour seen on the 2010 911 Sport Classic. Light Sport Grey stripes run across the top of the car, with small details finished in Club Blue.
The interior is predominantly finished in black leather, while the seats feature a Pepita houndstooth pattern woven from black and grey leather. Porsche Classic’s Communication Management Plus infotainment system features, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. More Club Blue details are dotted throughout the cabin in places such as the dials, steering-wheel rim and headrests.
During development, the 911 Classic Club Coupe was known as Project Grey to keep it secret - a nickname based on the 2018 911 Project Gold.
Unusually for a one-off car, a test vehicle was also built and trialled at the Nardò high-speed ring in Italy, Spain’s Idiada testing ground and Porsche’s track at Weissach, Germany, before being dismantled to keep the finished car unique.
Alexander Fabig, head of Porsche Classic, said: “The Type 996 is unjustly overshadowed by the other 911 ranges. That’s why we were happy to choose it as the basis for demonstrating all the things we can do with Porsche Classic and the recently expanded Sonderwunsch programme.
“In 2009, the 911 Sport Classic, a limited series of 250, had already generated worldwide interest. However, this special model wasn't sold in the US. With this one-off, we’ve now managed to bring a similarly exciting vehicle concept to the US as well.”
This is the second car to be built as part of Porsche Classic’s Sonderwunsch programme, after a Porsche 956-inspired 911 GT3 was created for Le Mans 24 Hours winner Paolo Barilla last year.