Twenty years after the last air-cooled Porsche 911 Turbo rolled off the company’s assembly line, Porsche Classic has used “genuine parts” to build one more example under what is known internally in Stuttgart as “Project Gold.”
The car, a 993-generation vehicle, will debut September 27 at the Porsche Rennsport Reunion in Monterey, California, and will be offered up for bidding at the RM Sotheby’s auction October 27 at the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta, the automaker said in a news release.
Proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Ferry Porsche Foundation, a non-profit established as part of the 70 years of Porsche sports cars anniversary celebration.
Porsche noted that the car is based on an original bodyshell and its appearance “is just as unique as its history: Painted in Golden Yellow Metallic, it references the 2018 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series. The black wheels are highlighted by Golden Yellow design accents, while the seats and interior trim are finished in black with Golden Yellow details.”
The body has the side air intakes as seen on the 993 Turbo S but also were an option for the standard 911 Turbo in 1998, the company added.
The air-cooled engine is rated at 450 horsepower.
“ ‘Project Gold’ showcases the comprehensive skill of Porsche Classic in fascinating fashion” Detlev von Platen, member of the Porsche AG executive board responsible for sales and marketing, was quoted in the news release.
“This project clearly demonstrates our strategic approach.
“Although we are starting a new chapter in our sports car history with the (electric-powered) Porsche Taycan, the story of how the company evolved is no less significant. On the contrary, this Golden Yellow 993 demonstrates how incredibly passionate we are about the tradition of our brand.”
The project “represents Porsche Classic’s spectacular contribution to the ’70 years of Porsche sports cars’ celebrations,” the news release said.
“With this anniversary in mind as well as the forthcoming market launch of the Taycan as the first purely electric Porsche sports car, the experts at Porsche Classic came up with the idea of constructing a completely new vehicle based on an existing genuine type 993 bodyshell, showcasing both tradition and innovation.
“The experts were able to rely on a selection of over 6,500 genuine parts that Porsche Classic offers exclusively for 993 generation models.
“Overall, the Classic division currently stocks some 52,000 parts, which can be sourced via Porsche Classic Partners and Porsche Centers around the globe to repair and restore classic Porsche cars.”
Porsche said the project took around 18 months.
“The 993 remains a sought-after collector’s item to this day, and is considered a particularly sophisticated and reliable vehicle,” Porsche said. “It was the first 911 to feature a redesigned aluminum chassis, giving it exceptional agility at the time. The 911 Turbo version of the 993 was also the first to have a twin-turbo engine, making it the lowest-emission standard automotive powertrain in the world in 1995.”
Nothing screams classic car like this Porsche. My Dad had a car just like this it was all singing and all dancing. I was the coolest kid in town when he dropped me off at school. The car had a <p><a href="https://www.number1plates.com">private reg</a></p>, it had cream leather seats and sounded like a dream!