While North America’s motorsport and event season is far from over, many in the automotive aftermarket industry are already looking toward November and the 2014 SEMA Show. SEMA time always seems to sneak up on us, and all around the United States builds are underway in preparation for the big show.
Speedhunters recently had the opportunity to get an exclusive insiders look at one of the projects that’s sure to be a hit in Vegas in two months time…
The base vehicle – a 997 model Porsche 911 Turbo – has not one, but three major players collaborating on the build: cooling specialists CSF Radiators, Southern California Porsche tuner BBI Autosport, and finally Liberty Walk – the famous Japanese aero parts maker.
Of all of CSF’s applications, Porsche vehicles are the most popular, and they’ve recently worked together with BBI on a few of the shop’s high-end 911 builds, including the 1,300hp ‘King Kong’ 996 that’s been tearing it up at events like The Texas Mile and Shift S3ctor’s Airstrip Attack.
Naturally, CSF will be equipping the Porsche with one of their top-of-the-line intercooler – an all aluminum race-spec three-piece unit designed specifically for use with the 997.
Along with CSF’s intercooler keeping everything nice and cool, Betim Berisha from BBI will be working his tuning magic. In fact, the car is equipped with Porsche’s new 9A1 direct injection motor, similar to the one in the 991 Turbo, and Betim has already added a new turbo setup which upped output to the 700hp mark and propelled the 997 to 194mph in the standing mile earlier in the year. But the plan is to extract even more power before the car is complete.
With power and cooling already locked in, the next step is the exterior. This is where Liberty Walk comes in. Back when Kato-san was penning the 997 wide body kit he reached out to Betim for input on the design, so it’s not surprising that BBI has secured the first two kits out of the moulds. When CSF’s Ravi Dolwani heard about this, he immediately contacted Betim about collaborating on a build to be displayed in CSF’s SEMA booth this year.
It’s a collaboration that actually makes great sense as both Ravi and Betim are young men looking to build their brands on a global level. Combining their mechanical expertise with the distinct style of Kato-san and Liberty Walk is sure to make for a special machine.
We are also happy to announce that Speedhunters will be taking an active role in the build, and we have some very cool stuff planned when the car debuts at the SEMA Show. There’s still a long way to go on this project, but you can expect to see a lot more on this unique collaboration as the event draws closer.
Mike Garrett
Instagram: speedhunters_mike
mike@speedhunters.com
Photos by Rod Chong
Instagram: speedhunters_rod
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Oh my! This will be one sweet 997 when completed
Get rid of the bumper sticker.
PFULMTL Replace it with a "Maximum Attack" one!
KCCO
that "all aluminium" radiator clearly has plastic side-tanks...
That's actually not a radiator at all... That's an OEM Porsche intercooler for the new Porsche 991 Turbo which I had with me during the visit to BBI. I was showing Rod what my next project for the Porsche platform was going to be. We are looking to expand our Porsche offering with a line of upgraded/ all-aluminum high performance intercoolers
@Schlitz We agree and are excited to be a part of this build. Cannot wait to show you how it turns out at SEMA and on the pages of Speedhunters!
Sweet project. Very psyched to see the LibertyWalk portion of the program. Might just give me a whole new perspective on my 997!
veecee8 Thanks for the comment! Showcasing new ways our readers might approach their own rides - and maybe even inspiring a mod or two - is what we love so much about what we do - Pure Automotive Enjoyment!
Here's renders of the exterior
Alien2nrs wow. LB style looks great on the 911
Alien2nrs lord have mercy
No. No no no no no no no no. Please stop. For God's sake. Stop before it's too late.
@Jake Laird You're not excited about this project? Tell us, if you were given a budget what would you build for SEMA? We'd be interested to hear your idea of a dream project car.
Speedhunters Sorry to interrupt, just wanted to throw in my two p's. If I had a budget, and some wicked parts available, I would try to do something unique... For example: take a chassis that's not used to getting this kind of body treatment, like an old Volvo (700/900 series). It would be unique, would probably be the most badass Volvo around, and you'd already have a tuning-friendly motor mated to proper gearbox (like a getrag-made M90) and the drive going to the back. You would have an instant show-stopper for the next Gatebil, and show some true tailor-made approach, so valuable in this whole customization world.
Instead of making a nice looking car, based on an already great looking car, look like a cheaper version of RWB's builds.
Not hating, I'm sure the car will have it's own appeal, and - as always - some will love it and some will hate it. Although with your possibilities, you could really surprise us.
Cheers
Looks like one of the best Liberty Walk aero ' so far.
May be a hit in SEMA, but definitely isn't gonna be with me!
Alien2nrs Sweet baby Jesus...
Alien2nrs Like many here, I have never been a fan of the TRA/LB style fenders.
But on this Porsche now...reminds me of the 935 and RSR cars. This one is a 10/10.
TheChive and a 911... Two of my most favorite things!
Speedhunters and The Chive should do a collaboration, maybe some charity stuff? Could be some good opportunities.
New Liberty Walk kit, will be the same as the old Liberty Walk kit.
Nice choice of base car at least.
Alien2nrs Sick.
@FunkyChild Speedhunters These builds are also about promoting brands. Not sure LB would sell too many kits for a Volvo 740.
Alien2nrs Common courtesy to put a NSFW sign up before posting such sexy ass pics!
Great work excited to see what it looks like, though I do hope they change things up a tad just for varieties sake
As I approach my thirties, I realize how marvelous most sports cars are stock, or with very mild mods. I'm almost starting to cringe when I hear Ferrari, or Porsche in the same sentence as Liberty Walk or RWB.
@Chris so true I think liberty walks bolt on kits to expensive euros are contradicting what those cars are really made for and thats high speeds with great looks...bolt on kits and horrible cambers defeats the purpose of those cars
@chris @daguy - BBI is bulding this vehicle with function and performance at the core of this build. I think you will be very surprised when you see the complete build... Stay Tuned!!
Can't wait for this. The raw performance aspect is something I always think is missing from Liberty Walk builds. Which is why the 458 Challenge car was my favourite LB car, and it's the reason I like RWB so much is because the cars look awesome, but they're beat on all the time (how it should be), although admittedly I'd like to see more tuning on the RWB cars too. Knowing that BBI (and CSF) are working together with the aero company and looking at the renders I'm REALLY excited how this could turn out. Crazy looks, but with awesome performance!
CSFrace I hope so. No one ever seems to actual performance test this stuff though so it's all kind of a moot point. BBI is a good company from what I've read, but it would still be interesting to see what a BBI 997 does compared to a Porsche factory tuned 997 a la GT3. Of course since no one actually tests these cars it doesn't really matter.
SEMA builds always seem to be more about "look at me" than real world performance so I'll keep my mind open about the outcome until proven otherwise.
DaGuy With Porsche RSRs selling in the low $200,000 range now it makes it hard to justify (for me) going to a company like BBI / Liberty Walk when I can get something that will do this for the same price:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTzw9x_lexw
http://racecarsdirect.com/listing/52589/porsche_997_gt3_rsr_2007.html
Tuning shops are cool, but when it comes to building an all out 911, I really don't think anyone but Porsche will do.
@DaGuy @Chris I couldn't agree more. The LBW 458 challenge made me sad. Taking a car thats meant to be driven hard on the track and turning it into a stance show car is really unfortunate. I wish liberty walk would build cars with performance in mind. Like if they came out with a car that improved upon performance and not just aesthetics I would be very pleased. It makes me upset when I see the company referred to as LB Performance when performance is the last thing on their minds. Personal opinion