For the most part, the line-up for the first ever Luft GB event was kept under wraps.
I knew the Singer test mule might make an appearance, and the event artwork featured the 904 GTS, which I guessed might be there, but other than that it was open season for unicorn hunting at Bicester Heritage last weekend.
And I found one.
Spotted from afar, and parked up alongside the car it was based upon, this white 993 GT2 EVO drew me in like a magnet.
The 993 is important to air-cooled Porsche fanatics; not only was it the final air-cooled model to roll off the production line before the introduction of the ‘wassergekühlt’ 996 in 1997, but it was also the final hand-built 911. Of all the 993 variants though, this one is the most special.
While the ‘standard’ GT2 was designed for, you guessed it, GT2 racing, the GT2 EVO was borne of Porsche’s desire to compete in GT1. Homologation rules required that road-going equivalents were built, but just 11 cars made it out of the factory before production of the GT2 EVO ceased.
Even by today’s standards, the GT2 EVO is extreme. While the GT2 was designed to be used as both race car and road-going machine, the EVO was a purebred racer. The exterior received some tweaks to aid aerodynamics, with vents for oil and brake cooling.
The wheels were race-spec magnesium BBS centre-locks. The bonnet was fastened down with pins rather than a latch system. The windows were lightened panels. The interior was full FIA racing spec, with a single seat, full cage and no carpet. Everything was designed with speed in mind.
The already large GT2 wing had another deck added to it which could be adjusted to alter the downforce.
The powerful GT2 engine was overhauled and every last ounce of power extracted from the 3.6-litre twin-turbo flat six. The result was a not-insignificant 600hp and 490lb/ft torque – from an air-cooled engine, and in a car weighing just 1,100kg. It needed it, however, as with GT1 competition such as the Ferrari F40 LM and McLaren F1 GTR on track, the GT2 EVO didn’t have an easy time.
Having not achieved great levels of success in racing, eventually the GT2 EVO was replaced by the GT1, and the similarities shared between Porsche’s top level race car and its road-going versions drifted further and further apart, as its final air-cooled GT1 car was set to pasture.
All things considered, the 993 GT2 EVO is one very rare and special part of Porsche history, and I feel pretty lucky that I got to hunt this one.
Jordan Butters
Instagram: jordanbutters
jordan@speedhunters.com
Wow
To have both the regular GT2 and the EVO together... that's really epic!
Awwwe man Jordan no interior shots....terrible terrible must have been the weather...tisk tisk
Hmm, no-one here arguing about overfenders on a porsche... interesting development.
Hmm...you might actually be a moron.
Like I've always said before, "Porsche puts bolt-on fenders on their car and no one bats an eye. RWB does it and everyone loses their minds!"
I won't debate the merits of race-bred homologation special vs hacked street car. That was done very well by another poster.
To me, the proportions of most RWB cars are just wrong. They also make versions with smaller fenders, and they look amazing. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I believe It's a matter of perception:
The very image of RWB is built on unceremonious modification of an iconic car:
Cutting up fenders and bolting on overfenders, which are then sealed to the body with caulk. As yet, I have not seen a single video that depicts the protection of the cut fenders against corrosion, although I'm sure that most owners have actually done something to prevent their pride and joy from rotting away over time.
Adding bumpers without cooling ducts for brakes, adding unproven (in a wind tunnel) aero to the car, etc...
It all breathes an air of 'backyard shed build' rather than "properly engineered product".
I believe that's where most of the hate comes from: people that actually know what it takes to put a well engineered car on the market, cringe at the "hacksaw and caulk" approach RWB takes with it's projects. It is the complete opposite from what you would expect Porsche to deliver when selling you a car such as the GT2 EVO; a well engineered, race bred machine that has been properly built from the factory.
That said, I've seen photographs of Porsche race cars that have been hacked to bits underneath overfenders, just to be able to fit wider tires. That's normal: race cars are meant to be used and abused, and are in fact a "consumable item" that is almost always put to the side after a single season, since it has served it's purpose.
And while it's that spirit that is channeled by RWB, for a street car it's deemed inappropriate by purists and people that even mildly know about automotive engineering. I haven't seen this GT2 EVO in person, but I would imagine (and expect) it to be very different in quality of execution compared to Porsche's track only racing cars and the RWB projects we encounter here...
Sorry for the lengthy reply, but I wanted to clarify it from my perspective.
I can tell you've never worked in the automotive industry. There are TONS of "top builders" who do absolutely shit work.
The biggest difference between this and Nakai (and the reason no one is complaining) is because Nakai is a hack who produces shit and Porsche does things correctly.
SH is a media outlet that largely appeals to people who have a fundamental lack of understanding in how to properly build a car. How many people on this site you think know about removing rocker arms when they have lash? What about building in ackerman compared to running toe out?
These are fundamental principles 98% of people here probably can't even elaborate on and these guys want to talk about a multi billion dollar company that dumps in millions of dollars daily for R&D compared to a chain smoking over glorified hobbyist.
Can't imagine why no one is bitching about this...really tough....
"Nakai is a hack who produces shit"
Easy for you to say when you don't seem to understand how RWB got their roots.
Don't think this was meant directly at me, but to be clear: I can confirm 9 years of experience in a highly competitive automotive OEM market with one of the biggest suppliers of automotive systems in the world. So yes, I do know what it takes. Standards to deliver parts / systems are at such a level where only an extremely low ppm (parts per MILLION) rate is allowed, and anything over that triggers quality audits and whole production runs to be scrapped, even if it's just cosmetic stuff.
To further clarify: I don't hate RWB cars myself, in fact, I like the look and applaud the fact that something like this is out there for the enthusiasts who cannot afford a GT2 EVO (which at this point in time, is just about everybody apart from a few very rich people). If I had the cash to burn and I could get that car type approved for my country (Belgium, not a chance this would be allowed here), I would even dare to buy one myself, but I would probably spend considerable time and funds getting it to function the full 100%, rather than it being just a cosmetic modification.
yeah I've never understood it either.
I kept up with this guy on a mountain road in a stock 335i. Great car shit driver if it's the guy I'm thinking of.
Yeah and I've left plenty of BMW M cars, Audi RS models, Porsches Ferraris and more in the dust in my trusty 1.3 Micra.
I'm pretty sure not one of them were trying, who the hell risks a large sum of money against £300...
Much like your scenario I imagine...
Surprising they don't enter the 335i into GT1 races really.
The lack of understanding here is hilarious, and it's becoming an annoying trend...
The fenders on this EVO are present because Porsche desired a more aggressive wheel/tire setup, because this is a RACE CAR, engineered and designed for RACING..
RWB calks Over Fenders on to it's cars to fit wider wheels that are purely cosmetic. Wanting to have a foot of polished, sticker ridden lip on your wheels, that are then stuffed into an inch and a half of stretched tire sidewall clearly isn't normal behavior when one cares about functionality, and wanting to go racing..
These RWB cars are "modified" for purely cosmetic reasons, and the reason why purists and many Porsche enthusiasts such as myself have zero care for them, or even hate them is because of just that..