The air-cooled Porsche 911 world as we know it is vast and colorful.

They come in many forms, shapes, sizes, capabilities, and so forth, whilst essentially being the same car cycling through various iterations over the course of 35 years. Only, it’s not the same car being cut and pasted with each passing birthday.

Let’s think about that for a second… How can a car that’s been just about the same for so long, also be totally different in all aspects as it ages through the years? The truth couldn’t be elaborated upon with a simple black and white answer.

From a factory level, there’s been engine upgrades, suspension upgrades, wheel and tire upgrades, interior upgrades, trim upgrades, and so forth. But with knowing each and every iteration of the air-cooled Porsche 911, one could argue that it is perhaps the most refined sports car ever made. Which could also translate as the reasoning behind the cult-like following that’s been shaped over the last six decades.

Today’s focus however isn’t around the factory updates and improvements, but instead around the people behind the cars, and how they’ve managed to differentiate themselves amongst the sea of over a million other 911s that roam the streets of the world. Allow me to highlight some of my favorite builds featured on Speedhunters over the years…

10. Porsche Sans Overfenders & Why Details Matter

#10 on the list is actually a pair of air-cooled Porsches. These two impeccable outlaws built for SEMA are the true pinnacle of ‘attention to detail’, and Justin went in-depth about the immense amount of time and effort that John Sarkisyan put into each build. Every single part on the Porsches has been touched to some custom extent, and it truly shows. Everything from the engraved copper plating around the window seals to the diamond-stitched quilted leather interior are of the utmost quality and truly pay homage to the phrase tailored.

Take notes SEMA builders – this is how you win over your audience.

9. The Future Of Porsche Is A Tesla-Powered Classic 911

#9 comes in hot with yet another SEMA build showcasing attention to detail and quality. Only this time, things take a drastic turn towards encompassing the future of hot-rodding classic 911s.

While some might consider it sacrilegious, I think most of us can agree that the future will – and does – involve EV swaps. We’ve seen more and more of the aftermarket industry leveraging new technologies to bring these types of transitions at a more affordable price for the masses – some even with three pedals under your feet – so it’s safe to say the inevitable is here, and it’s only right to embrace it. That’s precisely what StreetFighter LA did when building their classic resto-modded 911.

The best part about this build though, is that it genuinely ties the future and the past together – and well. There’s loads of the classic touches you find on almost every 911 restoration, but when you dive into the details, you’ll notice modern updates all throughout the car. I don’t often condone mixing the two sides of restoring cars, but seeing it executed so well is a real delight.

8. Made In France, Power From Britain, Body By Porsche

If there’s one 911 that pisses purists off most, it’s this one. Which is the key component towards why I absolutely love everything about this car. The builder clearly gave zero f**ks, and that’s something that is often disassociated in the Porsche world.

I remember thinking to myself when this story hit the site that it had to be some sort of render. Because who in their right mind would possibly be okay with chopping up a 911 into so many separate components, and then tying in back together in the most outrageous way you could think of? No, there isn’t much 911 left under this thing, but that’s quite alright for me. Being inspired by true ‘hot rodding’ is what helped this car break the norm, and seeing a build so wildly thought out is something we should all consider when trying to think outside of the box anytime we modify our cars. So hats off to Danton Arts Kustoms for one hell of a hot rod.

7. Old School JDM: A Sunburst Porsche 964 Turbo

This 964 hits different. Not only because it’s a low production number 964 Turbo, but also because it rocks some seriously OG aero. Trevor did this article some real justice by diving into how Sunburst pre-dates RWB, which is something that most people have no clue about. But that’s what makes this car so special.

At first glance, it’s easy to mistake the two, but when you dig into the history behind the car and how it came to light, you’ll learn that it is in fact period correct given that Sunburst was handcrafting these insane aero kits for Porsche’s back in the early 1990s. And to top things off, Nat is one of three people in the US with this kit on his car, making his rare Turbo even rarer, and most definitely separating himself from the rest of the flock.

6. RWB’s 964 RS Long Hood For The Track

One of the peak 911s of the air-cooled world is the 964 RS. So seeing that the boys over at RWB decided to chop one up, backdate it, and then proceed to modernize it is both infuriating and beautiful at the same time, which is what brings this beast in at lucky #6.

I say this carefully, but any build that provokes emotion – whether it be good, bad, or both – earns its stripes in my book, purely due to the fact that that is what art is centered around. Giving people a train of thought that leaves them wondering why, or how, or asking for reason. And I don’t think anyone does this better than RWB with this specific race car. So feel what your heart tells you, but remember that this is another variation of art in automotive form.

5. Sand Surfing, 911 Style

SEMA builds are clearly taking the reigns in this review, but there’s good reason for that. The talented individuals pumping out some of these 911s are taking extreme measures to prove themselves as non-conformant in the world. KMR being no exception to that ethos.

Their reputation emerges from building and racing Porsches for series such as IMSA and the GT3 Cup, so when Louis came across their Safari 911, I knew quality and craftsmanship would be mega. And I was right.

Bear in mind that this is from 2018, which is long before the plug-and-play safari kits that we see on most lifted 911s nowadays hit the market, so everything was engineered and built from the ground up. Seeing that it all tied in together in a form that reflects something that may have come from the Porsche factory directly is what helped bring this car in at #5 on the list. Plus, who doesn’t love seeing a 911 sand surfing?

4. Pretty In (Not) Pink: A 964 Built To Drive Low

This one hits home for me. I’m a sucker for fitment, a sucker for 964s, and a sucker for this color. Packed together with Paddy’s vibrant photos, I would argue that this is one of the best Porsches I’ve seen hit the site, and it’s not even over the top like some of the others. Simplicity however, goes a long way when executed properly, and this Rubystone 964 is the testament behind that statement.

You can’t even glance at it without having to double take at what you’re seeing. It’s bright f**king pink, but it wears it so well. It’s low, its got OEM-inspired phone dial wheels with precise fitment, and when you hone in on the details, you’ll see the perfect balance of comfort and sports-oriented modifications. All I can say is that I need it, and I want it, and I’ve sent a note over to Paddy to let me know if this old girl is ever up for sale. If she is, the SH Garage will surely have a new addition to the family.

3. Pork A L’Orange: The Feature Car Recipe

‘The perfect feature car doesn’t exis-‘… Hold your breath before finishing that statement. Blake will set you right after reading through this incredible story behind an early 911S that ticks all the right Speedhunters boxes.

It’s fast, pretty, out of the ordinary, there’s impeccable attention to detail where it counts and even where it doesn’t count, and of course, it’s driven to the upmost extent. It ranks in at #3 because as Blake beautifully elaborated, it fits the perfect Speedhunters feature formula, which is what our feature cars have been founded upon.

2. The Ugly Truth Behind Singer’s DLS

You couldn’t have made it this far without assuming there would be a Singer in the mix, right? Of course not. But it’s not just any Singer. it’s the Singer of all Singers, although in its rawest form.

When Jordan highlighted this story a couple of years ago during Luftgekühlt GB, I initially was caught off guard to see the name Singer in the headline followed with what looked like an image off of a ‘Craigslist special’ advertisement for a project Porsche. But after reading through his discovery of the company’s test mule, I found myself completely taken by surprise with what they were showcasing to the world. Because far too often we see the pretty side of the build, and never the actual work that goes into creating such a masterpiece. And I think this is something that Singer realized too. So to mitigate curiosity, they brought out their highest achievement to showcase the art that’s typically overlooked, which is the process.

1. The Future According To Bisimoto

I’ll be honest here, the #1 spot was pretty tough to decide. So before selecting this story, I reflected on the others to see what it was that drew me to making the choices I did for this top 10 list. From there, I felt that the most logical way to decide the top pick would be to find a car that encompasses every single aspect of what we’ve talked about, and tied it all together in one car.

With that said, my top pick award goes to Bisi Ezerioha and his electrified Porsche 935 K3V. If you haven’t had a chance to go through this story, I’d highly recommend taking a 10-minute break from whatever you are doing to enlighten yourself on what true passion can lead to.

Bisi and his team at Bisimoto are some of the truest gear-heads I’ve seen in the modern world of automotive builds. A group of brilliant engineers that share a strong sense of passion for creating the most over the top, out of this world builds you’ll ever see on the road.

And this doesn’t only apply to the Porsche world either. Their sense of passion has ventured them into anything and everything they can get their hands on, and everything pumped out from these guys is unique. But the one car that’s stolen my heart is the 935 K3V.

Being lighter than a GT3 RS, with over 600hp, and the sporting the styling of proper vintage 935 race car is what every Porsche nut dreams about for their thoroughbred 911 motorsport build. But the fact that this all comes from an electric power plant is what really gets your gut wrenching around. It ticks every box, but it does so in the most unconventional way you could think of.

And for that reason, this 935 K3V takes home the cake today.

That wraps it up for me here folks. Now, the question is, did I hit the nail on the head, or am I being an absolute idiot with my selection? Let me know in the comments, and maybe even link me to your favorite Porsche stories. I’d love to hear some of your thoughts.

Naveed Yousufzai
Instagram: eatwithnaveed
Email: naveed@speedhunters.com