While the 993-generation of Porsche’s iconic 911 was effectively the end of the road for Stuttgart’s beloved air-cooled powerplants, it also laid the foundation for an entire secondary industry devoted to building custom air-cooled Porsches. Some of these firms have grown to become among the most popular shops in the world, with legions of adoring fans at car events and across social media alike.

It is Gunther Werks of Huntington Beach, California, however, that brings the 993 into the realm of truly extraordinary. As described by Gunther Werks themselves, the company’s “Remastered” 911s are envisioned as the car Porsche would be building today—had the automaker not stopped building the 993 in 1998.

It all begins with an awe-inspiring amount of carbon fiber, which Gunther Werks has superbly woven into the chassis. Numerous exterior body panels, along with many of the internals, have been swapped for the lightweight composite. According to Gunther Werks, 80% of their Remastered 911’s interior is bespoke, while the remaining 20% is replaced with brand-new Porsche equipment. Underpinning this carbon fiber exoskeleton, Gunther Werks has developed a formidable suspension setup which combines JRZ adjustable coilovers with remote reservoirs, custom rear control arms, uprated anti-roll bars, lightweight uprights, a front strut brace, and a cutting-edge hydraulic front lift system.

Next, Porsche’s standard 3.6-liter flat-six cylinder is shipped to Rothsport Road and Race in Sherwood, Oregon where the mill is stripped down and rebuilt to 4.0 liters of displacement. The Remastered engine features an extensive list of forged internals and race-spec equipment including a two-stage MoTec engine management system, individual throttle bodies, and custom intake design based on the intake plenum of a 996-series Porsche 911 GT3. These endeavors are rewarded with horsepower numbers well north of 400 while also generating over 300 pound-feet of torque. Transferring all that might to the road is the 993’s standard Getrag G50 six-speed transaxle, which has of course been extensively enhanced with stronger internals, a lightened flywheel, and a clutch borrowed from a 997.2 GT3 RS.

Gunther Werks’ efforts came to fruition in 2020 when pro-driver Randy Pobst piloted an example to a lap time of 1:30.99 around Weathertech Raceway in Laguna Seca, California—about two-tenths of a second behind a McLaren P1.

THE CHELSEA GREY COMMISSION

The first of these automotive masterpieces ever completed for a customer, Gunther Werks’ 400R Sporting Touring “Chelsea Grey Commission” is presented for sale here. It is a truly magnificent, superbly tailored creation brimming with inventive details that are more than skin deep. Since debuted by Gunther Werks during the 2018 edition of The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, this 400R Sport Touring has captivated Porschephiles and automotive journalists alike with its uniquely contrasting assemblage of high-tech equipment and subtly retro aesthetic.

The Sport Touring package offers Gunther Werks customers a chance to add a Carrera RS-inspired retro appeal to their builds by way of an exclusive decklid spoiler, deep-dish five-spoke Fuchs-inspired forged-aluminum wheels, and a unique intake plenum for its naturally-aspirated 4.0-liter engine.

As its name suggests, the car’s carbon fiber exoskeleton is finished in an exquisite Chelsea Grey—a supremely elegant, sophisticated shade which is a not-so-distant cousin to Porsche’s own paint-to-sample color of China Grey. The widened rocker panels are adorned with red Porsche font set inside a trio of ghosted grey side stripes.

At the rear, the Chelsea Grey features Gunther Werks’s custom-designed LED light bridge while black Bi-LED headlights constructed from black-anodized aluminum and carbon fiber house prominent “GW” lens diodes which round out this commission’s distinctively sinister appearance. Black satin exterior detailing continues to the car’s window trim, badging, as well as the Brembo calipers for the carbon-ceramic brakes and a black satin X-frame residing within the Sport Touring decklid.

Step over the carbon fiber cabin sills—with their “Chelsea Grey Limited to 1 of 25” script— and onward into the cockpit and you are greeted by an interior which, at first glance, seems to be milled from a solid block of matte carbon fiber. Despite retaining the iconic 993-style layout which all Porschephiles have come to recognize, Gunther Werks has “flipped the script” on its structural and aesthetic aspects. The dashboard, doors, sport seats, steering wheel, transmission tunnel, and rear seat-delete panel are all beautifully constructed from matte carbon fiber, which has been left exposed in many areas. Nonetheless, acres of crisp, luxurious red leather cover the lower dashboard and footwells, while matching red leather door pulls and floormats neatly tie together with the gray Alcantara suede trimmings on the headliner. An Alcantara steering wheel is topped off by a 12-o’clock marker formed from billet, as is the five-axis-milled sport button surround.

Following several years of careful, fair-weather use, in September 2022 the Chelsea Grey Commission returned to Gunther Werks for $22,500 of additional mechanical and cosmetic upgrades. Among the most notable upgrades completed at that time were the fitment of a matte carbon fiber chin spoiler, a new rear suspension, and the refinishing of the car’s forged-aluminum wheels in a stunning bronze tone.

Gunther Werks limited the production of its 4.0-liter, naturally aspirated Remastered Coupes to just 25 examples, all of which have been completed and delivered. The Chelsea Grey is the first, and perhaps the best-known and most generously specified commission of its brethren. It represents an extremely rare and significant opportunity to acquire one of the most exceptional bespoke 993s in existence, combining incredible naturally aspirated performance with neck-breaking aesthetics and exotic, lightweight construction.