Gunther Werks’ New ‘Remastered’ 911 Speedster Is an Incredible Open-Top Aircooled Lightweight
Gunther Werks’ took their obsession with adding lightness to the 993-era Porsche 911 and left off the roof this time.
Gunther Werks is known for their hardcore lightweight versions of the Porsche 911, and they've got a new one that blends some modern style cues into a classic aircooled: the 993 Speedster Remastered by Gunther Werks, coming in 2022. Only 25 will be made, but each of those 25 will be custom-tailored to the buyer's whims. Considering that Porsche only made a couple 993 Speedsters and that Speedster-ification wasn't an official factory option, 25 feels like a lot.
Gunther Werks has been taking the final aircooled generation of the 911—the 993—and reworking them into some genuinely fast cars for a while. Their existing "remastered" 993 coupe set the fastest time of any aircooled car around Laguna Seca with a 1:30.99 lap. With the new 993 Speedster, they're taking the roof off of their record-setting 993 with a design that looks very modern from the beltline up, and can even be ordered without a windshield if you so desire.
Because removing the roof also removes some of the rigidity from the chassis, Gunther Werks put a ton of effort into stiffening the chassis, utilizing the space that used to have the rear seats for extra reinforcement. A Speedster-specific roll hoop and cage design further reinforce the open-top two-seater and make it significantly safer in case you end up on your nonexistent roof.
Over that former backseat sits a modern-looking carbon fiber Speedster top and tonneau cover. Should you opt to keep the windshield, Gunther Werks used a lower-rake glass to round out the whole look. The exterior also features billet aluminum side rear-view mirrors, lighter aluminum door handles and 3D-printed Inconel exhaust tips. The headlamps have a CNC-machined acrylic lens that fits perfectly into the factory headlamp shape, but inside, there's an updated LED reflector system sitting in a 3D-printed housing.
New for the Speedster is a set of classic Fuchs-style five-spoke wheels that attach with centerlocks instead of the traditional five lugnuts to reduce unspring weight. It's an upgrade, and Gunther Werks has several other forged wheel designs if you'd rather lean harder into the car's modernized side.
It wouldn't be a Gunther Werks build without a bunch of lightweight and performance mods, though. The 4.0-liter flat-six aircooled engine is a tiny bit more powerful than Gunther Werk's 993 coupe, with a new build by Rothsport Racing that comes out to 435 horsepower and 335 pound-feet of torque.
The 993 Speedster also features revised lightweight suspension uprights designed in partnership with Eisenlohr Racing and a new dynamic suspension by JRZ.
The car's front fascia has a new carbon-fiber front spoiler. In the rear sits a revised ducktail-style spoiler with a ram-air scoop into the engine bay. The 993 Speedster's single-skin carbon fiber hood is over 25% lighter than the double-sided hood from Gunther Werks' already bonkers 993 coupe. The company says that its new lighter hood makes the storage area a bit more useful and maintenance friendly in the process.
Inside, there's more that's meant to make the car easier to live with and even lighter: an aluminum center dash cluster made from one piece of aluminum, a new carbon fiber dash panel with LED shift lights, a revised pedal assembly and a revised carbon fiber floor panel system.
The seats are the biggest interior upgrade, as they're hollow carbon fiber seat shells designed by Gunther Werks to fit under the lower windshield, thus reducing drag. It's a seat designed more for track time and less for tailbone injuries, as the seats can fit five-point harnesses and feature lightweight cushions that are attached directly to the seats' carbon shell. The end result is a pair of seats that sit lower in the car to lower the car's center of gravity.
Should you need to store or wash the 993 Speedster, there's a soft weatherproof cover. Just don't expect to flip a switch and pop the roof up when it starts to rain. This isn't that kind of car. Of course, you can also order weather-resistant materials for the interior—just in case.
The official unveiling of the 993 Speedster Remastered by Gunther Werks is set for August 2021, with customer production set for after the company finishes out the 25-car run of its tuner 993 coupes in early 2022.
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