Rob Ida’s 911 Turbo Hot Rod Proves That Less Is More
When hot rod artist Rob Ida builds his ideal 930, you can rest assured it’s going look like it belongs in a museum and go like a rocket.
This vintage Porsche 930 was built specifically for SEMA, but unlike your average SEMA build this car isn't about excess or bright colors. This car makes perfect use of classic hot rod sensibilities mixed with a few traditional Porsche touches to modernize and simplify the original design. The standard 930 fender flares are retained, but the accordion bumpers are ditched for a set of custom-molded fiberglass jobs. Ida didn't want to create just another backdated car, but those impact bumpers had to go for his vision to be correct. This car is all about the little details, like the single rear-view mirror mounted on the fuel door, just how perfect is that? The car is low, but not too low. This 930 even parks its wipers on the correct side of the windshield.
While the engine itself didn't receive much in the way of internal upgrades, fuel, intercooler, and turbocharger upgrades have pumped power up to a quoted 500-ish number that is likely to take the already astonishing performance of the 930 up to ludicrous levels. With an industrial-grade paint job, and super-wide Fuchs-style wheels, this car looks like it was built for business, and that big turbo power more than backs it up. It doesn't seem like the kind of car that would catch attention at a show like SEMA, but when everything else is over the top, subdued stands out.
This is an intensely interesting video, as it not only goes behind-the-scenes of the car's initial pre-SEMA build, but also goes through the rigors of shooting and filming the car for an upcoming issue of the PCA's Panorama magazine. Michael Alan Ross is as much an artist with his depth-of-field manipulation, razor-sharp focal points, and gorgeous use of white-space as Ida is with the sheet metal of this monster 911. What we wouldn't give to spend a day inside the artistic brains of these two mega talents. Put the two together and you've got a recipe for something wonderful. Don't believe us? Just check out this video.