How do you follow up a 1,067-horsepower Porsche 911 restomod? With something that has half the power, of course. Gunther Werks has just unveiled its new GXR-Evo during Monterey Car Week, and although it doesn’t have a four-figure horsepower rating, it’s so fast that it comes with a fancy simulator rig to help buyers learn to control the beast. In fact, this is Gunther Werks’ fastest naturally aspirated car yet, but to achieve that, the luxury elements of the restomod process have been almost completely removed. The positive by-product is a 993-based creation that weighs 210 pounds less than the brand’s Coupe, with a dry weight of just 2,386 lbs. That’s less than a hardtop Miata, though adding fluids brings the GXR-Evo’s curb weight closer to 2,400 lbs. It’s a track-only special with airjacks and a fire suppression system, limited to just 15 examples, but as hardcore as it is, the GXR-Evo ought to be pretty engaging, thanks to an H-pattern six-speed manual transmission.
Gunther Werks GXR-Evo: Like A Manthey-Fettled 993 GT3 RS
Gunther Werks
The Gunther Werks GXR-Evo has shed every unnecessary gram, even forgoing carpets and a passenger seat. A full carbon fiber body with a 12k 2×2 weave includes a monstrous front splitter and canards bound to injure the ankles of passersby, working with louvered vents in the fenders to maximize downforce. At the back of the car, a new high-downforce wing with intricate endplates is combined with a vertical dorsal fin to increase high-speed stability. Like a Manthey-fettled 992 Porsche 911 GT3 RS, this 993-based restomod loses its rear windshield in favor of a carbon fiber panel. More carbon fiber appears in the areas where side windows would be, with intake scoops helping feed the air-cooled four-valve twin-cam engine. Given the aggressive head bolsters of the single seat, checking blind spots would be impossible anyway, but the GXR-Evo isn’t totally impractical, with a rearview camera being integrated.
Gunther Werks
Propelling the driver to the horizon is a 4.0-liter flat-six co-developed with Rothsport Racing, and it generates a healthy 455 hp, with a redline near 9,000 rpm. A special slide-valve throttle body replaces the usual butterfly valves to increase volumetric efficiency, and a reengineered Getrag G50 six-speed transmission feeds the rear axle, while Brembo Pista race brakes, motorsport-grade ABS, magnesium center-lock wheels, and a bespoke double wishbone suspension setup with three-way manually adjustable remote reservoir dampers from JRZ keep the car flat and composed on sweeping asphalt and over bumpy curbs.
Gunther Werks GXR-Evo Interior: Fun For One
Gunther Werks
A single Racetech carbon-Kevlar seat holds the driver in place with a Schroth six-point harness, connected to an eight-point roll cage with exquisite welds. Ahead of the driver is a new quick-release steering wheel similar to that in the aforementioned simulator, while a Motec digital display provides access to telemetry and diagnostics. Buttons for launch control, wipers, display brightness, and even a helmet cooling system are integrated next to this display, but some 993 originality is retained in the GXR-Evo, with original center console switchgear for windows and mirrors sitting below the air conditioning controls. Clearly, this 15-unit restomod is not for posers and influencers but for hardcore enthusiasts who actually use their special commissions on a circuit for extended periods, and while the price of the latest Gunther Werks creation is surely sky-high, we hope that the inclusion of a $50,000 simulator will encourage every owner to see what a naturally aspirated track toy with three pedals feels like at the limit.
Gunther Werks
Â
