How Gunther Werks Transforms ’90s-Era Porsche 911s With Modern Tech
The idea for Gunther Werks had been bouncing around in Peter Nam’s head for about 15 years. The more he worked on modern sports cars (his other company, Vorsteiner, manufactures parts to upgrade Ferraris, McLarens, and the like), the more he came to feel that technical advances robbed newer models of what made their predecessors so special—even if they were faster.
“If you drive a Lamborghini, and you know, I own a few of them, you don’t feel anything until you’re going at least 100 miles an hour,” the shop’s C.E.O. and founder tells Robb Report.
So Nam, who has been a car buff since watching Knight Rider as a child, decided to do something about it. He started Gunther Werks in Southern California to produce what he calls reimagined Porsche 911s. Since 2017, the Huntington Beach–based shop has been taking cars from the model’s 993 generation—the last and most advanced to feature an air-cooled engine—and updating them for today. These aren’t mere restomods, though. The shop strips down the mid-1990s 911 to its chassis and reengineers it with new components and parts inspired by the originals, including a naturally aspirated engine, a manual gearbox, and carbon-fiber body panels. The result is a build that’s significantly lighter, more powerful, and faster than before.
“We’re purely focused on performance; that’s our first and foremost goal: to improve the performance of the car, and the cosmetics and aesthetics are a by-product of that,” he says.
In a little less than a decade, Gunther Werks has gone from building five cars annually to a projected 24 this year, despite a $1.55 million starting price. There’s some room for growth, but Nam is focused on keeping the company a “small boutique manufacturer.” Here’s how its compelling cars come together.
-
1. Donor Sourcing
Image Credit: Gunther Werks Once you commission a reimagined 911, Gunther Werks helps hone a vision for the car, starting with a bespoke paint color. “You’re not selecting from an existing menu,” Nam says. “So we really try to get as personal as we can.” After you find the right hue, a donor 993 is secured, either from your garage or acquired with the help of a knowledgeable broker. The right 993 can cost upwards of $130,000.
-
2. Design & Specification
Image Credit: Gunther Werks Designing the interior of the vehicle can be finished in as little as a week, but in some cases, finalizing a color scheme and trim materials can take months. The result of this attention to detail and personalization is that no two of the 70 builds the company has completed since 2017 share the same paintwork and configuration.
-
3. Chassis Prep & Reinforcement
Image Credit: Gunther Werks The donor car must be broken down to its bare chassis before it can be built up again. During this phase, the all-important component is cleaned and reinforced, making it 250 percent stiffer than it was originally. “Working on the chassis is, to me, the single most important thing of this entire build process,” Nam says. It lasts between four and five weeks.
-
4. Body Transformation
Image Credit: Gunther Werks Over about two months, specialist mechanics swap out nearly all of the donor vehicle’s body panels for carbon-fiber replacements that widen the vehicle while reducing its weight. The new panels, lights, and steering wheel are made in-house. “We are not an assembler,” Nam notes. “We are a manufacturer, so we are very vertically integrated.”
-
5. Coloring
Image Credit: Gunther Werks The shop takes a fastidious approach to painting its vehicles, carefully prepping the bodywork—which Nam says is key—before using a multistage process to ensure a concours-level look. More exotic finishes, like liquid and candy colors, add more steps to an already intensive phase, so painting can take up to a month.
-
6. Interior Perfecting
Image Credit: Gunther Werks Gunther Werks’ interiors team starts sourcing materials as soon as you sign off on the design. Once everything is in, craftsmen wrap, cut, and sew leather onto the seats, door panels, and roof liner. Because you’ll experience these elements every time you take it for a drive, the shop spends three to four weeks making sure everything is just right.
-
7. Assembly
Image Credit: Gunther Werks Final assembly can take up to four months. It starts with installing the subframe, followed by mechanical components including a naturally aspirated flat-six (inspired by the original 993’s) and a six-speed manual transmission codeveloped with Rothsport Racing. The body panels, lights, and interior round things out. The entire process is followed by a Formula 1–grade wheel alignment.
-
8. Road Testing
Image Credit: Gunther Werks After applying a protective wrap, the in-house development driver and lead technician ensure the finished car meets Gunther Werks’ exacting standards. The shop will typically spend one to two weeks testing out each model, covering up to 200 miles of local roads while doing so.
-
9. Special Delivery
Image Credit: Gunther Werks Gunther Werks provides each of its customers with a delivery experience as unique as their remastered 911. You can take possession at the company’s Huntington Beach headquarters or have it shipped directly to your garage. In either case, the handoff, which usually happens about 18 months after the commission, comes with a guided tour of your new ride.
