Staggering Gunther Werks GXR-Evo launched
The weight of an MX-5, a 9,000rpm air-cooled flat-six, 15 to be made... and a sim rig thrown in as well
A bit like Christmas for kids, the world’s wealthiest have come to expect something bigger and better every year at Monterey Car Week. Great news for those creating content from California; less so for those with the task of actually making this stuff. Because what’s the next step on from the ultimate?
That looked like being the first world problem for Gunther Werks. After all, last year we witnessed the reveal of the F-26, a 1,000hp 993 that Sheehan described as ‘the fastest, most exciting way to own an air-cooled, boosted 911 that doesn’t want to kill you’ after a recent go. And a long lie down. How on earth do you follow that, especially in a restomod Porsche market offering more choice than your local Chinese takeaway?
Now we know: this is the Gunther Werks GXR-Evo, an ‘unrivalled air-cooled driving experience, forged in motorsport and engineered for maximum attack’. If the F-26 was the pinnacle of 993 Turbo evolution, here we have what the 993 RS could be with a money-no-object approach taken. So that’s the air-cooled 911’s peak, totally overhauled and optimised with the latest in engine, brake and chassis technology, plus a decade of experience in making these machines. No wonder GW is excited about the Evo.
These days, the number 2,386 in relation to a car’s dry weight might reasonably be expected to be kilos - here it's pounds. Or just 1,082kg, true supermini weight thanks to an all-carbon body and a development approach where ‘every unnecessary gram has been removed.’ Almost 100kg has been taken off the already slender Gunther Werks Coupe - there isn’t even a rear window, and the interior is sufficiently barren to make a race car look plush. (The Evo doesn’t just look like a motorsport creation, either - there are air jacks and a fire suppression system for very serious circuit-goers.)
Power again comes from a Rothsport-perfected flat six, here with the focus on revs and response rather than outright turbo wallop. A naturally aspirated 4.0-litre revving to nearly 9k, there’s said to be 455hp driving through the G50 six-speed manual. Gunther Werks is promising an ‘exceptional’ power-to-weight ratio and ‘an intensely visceral driving experience’. There seems little reason to doubt that given the wild F-26.
Underpinning the GXR-Evo is a unique double wishbone front end - if it’s good enough for new 911s, it’s good enough for new-old ones - with JRZ dampers at all four corners. They aren’t your average racy coilovers, either, instead three-way adjustable items with remote reservoirs. Brembo Pista brakes feature a motorsport-grade ABS, magnesium centre-lock wheels will shave precious unsprung ounces, and you can bet that a new Optima lithium battery won’t weigh much at all.
What probably does weigh a bit, even with its aluminum construction and carbon panels, is the simulator that all 15 GXR-Evo customers will receive as part of their purchase. It’s been developed with a company called MYSIM; each will be individually numbered, and the wheel is identical to that in the real thing. The sim setup is even calibrated to match the behaviour of the real car, so it should be the perfect practice tool for that upcoming track day of a lifetime.
"The GXR-Evo represents the purest interpretation of everything Gunther Werks stands for," said Peter Nam, Gunther Werks CEO and founder. “Every component has been designed with purpose, every surface shaped by function and every decision made to elevate the driving experience. This is a no compromise racing thoroughbred engineered to attack every apex with absolute precision. All while preserving the analog soul and legacy that is ingrained in the DNA of all Gunther Werks cars.” Probably going to be pretty good, then. However many millions it costs.
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