Gunter Werks unveils new Brundle Edition Turbo
Standard, seven-figure 993 restomod not sufficiently special? Brundle family to the rescue...
Probably you’ll be familiar by now with Gunther Werks’ dramatic take on the 993 Turbo - certainly you will be if you attended PH Annual Service this year, because there was one in the paddock. And you could hardly have missed it. Despite being firmly based in California, the firm is very keen to do a better job of rivalling the global success of Singer, hence the press car’s appearance in Europe over the summer. It is also likely one of the reasons Gunther has launched this, the Brundle Edition Turbo.
As you might expect from the name, the limited edition version ‘celebrates Martin Brundle’s storied career’, which had precious little to do with Porsche, but did of course include a decade-long stint in F1. And a WEC title with Jaguar. (Although you’d imagine the household status earned by commentating on F1 for nearly 30 years has done his worldwide profile no harm - this is the man, after all, whose commentary provided Brad Pitt’s F1 movie with an additional layer of realism.)
Either way, his racing legacy - particularly the design of his ‘iconic’ crash helmet - provides a good starting point for an exclusive two-tone pearl livery, one styled by none other than Charlie Brundle, Martin’s daughter and also an automotive designer in her own right. “Designing a car that celebrates my father’s racing career has been an incredibly personal experience,” she said. “It’s a rare opportunity to bring our two worlds together in a way that feels authentic to us both.”
Beyond the hand-painted exterior and one-off forged magnesium wheels ‘with motorsport pedigree’, you get a custom-finished interior festooned with Brundle family easter eggs, most notably a signature quote stitched on the dash: “The most important bit of the car is the nut holding the steering wheel.” There is also a nod to the colours of the F1 machines Martin drove in the seat bolsters, and exclusive Brundle Edition door sills.
“I’ve spent my entire life driving the most advanced machinery in the world. For me, one of the most unique aspects of a Gunther Werks vehicle is that, despite having extreme race car performance, it is remarkably civilized and usable too,” said Martin Brundle. “To collaborate with Gunther Werks and to have my daughter lead the design means this project is deeply personal. We’ve poured our collective experience from the driver’s seat, the paddock and the design studios into this car.”
Gunther doesn’t mention a price for this shared trip down memory lane, although on the basis that just five examples of the Brundle Edition will be made, you’d imagine there is a premium to be paid over the £1.25m a Turbo already costs. Obviously that buys you the same extensively reworked 993 Turbo underneath, along with its signature air-cooled 4.0-litre flat-six that produces up to 860hp and 610lb ft of torque and the six-speed manual Getrag 'box through which it drives the back axle. A British-inspired collaboration worth forking out for? Over to you…
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The Brundle thing seems a bit weird in reality, as he isn't associated with Porsches at all, but a nice story for them at least.
kedy f
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