Monday 8th January 2024

RS GT concept twins 964 with 997 GT3 RS motor

Ever wondered what a 415hp Mezger flat-six would do to a 964? Here's your answer

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Those after something a little different from their air-cooled Porsche 911 are spoilt for choice currently: Everrati will put batteries in and make it look like an RSR; Theon Design will make a Singer-style road racer epic in Oxfordshire; and speaking of which, there remain a whole host of companies in Southern California (think Workshop 5001 and the like) to make retro dreams into reality. Now there’s one more, and it’s possibly the most extreme of the lot. German startup Reengineered Classics (or REEN) have created something called the RS GT Concept; once a standard 964 Carrera, it now has the 3.6-litre, 415hp flat-six from the 997 GT3 RS in its rump. REEN says it’ll ‘maximize driving pleasure on your way to and on your dream road.’

The key to that is going to be REEN Drive modes; familiar from many a new car, but still not often found in classics - even the updated ones. Wheel-mounted selectors can alter the throttle response, sound, drive aid intervention, rev match and steering weight, which feels like quite a novel feature on a build like this. Arguably it would help those used to modern machinery feel more comfortable in a 30-year-old 911. 

A seriously fast one, too, let’s not forget, with the Mezger flat-six mated to a custom five-speed close-ratio manual. So there’s going to be plenty to concentrate on. Containing it are bigger Brembo brakes, plus what REEN is currently calling ‘upgraded suspension, bushings and steering’. Given the project has taken five years, and the stance is transformed from a normal 964, evidently quite a lot has gone into it.

Reengineered Classics founder Dr Phillip Hoffman said of the RS GT: “Once you start slipping on the Porsche slippery slope, you fall in love with every detail, and so did I. The RS GT is the story of a creative, grueling, fantastic and goal-focused restoration and development in cooperation with the big names in the automotive supply industry, who have not always taken us completely seriously but certainly supported us with unique solutions.” They’ll probably be taken a little more seriously now, particularly with REEN Drive Control patented and TUV-approved. 

Though what Reengineered Classics has set out to do - ‘united old and new, classic and modern, digital and analogue, to celebrate driving emotions’ - could come from any restomod playbook, there’s something intriguing about that much power in a 964 and some very sophisticated electronics to make the most of it.

What an RS GT might cost to produce remains another matter, of course, though investing years of hard work into a valuable classic Porsche won’t come cheap. Neither will a GT3 RS engine. Still, demand for restomodded Porsches shows no signs of calming down - don’t be surprised if a couple of 964 lovers want something a little different to the rest.

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• Everrati pays homage to 3.8 RSR with latest 964
• Supercharged Porsche 911 by Theon Design | PH Video

[unpc]

The 964 restomod scene has been done to death now surely. I bought a nearly new 964 C2 back in the day and whilst it was a good car, it wasn't a great one IMO.

[leglessAlex]

Props to them for making it not look like something other than just a very well sorted 964!

Curious about the gearbox though, I wonder why not a six speed? I guess it wouldn’t fit.

[J4CKO]

unpc said:

The 964 restomod scene has been done to death now surely. I bought a nearly new 964 C2 back in the day and whilst it was a good car, it wasn't a great one IMO.

Is this a restomod ?

Suppose it is but its not treading the usual Fuchs wheels, ducktail, backdated, Edinburgh tartan boutique interior look.

[P.Griffin]

What was wrong with a GT3 RS engine in an GT3 RS?

I feel the whole Porsche scene is trying to answer questions that haven't been asked.

I thought the cache of an air cooled 911 was that it was "Air Cooled".

Edited by P.Griffin on Monday 8th January 12:53

[thegreenhell]

P.Griffin said:

What was wrong with a GT3 RS engine in an GT3 RS?

I feel the whole Porsche scene is trying to answer questions that haven't been asked.

I thought the cache of an air cooled 911 was that it was "Air Cooled".

Edited by P.Griffin on Monday 8th January 12:53

I watched the 9werks video of this car this morning, and as impressive as it is I was similarly left with the feeling that I'd rather just have a 964 and a GT3 RS, and not a mash up of the two.



At least we haven't got to the point where people are retrofitting the air-cooled they took out of the 964 into a 997. That would be daft.

Edited by thegreenhell on Monday 8th January 13:02

[anonymous-user]

That is the only one of these things that I like. It still looks like what it is.

[wc98]

I really like that, bet it's a great drive as well.

[Bencolem]

I’m confused. What’s going on with the wheels and why did it take 5 years to do an engine swap? Why not swap the whole drivetrain? What does REEN do and why would you want it to change the sound?

[WPA]

With the costs involved this just seems utterly pointless to me.

[Dombilano]

Isn't this just annoying both the donor/recipient car and engine followers at the same time.
Leave the 964 alone, Leave the GT3 engine where is was.

[P.Griffin]

thegreenhell said:

P.Griffin said:

What was wrong with a GT3 RS engine in an GT3 RS?

I feel the whole Porsche scene is trying to answer questions that haven't been asked.

I thought the cache of an air cooled 911 was that it was "Air Cooled".

Edited by P.Griffin on Monday 8th January 12:53

I watched the 9werks video of this car this morning, and as impressive as it is I was similarly left with the feeling that I'd rather just have a 964 and a GT3 RS, and not a mash up of the two.



At least we haven't got to the point where people are retrofitting the air-cooled they took out of the 964 into a 997. That would be daft.

Edited by thegreenhell on Monday 8th January 13:02

Thanks for the video...good find.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't say no, but I dread to think how much this cost. I think you'd get more change back from custom building a 964 engine to your spec. I think you'd get as much performance, and keep the air cooled sound. Not to mention not having to deal with all that water cooled plumbing.

[garypotter]

Great looking car but probably worth more int he future with standard engine etc, i see this as a bit of a pointless exercise.

[damonbill]

are there any normal 964's left?

I'm waiting for the 996 restomod scene to get going.............

[CKY]

damonbill said:

are there any normal 964's left?

I was going to say, we've got to be at the point now where someone like Motor Sport Tools starts knocking out brand new 964 bodyshells.

[MDL111]

damonbill said:

are there any normal 964's left?

I'm waiting for the 996 restomod scene to get going.............

is my project for the future based on the car I own already. Need to figure out how to get TÜV again first, which might be challenging given the modifications - a 2024 "to do"

[damonbill]

CKY said:

damonbill said:

are there any normal 964's left?

I was going to say, we've got to be at the point now where someone like Motor Sport Tools starts knocking out brand new 964 bodyshells.

ah, the old historic racing joke: 'of the 64,000 964's made, only 70,000 remain' etc etc

[C5_Steve]

Bencolem said:

I’m confused. What’s going on with the wheels......

Glad I'm not the only one who noticed this it's seriously bugging me!

[2Btoo]

thegreenhell said:

At least we haven't got to the point where people are retrofitting the air-cooled they took out of the 964 into a 997. That would be daft.

No. No, they haven't done that.

I'll leave this video here though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxkXzEXUSr8

[JJJ.]

Well, I'll be...a 964 that looks like an 964. Crazy world.

[sidesauce]

Dombilano said:

Isn't this just annoying both the donor/recipient car and engine followers at the same time.
Leave the 964 alone, Leave the GT3 engine where is was.

People like you are exactly why I love these kinds of modifications - what anyone chooses to do with their money and time is entirely up to them and if creating something like this pisses off people with your opinion, so much the better; more power to the creators of these machines.

Furthermore, does anyone know where the GT3 engine came from? Maybe it was from a written off car, for example.