Discussion
Car #1 just arrived back from the US after Monterrey etc and I drove it for the first time at the weekend. I am not easily pleased but I was reduced to a grinning, screaming idiot the first time Richard opened the taps and the car shot off up some fast but tightening uphill bends. The engine is incredible. Pulls like a train from 3500 and the cabin is flooded with hard edged metallic induction sound that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up if you have even a drop of petrol in your veins. With current gearing (under finalisation), you spend most time in 3rd and 4th for country hoon B road speeds (within the 40-80 bracket). I was “limited” to 8000 as the car has done its first 1000 miles in the US including 50 laps of Laguna Seca (I have some cool video of Richard perfectly calmly crossed up down the corkscrew). So they will strip the engine and also finalise mapping.
It is not just the engine though. The super light weight of the car and the passive suspension have resulted in a car that preserves the feel of an old air cooled 911 but updated it. Traction is immense. But the way you can keep the gas pinned over broken, rutted surfaces and adverse camber is astonishing. The brakes (Tuthill’s own calipers and carbon ceramic rotors) are very effective, progressive and full of feel.
My car has been moved up from build #3 to #2, the carbon panels are going on now and we are finalising the interior design with Callum Design. I started this journey 3-4 years ago with Richard, with a project to create a light weight RSR kind of car for weekend A/B road hoons and Alps road trips. This got folded into the 911K project and I am glad it did because this car has already put itself next to my Carrera GT as my favourite driving tool. I am still fizzing. Will share lots more details in due course if you are interested.
It is not just the engine though. The super light weight of the car and the passive suspension have resulted in a car that preserves the feel of an old air cooled 911 but updated it. Traction is immense. But the way you can keep the gas pinned over broken, rutted surfaces and adverse camber is astonishing. The brakes (Tuthill’s own calipers and carbon ceramic rotors) are very effective, progressive and full of feel.
My car has been moved up from build #3 to #2, the carbon panels are going on now and we are finalising the interior design with Callum Design. I started this journey 3-4 years ago with Richard, with a project to create a light weight RSR kind of car for weekend A/B road hoons and Alps road trips. This got folded into the 911K project and I am glad it did because this car has already put itself next to my Carrera GT as my favourite driving tool. I am still fizzing. Will share lots more details in due course if you are interested.
Phew! Where to start! It has been an amazing journey so far, and my car is finally taking shape. I think it will be around 835kg including fluids and 50 litres of fuel, more or less.
Should be finished in the paint shop now, colour is amethyst pearl metallic (M4Z) with hand painted stripes in tobacco metallic and gold bronze metallic at the bottom of the doors etc where PORSCHE shows through in bare carbon. The quality of the paint is exquisite, inside the frunk, the engine bay, even underneath the car it is the same smooth and polished finish as the visible panels. The painted body before fitting of windows, lights etc goes to Topaz for PPF and then the car comes back to Tuthill for all the bits to be bolted to it etc.
![](https://thumbsnap.com/sc/e5zu3c39.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/pzaneSS8" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/pzaneSS8.jpg)
Should be finished in the paint shop now, colour is amethyst pearl metallic (M4Z) with hand painted stripes in tobacco metallic and gold bronze metallic at the bottom of the doors etc where PORSCHE shows through in bare carbon. The quality of the paint is exquisite, inside the frunk, the engine bay, even underneath the car it is the same smooth and polished finish as the visible panels. The painted body before fitting of windows, lights etc goes to Topaz for PPF and then the car comes back to Tuthill for all the bits to be bolted to it etc.
Weight saving has been an obsessive part of Richard’s development work. Every part has been reviewed for weight saving potential, with an eye of course to longevity too. Most of the bolts are custom made titanium. We have carbon wheel rims for the Fuchs style wheels. Gearbox carrier is carbon fibre. And so on. The wheels are cool too in that you can see a small subtle band of unpainted carbon near the wheel centre, and if you look through the “spokes” you can see the inner rim is unpainted carbon. Subtle Like Tuthill, as they say. And the entire door is carbon fibre, not just the skin, with kevlar side impact bars. All the body panels are CF too. There is a carbon fibre roof sandwich panel with stiffening cross beams inside. The 911K logo on the engine lid is titanium too.
As you would expect, the ability to customise has been a fun part too. My favourite car is my Carrera GT, and we have Carrera GT style machined pedals with custom pedal box as well as CGT gearknob.
There is also a vast choice of interior materials and colours, from traditional leathers to the latest technical fabrics and “vegan leather”. Callum Design are handling a lot of this, and they work with you to produce renders so you can choose the colours and materials you want.
I am going with a combination of dark and light brown leather, perforated leather headlining, and a few other bits and textures.
You can option an aircon system, which I haven’t. There is also a gorgeous carbon fibre handbrake lever. You can have speakers linked by Bluetooth to your phone. There are a pair of dash mounted rally timers (an idea I had and being included in the spec for all cars as a branded item).
There is also a vast choice of interior materials and colours, from traditional leathers to the latest technical fabrics and “vegan leather”. Callum Design are handling a lot of this, and they work with you to produce renders so you can choose the colours and materials you want.
I am going with a combination of dark and light brown leather, perforated leather headlining, and a few other bits and textures.
You can option an aircon system, which I haven’t. There is also a gorgeous carbon fibre handbrake lever. You can have speakers linked by Bluetooth to your phone. There are a pair of dash mounted rally timers (an idea I had and being included in the spec for all cars as a branded item).
The engine was going to be a 2.8 but changed to 3.1. It was important to me to have good mid range torque and not just a top end screamer. And Richard listened. The exhaust is inconel. As said already on this thread, the engine has been on the dyno a lot, but not yet with the final exhaust and I am keen to see the outcome soon. I think they are pretty much there otherwise, a lot of testing and mapping done. I am sure they will err slightly on the conservative side rather than over stress the engine. When I drove the gold car, limited to 8000 at that time a few months ago, it was just incredible. With this kind of weight we don’t need 350-400bhp. It is more about the “emotion” and using all the revs. I am going to drive what I hope will be final mapping and final gearbox ratios in a couple of weeks. Richard is also working on different, lower ratios for gears 2-4.
The other abiding memory I have from driving the gold car a while back was how blown away I was by the suspension. You could drive slowly or fast over single track broken farm roads or nice fast A roads or twisty B roads, the car was composed and put the power down too. It was a real lesson in what a sophisticated 4 way passive setup can be made to do. Since then the dampers have been completely reworked with Motion control, so I cannot wait. Richard seems very excited about this, so I know it is going to be good.
The other abiding memory I have from driving the gold car a while back was how blown away I was by the suspension. You could drive slowly or fast over single track broken farm roads or nice fast A roads or twisty B roads, the car was composed and put the power down too. It was a real lesson in what a sophisticated 4 way passive setup can be made to do. Since then the dampers have been completely reworked with Motion control, so I cannot wait. Richard seems very excited about this, so I know it is going to be good.
Filibuster said:
What an astonishing project!!!!! This is an epic build!!
I’m a sucker for all those details, like those magnificent custom Ti buts and bolts
It’s those details, coupled with top notch engineering and perfect styling that makes this such an amazing project and sets it apart from those (still great) home bread projects in the 911 restomod projects/cost thread.
You mentioned Callum Design? Do you mean Ian Callum? Please do share more details on this part of the project too!!!
I’m a big fan of him since the original i6 DB7!
Yes it is Ian Callum’s design agency, who have also worked on DLS. I spent some time with Ian a few years ago when my original Tuthill project was going to be an RSR. They have done a lot of work on interior, the seats and so on, and they provide the customer with design ideas and renders for the interior. They also do all the interior trim work and fit it. They have a proper facility near Warwick with the sewing machines and all the other stuff, as well as CAD and design studios, and a large workshop to work on the cars as well as an OEM quality scanner where they can scan a whole car and transfer it to their CAD systems. Ian is a wonderful chap to chat with as well, down to earth (he spent an hour looking at some model trains my son made).I’m a sucker for all those details, like those magnificent custom Ti buts and bolts
It’s those details, coupled with top notch engineering and perfect styling that makes this such an amazing project and sets it apart from those (still great) home bread projects in the 911 restomod projects/cost thread.
You mentioned Callum Design? Do you mean Ian Callum? Please do share more details on this part of the project too!!!
I’m a big fan of him since the original i6 DB7!
johnny senna said:
Fantastic, Andrew. Love it.
Is the Topaz wrap included in the price and every 911K will have it? Or is it an option you specifically asked for? Seems like a good idea to me either way.
It is an option should sir or madam desire it Is the Topaz wrap included in the price and every 911K will have it? Or is it an option you specifically asked for? Seems like a good idea to me either way.
What I like is the car is sent for PPF before all the external bits are fitted, so the film can be applied into the nooks and crannies.
braddo said:
Jaw dropping, absolutely sensational!!
And 835kg with fluids and 50L fuel
Is the rear suspension still torsion bars, or coil overs?
This is vastly more appealing to me than any Singer. I’m in awe.
Yes, torsion bar. It was important to retain the general feel of a period 911, but the suspension is probably one of the most remarkable features of the car, allied to the light weight. And 835kg with fluids and 50L fuel
Is the rear suspension still torsion bars, or coil overs?
This is vastly more appealing to me than any Singer. I’m in awe.
I can’t remember the last time (if ever) I drove a sub 900kg road car. And have only driven a car with 11k red line on track. This is what makes the car so exciting for me (and I am pleased to see for others too). There are obvious pitfalls trying to achieve this, and Richard and team have been working tirelessly. I am amazed even now how much calibration is going on to make it just right.
Filibuster said:
I presume this will be a two seater a) because this is a lightweight project and b) you have a Ti cage that will get fitted.
If so, why do the new CF panels have the rear seat moldings instead of a parcel shelf? Is it for strength or do you want the option to fit kids in the rear when there is no cage fitted?
It is just how the bulkheads are, but no plans to use the spaces are seats - as you rightly point out, there will be a cage back there anyway. The area will be trimmed and there will be plenty of carbon poking through too. If so, why do the new CF panels have the rear seat moldings instead of a parcel shelf? Is it for strength or do you want the option to fit kids in the rear when there is no cage fitted?
Slippydiff said:
More 911 K carbon fibre porn :
It’s been close on 15 years since I last visited Tuthills and met Richard.
What a transformation, a deeply impressive set up producing some stunning cars.
Of note was this ready for collection (it was at the BH Scramble yesterday) :
Tuthill are also producing a run of SCRS restomods based on the 993 platform.
Two cars were undergoing final shakedown/prep, a stunning dark purple metallic car and an equally stunning Mexico blue example.
Whilst I was there, a member of staff went to collect the owner of the Mexico blue car from Banbury station. His “taxi” was to be the gold 911K, which was fired up in the workshop before driving off. I have a 30 second clip, it’s quite something
Both the Mexico blue and dark metallic purple SCRS restomod builds were at Bicester Scramble yesterday, along with this Mint green example :
This is the engine bay of the Mexico blue car
Apologies for gently de-railing your thread Andrew, but it’s all Tuthill porn and shows just what they’re up to (and the quality of it) in their lair in Wardlington.
As others have said, looking forward to further updates on your build.
As derailings go, that’s a good one Slippy It’s been close on 15 years since I last visited Tuthills and met Richard.
What a transformation, a deeply impressive set up producing some stunning cars.
Of note was this ready for collection (it was at the BH Scramble yesterday) :
Tuthill are also producing a run of SCRS restomods based on the 993 platform.
Two cars were undergoing final shakedown/prep, a stunning dark purple metallic car and an equally stunning Mexico blue example.
Whilst I was there, a member of staff went to collect the owner of the Mexico blue car from Banbury station. His “taxi” was to be the gold 911K, which was fired up in the workshop before driving off. I have a 30 second clip, it’s quite something
Both the Mexico blue and dark metallic purple SCRS restomod builds were at Bicester Scramble yesterday, along with this Mint green example :
This is the engine bay of the Mexico blue car
Apologies for gently de-railing your thread Andrew, but it’s all Tuthill porn and shows just what they’re up to (and the quality of it) in their lair in Wardlington.
As others have said, looking forward to further updates on your build.
Did the gold 911K have the production exhaust, did they say?
Slippydiff said:
I think (and I stress think) not Andrew. I’m pretty sure David said they were still developing the system further.
The current system was pleasingly loud especially in the confines of the workshop ...
But even once outside it sounded wonderful as it drove off (though not ridiculously strident)
It’s a shame the speed ramps on the driveway up to Tuthills are so vicious, as I’m sure there’d have been a good opportunity to demonstrate the sound of the exhaust admirably, though no doubt to the chagrin of the locals ...
Tuthill have done a phenomenal job in developing what should be an amazing and entertaining car to drive. It has all the makings of being a very special car indeed, I hope you enjoy it
The current system was pleasingly loud
especially in the confines of the workshop ...But even once outside it sounded wonderful as it drove off (though not ridiculously strident)
It’s a shame the speed ramps on the driveway up to Tuthills are so vicious, as I’m sure there’d have been a good opportunity to demonstrate the sound of the exhaust admirably, though no doubt to the chagrin of the locals ...
Tuthill have done a phenomenal job in developing what should be an amazing and entertaining car to drive. It has all the makings of being a very special car indeed, I hope you enjoy it
Keen to hear the new exhaust and also drive the car again as a lot has been done to it in the meantime.
Getting away from tyre sizes and back to the 911K
Tuthill are continuing to do this properly, a late addition to the spec is this lovely carbon handbrake which they need not have done, arguably, but I think it is cool.
Going to drive the test car in about a week, hopefully with final mapping and gear ratios.
My car has now finished with paint shop and is in the workshop for build. It will go to Callum for the interior when the oily bits have been bolted on.
Tuthill are continuing to do this properly, a late addition to the spec is this lovely carbon handbrake which they need not have done, arguably, but I think it is cool.
Going to drive the test car in about a week, hopefully with final mapping and gear ratios.
My car has now finished with paint shop and is in the workshop for build. It will go to Callum for the interior when the oily bits have been bolted on.
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