Gunther Werks
What if you had the driving and analog feel of a Porsche from yesteryear but with the modern fit of the GT3? Enter this Gunther Werks example in Mexico Blue.
Gunther Werks has been in the carbon business for 17 years and they wanted to make sure it was done right. It had to be extremely light and have a full carbon body. So on the car, the bumper, hood, fenders, roof, rear quarters, tail, and rear bumper are all carbon fiber.
In this example, a commissioned exposed stripe hood was ordered. It's a two-by-two weave that matches the hood and roof which is also fully exposed. The overall design of this car is showcased from various Porsches over the years. A close look at the front bumper shows it was influenced by the Carrera GT. The fenders were designed from the 993 GT2 Evo. Looking at the ducktail spoiler, you may recognize it's based on the 1973 911 RS. And the rear bumper is fashion based from the 997 GT3.
Having a look at this car, you'll also notice it's very wide. It's roughly 3 inches wider on each corner which allows for a square track width. 911's are notorious for understeering. Adding the width, especially in the front, removed the understeering issue and actually creates an oversteering feel which you'll recognize with the more modern day Porsches. Perelli P Zero 295/30 18's reside up front, while 335/30 18's hold the back. The cool thing about using the 993 is that it allows you to pull the suspension out 20 millimeters. In doing so it allowed Gunther Werks, along with ERP (a suspension partner) to design improved uprights. That in turn allowed 1.2 lateral G's in a skid pad. When tested at Laguna Seca Raceway, this car pulled over 3 G's in the corkscrew.
The engine on the car starts off as a 3.6 block, from there it was bored out to 4 liters. It's still naturally aspirated, air cooled, and a flat six engine. From there, Gunther Werks added their own pistons, rods, individual throttle bodies with a 997 GT3 intake plenum. For ECU management, a MoTec dual map ECU allows the car to go from 420 horsepower to 435 horsepower. When changing to the higher horsepower the exhaust also opens up which gives a deeper vibrant tone.
The interior is handbuilt and bespoke to customers specifications. In this example, the door panels are full carbon with unique Gunther Werks door handles. 5 components make up the carbon flooring. The rear seat is deleted showcasing the two piece carbon fitting with the fire extinguisher mounted in the center. Full carbon bucket seats are also a landmark of Gunther Werks. Bespoke seating is per customer wishes. In this example, ours is fashioned from original Porsche design in a houndstooth style. Looking at the dash reveals continued two weave carbon fiber. Custom gauges are included with changes to the RPM gauge to include a bumping up from 7,200 RPMs, to 7,800 RPMs. A heightened billet shifter makes for easier shifting.
Another favorite feature of the car are the bi LED headlights. Made with full airplane grade glass, a carbon bucket holds the elements. The LED headlights are caressed with the glow of a circular DRL light. A Gunther Werks “GW” is embossed inside the system. For rear lighting you may notice the familiarity of modern 991 C4Ss lenses. It's a full LED light with a full LED bar light that spans the entire distance.
With a full weight of 2,650 pounds and the power of 450 horsepower coming from the naturally aspirated, air cooled flat 6, the car has a power to weight ratio of 352 horsepower per ton. Compared to a modern day GT3RS, this example has a better power to weight ratio.
