The Gunther 400R Pops Up Again at SEMA

Refining the 993

Here at Rennlist we really do love seeing tuner shops taking classic Porsches and breathing new life into them. The good folks at Gunther Werks have done just that by taking the 993 and crafting something that makes us wonder if this car was actually pulled from an alternate dimension where Porsche made a GT3 RS version of this 911. To tell you the truth, the 400R fits right in at a show like SEMA where everything is over the top and pushed to absolute limits, whether that be financially or mentally. This car, the last of the air-cooled 911, is lighter than before, more powerful than before, and buttoned up tighter than before. 

>>Join the conversation about the Gunther Werks 400R here in Rennlist.com.

Blending classic and contemporary

Gunther Werks takes the 993 and re-engineers them from the ground up. The shop adds not just performance mods but also incorporates modern tech and contemporary levels of luxury while still maintaining the elements that made the car special in the first place.  Every panel of the car apart from the doors has been replaced with a custom carbon fiber pre-preg equivalent. Wheels are often afterthoughts on cars, but not the case at Gunther. Clay modelers and designers looked at the 18x9 front and 18x12 rears wheels and sculpted the arches around them. Oh, and in case you were wondering why the doors were left alone, that's due to keeping with the original side impact structure. 

>>Join the conversation about the Gunther Werks 400R here in Rennlist.com.

Air-cooled fury

This 400R has a numbered plate that reads 00 denoting that the shop has plans to build another 25 for lucky well-heeled enthusiasts. The 400R can be had by either a 993 Carrera 2 donor car being handed over to GW or if the buyer hands over additional funds so that the shop can procure a base car for them. What follows is the car being stripped all the way down to the steel body shell and the engine being removed. Gunter squares up the track width front and rear to fix what they describe as chronic understeer that is a common problem with the 993. This is done by using the stock front-suspension mounting locations 1.2 inches outside of the Porsche race team settings. As seen in the photo above, the adjustable carbon fiber rear wing is as massive as it is stylish. 

>>Join the conversation about the Gunther Werks 400R here in Rennlist.com.

Sports car or work of art?

That 400 in the name of the car points to the 400 horsepower that comes from the 4.0-liter flat-six that was built by Rothsport Racing. The ECU put together with the GT3 RS tailbox gives the driver the choice of a switchable exhaust mode that's matched up with the engine mapping. The quiet mode that can be engaged will knock 30 horsepower off of performance scale but give your neighbors immersable happiness. The engine was broken before Rothsport began work on it that the only thing that was carried over was the crankcase! The motor has all-new heads, Mahle pistons, a water-cooled 4.0-liter flat-six's crankshaft, Camillo rods, and a GT3 oil pump. Gone from the engine bay are the hydraulic power-steering pump and the air-conditioning compressor to cut horsepower losses to the stock accessory drives. Both of these pumps are now electric units that have been relocated to the front of the car. The result is that when the car is in the custom-tuned Sport mode there will be 431 horsepower and 315 lb-ft of torque available for use. 

>>Join the conversation about the Gunther Werks 400R here in Rennlist.com.

Porsche reimagined

The fan with the duty of keeping things cool in the hatch is identical to the size of the one that can be found in Turbo models, features vanes in contrast to the Turbo's straight vanes. Yet another custom touch that was R&D'd to death before being fabricated and installed. Other enhancements done include an additional oil cooler, a carbon-fiber intake plenum inspired by the water-cooled GT3 RS ones and new gear ratios for the 6-speed transmission. The car rolls on custom KW Clubsport suspension with Hydraulic Lift System to take the car from racing level to steep driveway clearing vehicle in moments. 

>>Join the conversation about the Gunther Werks 400R here in Rennlist.com.

I don't see any cup holders

Moving to the interior of the car, items such as the door handles have even been touched on with the pair being custom designed and machined from single pieces of billet aluminum. The basic architecture of the cabin will be the same throughout the 25 cars that will be built, however, customers can pick the materials and colors to make their 400R as unique as they are. Once seated inside the carbon bucket seats the driver will be greeted by a tasteful five-fuage colored layout and a carbon parcel shelf. 

In keeping with the level of luxury the car commands, customers will stay at a luxury resort on GW's dime in sunny California and be coddled for a day before they get handed the keys. GW will charge a mere $525,000 for a 400R, but that price would go up if you are in need of a donor car. While that price is wildly out of many enthusiasts range for a sports car it's still a lot cheaper than a #1 rated 993 GT2 which fetches $1.35 million! 

>>Join the conversation about the Gunther Werks 400R here in Rennlist.com.

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