California-based Gunther Werks is one of the brands you absolutely need to know when it comes to custom Porsches. They base their bespoke cars on the 993-generation 911 built from 1994–1998 — known to enthusiasts as the iconic last of the air-cooled models. Infusing them with Porsche RS-inspired tech and features, they provide one potential answer to one of the great automotive hypotheticals: what if Porsche had just kept on developing air-cooled 911s?
Guenther Werks
Guenther WerksGunther Werks’s next project will take on perhaps the rarest and most desirable 911 of them all, the 993 Speedster. The Speedster is the pared-down purist’s roadster Porsche, with the body style dating back to the James Dean-era Porsche 356. The 993-gen version may be the most desirable 911. After all, Porsche only built two official Speedster versions of the 993: one went to Ferdinand Porsche as a birthday present, and Porsche built a second for Jerry Seinfeld as a special commission in 2000.
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The 993 Speedsters from Gunther Werks will be a limited run of 25 vehicles. Like their hardtop cars, the new Speedsters will feature a Rothsport Racing 4.0-liter flat-six engine putting out 435 hp and 335 lb-ft of torque, connected to a six-speed manual transmission. Much of the body and interior components are built from lightweight carbon fiber.
There’s no pricing information yet, but expect this car to be costly. Porsche’s far-less-limited run of 1,948 Speedsters for the 991-generation car started at $275,000. The base price of Guenther Werks’s 993 coupe builds is $525,000. If you’re in the market for one of these, you’re probably deciding between a Gunther Werks speedster and a Singer Porsche. That said, the Gunther Werks version will cost a pittance compared to prying one of the originals from the Porsche family…or Jerry.