911 Battle: Guntherwerks 400R Takes on Sharkwerks GT3 4.1
Two vastly different custom 911 Porsches go Head 2 Head.
Changing a Porsche is a tricky thing to get right, but two respected builders include Guntherwerks and Sharkwerks. A build from each respective company takes a stab at supremacy in Motor Trend‘s Head 2 Head series. Guntherwerks is represented by the 400R, an air-cooled 993, and Sharkwerks puts forth a “GT3 4.1” 997 for their fight. They are polar opposites in approach to speed, yet both undeniably Porsche at the core. Head 2 Head hosts Johnny Lieberman and Jethro Bovington decide to check them out.
Guntherwerks’ 400R is an imagination of what a GT3 might have been, had Porsche made it for the 993 chassis. Methodical approach to suspension is the 400R’s ethos, with each one taking several days to set up. Sure, it has power from the air cooled flat-six, but the main takeaway here is how it handles. Lieberman loves the 400R so much, he goes as far as saying “If Jethro doesn’t like this car, we can’t be friends. We just can’t be friends.”
Consequently, the Sharkwerks 911 uses power for its approach to speed. Bovington states, “The revered Mezger engine doesn’t recieve much love from 911 tuners, but Sharkwerks has been at this for a while.” This version, punched out to 4.1 liters makes an astonishing 520 horsepower, all of it used regularly as it has covered 90,000 miles. Lieberman likes this a lot, saying, “every stone chip makes you want to push the car harder.”
“They both prove that by dialing up the bits you love about 911s, you might not create a perfect car for everyone, but you might hit upon the perfect formula for your own vision of 911 nirvana,” says Bovington, who favors the Sharkwerks 911.
“My final thoughts: I’d like to get both. I would like both cars,” says Lieberman with a chuckle.
So which one wins? It’s a tough call, with a surprise ending and well worth the watch.
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