Even the Brilliant Porsche 993 Can Be Improved, Just Bring a Lot of Money

There are several companies that take old air-cooled 911s like the 993 and improve them, but are they worth the eye-watering price tags?

Singer does it. Theon Design does it. Autoaktiv Motorsport does it. Gunther Werks does it. The list goes on and on. What we are talking about of course is taking a regular air-cooled Porsche 911 like the 964 or 993 and turning it into a restomod. These cars are usually stunning to look at and thrilling to drive. But they also cost an obscene amount of money. As in multiple millions of dollars obscene. Are they worth that kind of money? Afterall, for about $150K you can get yourself a really nice, all original 993 Carrera. Is a Gunther Werks really worth ten times that amount?

That is what Vin Anatra wanted to know. So, he took a trip to the Gunther Werks headquarters to get a behind the scenes look at how the cars are created. Of course, no visit would be complete without a test drive so he get to take a Gunther Werks Turbo out for a spin to see what all the hype is about. We get to ride shotgun thanks to the video he posted on his Vin_tra YouTube channel.

You Gotta Be Rich

Let’s get one thing straight up front. You have to be very wealthy to even consider one of these machines. No one is really cross shopping a Gunther Werks with a regular 993. To be able to afford a 993, you have to be fairly successful. But to buy a Gunther Werks, you need to be on a whole other level.

The car Anatra drives costs nearly $2 million. That is rarified air. For people buying cars like this, the price doesn’t really matter like it does for the rest of us. So, for these fortunate few, yes the car is worth it. But you have to have so much money in the first place, that whether it is worth it or not doesn’t really matter.

Custom Everything

Walking into the Gunther Werks headquarters is like a 10-year-old kid walking into a candy store with $5,000 to spend. The choices are totally overwhelming. You don’t just pick the exterior color and the style of the wheels. You basically design a car from scratch. Gunther Werks can do just about anything you want. There are no two cars alike.

Driving Perfection

Once Anatra gets the car out on the road everything starts to make sense. The light weight, the insane engine sounds, the performance, it all hits just right. On top of that, the car is actually practical enough that it can be driven every day. Now, is it ten times faster than a regular 993? No, of course not. But it is a custom machine developed just for you based on your vision. It is the sensation of driving something truly special that will make it worth every penny to those that can afford it. Others will just have to make do with a regular 993, and that is not a bad place to be at all.

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Joe Kucinski

Joe has been obsessed with cars since he got his very first Matchbox toy in the ‘70s. In 2003, he found a new obsession in track days that led to obtaining his SCCA competition license in 2015. In 2019, he became a certified driving instructor for the National Auto Sport Association. His love for all things four wheels has never wavered, whether it's driving some of the best cars in the world on the racetrack, tackling 2,000-mile road trips in 2-seat sports cars or being winched off the side of a mountaintop in a Jeep. Writing for the suite of Internet Brands Auto Communities sites, including Rennlist.com, Ford Truck Enthusiasts, 6 Speed and more allows him to share that knowledge and passion with others.