Mr. Porsche
If you go by the nickname ‘Mr Porsche’, have 30 years of experience with the Stuttgart-based marque and have also won the Portuguese rally championship nine times in a 911, then as a silent observer you can assume that the man knows a thing or two about cars. Mr Porsche, whose real name is Américo Nunes, has already laid his expert hands on a wonderful 47 Lincoln Continental V12, a Monte Carlo Mini Cooper S and a Lancia Delta Integrale Evo, but when he is now launching a series of ‘restomod’ 911s with his well-established company SportClasse and together with his sons Jorge and André, it should be clear that these vehicles, known as 911 SPC, are not bad at all.

Well, ‘refreshed’ Porsche 911s are everywhere, the best known are certainly the ones from Singer. But we are talking about really, really big money and waiting lists that go back years. The SPC from SportClasse are not exactly cheap either, and you have to bring an air-cooled 911 as a base vehicle. Or let the Portuguese find you a suitable ‘donor’, which is certainly not a bad idea, as there is good material in Portugal. What happens next is limited only by the buyer’s budget and imagination.

The centrepiece of the 911 SPC is, of course, the engine, which is air-cooled and built like the 2.8-litre engine from the original RSR (we have a nice story about that here). These are good for at least 300 hp, but more is possible. Then there’s the original transmission, which is of course restored and adapted to the higher forces; a limited-slip differential is added as a modern addition. Of course, the brakes are adapted to the higher speeds, and the suspension can be chosen to suit your needs: track day, cultural tour, somewhere in between. Visually, so much is still possible, including the interior: the finest leather, the most modern audio systems, even air conditioning, if you need it.

But that’s all just theory, green is only the tree of life – and so we take a seat in one of these 911 SPCs, of which six have been produced so far. The first thing you notice is that the interior is so beautiful, so lovingly made, just as you would want from Porsche for more than 50 years. Someone really understood the 911 – and made it better and more beautiful where it needs it. And of course, we love the simple, analogue dashboard, the freestanding gear stick at just the right length, and the incredibly simple yet perfect door panels. Amazing.

It gets even better. The 911 SPC roars wildly from the RSR exhaust system, but in a beautiful, genuine way, with no need to programme in any misfiring. The old-new machine revs up effortlessly, and of course the 300+ horsepower has no trouble with the 1100 kilograms of the Portuguese restomod. The gear changes are perfect, and the brakes are finally as good as you would always have wanted in an air-cooled car. The noise and propulsion are addictive, we wouldn’t want to give it back, the Porsche from Mr. Porsche. And if you are now wondering what the headlight at the rear is for, then you remember the nine-time rally champion, then you will figure it out by yourself. No, these 911 SPC from Portugal are not cheap either, but the ratio of price to craftsmanship seems reasonable to us.





More information about SportClasse can be found here. We have other Porsches in our archive.
Be First to Comment