The Porsche 911 is one of the most iconic and revered sports car nameplates in the world. Debuting in 1963, the 911 has gone through eight generations and various improvements, allowing it to slowly creep its way up the ranks of the sports car world. Some examples are so special, they are soaring in value, such as the GT3 RS 4.0.
Through 58 years and eight generations of 911, the formula has always stayed the same. The engine in the rear, rear-wheel drive, and a curvy body with a pretty much identical shape and silhouette throughout. Over the years, the 911 has been the central point of a lot of incredible tuning projects.
10 9FF GT9
Founded in 2001 in Dortmund, Germany, 9FF is a tuning company that takes Porsche 911s and dials them up to the absolute extreme. If you want your 911 to look out of this world and reliably produce four-figure horsepower numbers, 9FF is the place to go.
The most famous of 9FF's builds is the GT9. At first glance, it doesn't look much like a Porsche 911, save for a few recognizable components. Indeed, the GT9 shares but a few components with the donor car, and all the new additions serve a very specific purpose. The streamlined body and power outputs of up to 1,120 hp, the GT9 could do 254 mph.
9 RUF RT35
Boutique tuning company RUF is mostly known for being the go-to Porsche replacement in racing video games of years gone by. However, they're also responsible for making some truly epic and capable modified Porsches, such as the RT35.
Based on the 991 Porsche 911, the RT35 has a variety of changes to improve its dynamics. The 3.8-liter flat-six in the back has been affixed with twin turbochargers, dialing up the output to a colossal 630 hp. Bespoke bodywork additions and handling components make the RT35 truly one of a kind.
8 Manthey Racing GT2RS
Manthey-Racing originally started out as a privately owned race team in 1996, founded by Olaf Manthey. Nowadays, the company's focus has shifted to making Porsche's 911 GT lineup even more incredible on the track. The crown jewel of the MR family belongs to the GT2RS MR.
The most obvious change with the MR is the aerodynamics package. Because the regular GT2 RS wasn't ridiculous enough. A set of front canards, a big rear wing, and those beautiful carbon fiber aerodiscs on the rear wheels. There are also magnesium wheels and better brakes. The GT2RS MR retains the 691 hp from the standard car, but with the new tweaks, it set a Nürburgring lap record with a time of 6:40.3. That's around 18 seconds faster than a stock GT2RS.
7 Singer All-Terrain Competition Study (ACS)
In most cases, California-based Singer will take a classic Porsche 911, and then totally redesign and modernize it. as well as customize it exactly how the owner wants it to look. Sometimes, though, Singer's customers demand a little bit more than a jazzed up 911. Their requests are a little bit more off-the-wall.
The Singer All Terrain Competition Study, or ACS, is one car for such a customer. The customer wanted Singer to build them a modernized Porsche 911 Safari that they could take into actual off-road championships. The end result is absolutely incredible, in the most Singer way possible. The company built two identical ACSes, save for the color, and they will start their off-roading competition crusade in 2021.
6 Guntherwerks 400R
Similar to Singer, Guntherwerks is a small California-based shop that specializes in 911 restorations. The 400R, however, is taking all their engineering and restoration expertise to a whole new level.
The 400R may look like a slightly modified widebody 993 911, but it differs in a lot of ways. The body has been entirely re-manufactured out of carbon fiber, and it is glorious. The 4.0 liter flat 6 in the back is still air-cooled, but it's tuned to make 420 hp. If there's anything the 400R does well, is the driving experience. It drives like a modern Porsche in a classic Porsche frock.
5 RUF CTR
By far the most iconic car that RUF has ever produced is the 964 911-based CTR, also called the Yellowbird. It looked like a classic 911 on the outside, but to say that RUF stepped things up a notch on the Yellowbird would be a big understatement.
The original Yellowbird was and still is a very special car that could do 211 mph. RUF was well aware of this, which is why they dropped a bombshell back in 2017 by revealing a brand-new CTR. It looked like a classic 911 on the outside, but it was actually a brand new RUF designed platform and featured a 700 hp flat-6 which allowed a top speed of 225 mph.
4 RWB Stella Artois
Back in the late 90s, Akira Nakai-san was part of a drifting crew called Rough World. His vehicle of choice was an AE86, which he constantly tinkered with just to see how far he can push the limits. One day, he got his hands on a damaged Porsche 911, and decided to give his own personal touch.
Today, RWB is a revered Porsche tuner, and the cars Nakai-san works on are instantly recognizable thanks to their wild widebody kits and the way he does all the work himself by hand on every customer car. The Stella Artois is Nakai's personal 911, which he uses for time attack championships, and it's named after his favorite beer.
3 Singer Dynamics & Lightweighting Study
As if the cars that Singer restores weren't want-material enough, in 2018, Singer dropped the Dynamics & Lightweighting Study, better known as the DLS. Singer got together their expertise to create the most uncompromised air-cooled 911 you can imagine, and the results were breathtaking.
The DLS may look like a classic Porsche 911 on the outside, but all the sheet metal is remanufactured like most other Singer 911s, and it's beautiful. It gets even better, as Singer tapped Williams to help them design a brand new air-cooled flat 6, with 4.0 liters of capacity and 500 hp. While it may breach the limits of most people's wallets, it's a classic 911 enthusiast's dream.
2 Matt Farah's 911 Safari
Automotive journalist and funny guy Matt Farah has gained a reputation over the years for making some truly awesome project builds. One of them was the Fox Body Mustang that he did a few years ago, but it's his current project build that's by far the best.
This brilliant piece of machinery started out in life as a 964 Porsche 911. Then, Farah took it to a man called Leh Keen, who runs The Keen Project tuning garage. Keen modifies classic Porsche 911s like Nakai-san and Singer, but he turns them into off-roaders, similar in style to the original 911 Safari. This purple 911 has a whole catalog of upgrades offered by Keen, and a custom interior trim that means you can't mistake for anything else.
1 Sharwerks GT2
Perhaps one of the most unlikely tuning collaborations of all time, but it's a good thing that it happened. Sharkwerks is a tuning company that specializes in newer 911 models, but for this 997 GT2, founder Alex Ross collaborated with none other than Magnus Walker.
Surprisingly, even though Magnus has a penchant for the air-cooled 911 era, he approved this project, and he even gave it his own touch thanks to the visual tweaks, which include the gold Porsche stripe down the side, and the orange-painted bumpers. Other changes include a boost to 650 hp, a GT2RS flywheel, a new clutch, and a limited-slip differential as well.