During these days the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, one of the most important tuning salons worldwide. Although its heyday is over, it is still an interesting place for many preparers, who exhibit their most cutting-edge works at the event. It is the case of Eneos and DevSpeed Motorsport. They have created a very special Porsche 911 GT3, but with the potential to shock many purists, as well as creating a lot of controversy. This is the kind of projects I like. Come with me, I’ll show you.
It all started with a crashed Porsche 911 GT3. A 997 bought by Faruk Kugay, a racer specializing in drifting. The car in question was little more than a shell and had no engine, making it the perfect blank “canvas” for what Eneos and DevSpeed had in mind. The sacrilegious component in question is the new engine in this Porsche 911. It’s a boxer engine, but it has four cylinders and comes from a 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Now we not only have the Porsche purists angry, but also the Subaru purists.
Although it was originally a 997 GT3, it has body elements from a 997.2.
The EJ25 received a new BorgWarner EFR 7064-C turbocharger, a Vibrant Vertical Flow intercooler, Brian Crower 280 camshafts, Deatschwerks injectors, a Nuke Performance fuel delivery system and a completely new exhaust line. The result is an engine with nothing less than 550 CV of power, 135 CV more than the 415 CV that developed the 997 GT3 when it was launched on the market. In addition, this four-cylinder engine is no less than 77 kilos lighter than the original 3.6 naturally aspirated boxer.
The six-speed gearbox is also of Subaru origin, and its developments and linkage have been specially adapted to the Porsche 911. Power is transmitted exclusively to the rear axle – yet another insult to “subaristas”. At the chassis level, it is a car aimed at extreme use on the circuit. This monstrosity mounts the original braking equipment of the 911 GT3, but equips a BC Racing threaded suspension, chassis components from a Porsche 911 Cup, as well as anti-roll bars in the passenger compartment.
Nuke Performance equips the Air Jack 90 Competition system, which quickly raises the body for fast tire changes.
The undercarriage consists of spectacular Rotiform 917 rims in 19 inchesshod with Toyo Proxes R888R tyres, measuring 265/35 R19 on the front axle and 345/30 R19 on the rear. The body kit is manufactured by VAD Design and imitates a racing Porsche 911 GT3R. It is tremendously widened and there are even gaps that leave part of the wheels exposed. This kit has a carbon fiber roof, vents on the front wings and aerodynamic components made of this material, but it does without the spoiler.
The headlights have been suppressed by carbon fiber covers and the interior has been gutted to the maximum, with only a few bucket seats signed by Tillet. Interestingly, part of the engine is in the air – it must be shown that its origin is not Porsche – and its body is painted in blue and yellow tones, again, in a clear nod to Subaru’s competition division. This car may be sacrilege, but it is made with great attention to detail and its performance is beyond question.
