Porsche reveals Project Gold – one-off 993 Turbo S

The retro movement has gathered some momentum of late, with the likes of older, air-cooled Porsche 911s being subject to considerable restoration and makeover efforts. It appears that Porsche themselves are giving more than a passing nod of acknowledgement to the trend, in light of the latest car to emerge from one of their more specialist divisions, Porsche Classic.

As the name suggests, Porsche Classic deals with older examples of the marque’s models, and Project Gold serves as a showcase of the division’s comprehensive skillset. The project is based on the 993-generation 911 Turbo S, which is the final encore appearance for the air-cooled, twin-turbocharged Neuelfer of that era. To be exact, the hitherto final example of the 993 Turbo S that rolled off the production line in 1998.

The automaker drew upon the Porsche Classic division’s selection of more than 6,500 genuine parts available for the 993-generation car for this build, starting with an existing body shell and hand-stamped chassis. Overall, the Classic division stocks 52,000 parts for the upkeep and restoration of past models.

The corrosion protection and paint processes were among the parts of the procedure from modern times; these were the ones applied to today’s series production vehicles, Porsche said. Project Gold was assembled in the care of Porsche Classic specialists at its restoration workshop in Stuttgart, which is also where a brand new example of the original, 450 hp 3.6 litre biturbo flat-six powertrain was installed.

The aesthetic for Project Gold draws from the present-day 991 Turbo S Exclusive, most prominently with the Golden Yellow Metallic paint colour. Inside, the unique 993-generation Turbo S gets hand-upholstered black leather with gold appliqué detail for contrast. Where the 991 Turbo S Exclusive is 500-unit limited run model, the 993-era Turbo S was even more limited, with just 345 units built.

Project Gold will make its debut at the Porsche Rennsport Reunion in Laguna Seca, United States on September 27, and is destined for the RM Sotheby’s auction block at the Porsche Experience Centre in Atlanta, US a month after that.

Proceeds from the sale of the one-off 993 Turbo S will go to the Ferry Porsche Foundation, a non-profit organisation established this year for the marque’s 70th anniversary celebrations. Considering it took about one and a half years to construct, with just one example in the entire world, Project Gold will most likely command quite a sum.

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