2006

Last month, I had the pleasure of attending the Icons of Porsche event in Dubai, where a dazzling array of Porsche GT2s from several generations was on display including the likes of the 997 and several variations of the 991. There was one that was also kitted out with a kit from Manthey Racing, who are an official race partner, tuning both race and road cars for the German brand. The GT2 is essentially the wild, untamed extension of the 911 Turbo. Where the Turbo is the polished, everyman supercar, the GT2 is a beast that trades comfort for raw performance. Porsche uses the GT2 to push the limits of the Turbo’s potential. The latest and final episode ’Turbo - Beyond Performance’ of Porsche Heritage Moments, (a series celebrating 50 years of the Tubro) featuring, Timo Bernhard, Thomas Krickelberg, and Frank Jung gives us some insights look at the engineering, history, and legacy of the Turbo’s wild cousin: the GT2. While the trio also touch upon the 911 Turbo 50th anniversary edition, I wanted to focus my attention on the pristine red 997 GT2 at the Porsche Museum.

Imagine K-swapping engine in a Porsche to make it faster. That is exactly what owner Nick had in mind when he swapped out the engine of his 2006 Carrera S for one from Honda’s legendary K-Series. While his Porsche was not slow, to begin with, Nick felt that there was room for improvement and with that began the search for an engine.