Porsche 964 With A GT3 RS Heart: An Engine Swap That Any Purist Can Get Behind

One of the last Mezger engines in a classic 911 shell

REEN Cars call this the Porsche 964 RS GT - a modern interpretation of the 1991 Porsche 911 RS N/GT, of which 291 examples were built. It was, essentially, the 964 generation’s equivalent of a 911 GT3, with more power, less weight, and stiffer chassis than the 964 Carrera, upon which it was based. Companies like Kalmar Automotive showed that the 911 can even become an EV. Porsche purists would, no doubt, frown upon that as much as a rotary-powered Porsche 911 or the LS-swapped 997 hot rod we covered not long ago. However, REEN has done right by the fans with this 964 build.

REEN Cars take things further by replacing the 3.6-liter flat-six with... another 3.6-liter flat-six. However, the new engine comes from the Porsche 997 GT3 RS and has much more power. The engine in question is the M97.76 engine and a more powerful version of it blesses the engine bay of the last Porsche 911 to feature the Mezger engine. As far as Porsche’s iconic boxer engines go, it doesn’t get much better than this.

Classic 964 With Race Car Touches

There is no shortage of reimagined, classic 911s, and companies like Singer and its exquisite lineup are living proof. That said, we still see new ways of recapturing the feel of the classic 911. REEN has modernized the 964 Carrera RS GT in all the right ways, without compromising the classic sports car character. The original 964 gearbox has been reworked. It’s still a five-speed manual, but with a longer first gear and shorter second through fourth, with the fifth retaining the factory gear ratio. The REEN 964 RS GT even uses an original, 964-spec, single-mass flywheel for a more authentic feel.

REEN hasn’t gone over the top with the 964 RS GT interior. The team has kept the interior very close to the original, with the main differences being the rear-seat delete, the addition of Leather bucket seats, and a MOMO Prototipo steering wheel with buttons for various settings like the eight-way adjustable, active exhaust. Lightweight equivalents have also replaced the door cards and additional chassis bracing has been added.

The original 964 bodywork has been kept, at least for this prototype vehicle (which apparently, isn’t quite complete, and has been finished in the iconic Guards Red hue. They even kept the active rear spoiler. The five-spoke, lightweight alloy wheels feature a center-lock mechanism and pay homage to the original, 17-inch wheels of the 964 RS N/GT. REEN Cars haven’t given exact figures, but given the treatment, we believe the reimagined 964 RS GT is around 150 pounds lighter than the 1991 Porsche 964 RS N/GT. The company will soon be offering a similar treatment for the Porsche 993.