Aftermarket upfit

There is no shortage of companies that reimagine Porsche 911s and the automotive scene today, seems to be saturated but in a good way, with car companies that focus on tastefully resto-modding classic Porsches and giving them a unique twist. Names like Singer, Theon, Gunther Werks, REEN, and Gembala are a handful, that come to mind. But how to stand out amidst so many? Dutch company, Kalmar Automotive may have the answer. In the summer of 2024, the company unveiled its most groundbreaking project yet – the Kalmar 9x9.

If you are a Porsche fan, you have probably come across the name RWB. It stands for RAUH Welt Begriff, which translates to Rough World Concept in German. "Rough” is exactly the word some would use to describe Nakai San’s work on Porsche 911s, but while divisive, his method of modifying the popular German sports car is what makes his builds truly unique. There are plenty of companies that delve into custom Porsche 911 builds, but RWB’s work stands out as the most outrageous wide-body Porsche 911s, made by the Japanese artisan.

The 1980s was a truly crazy time. On the one hand, we’d just experienced the oil crisis, which had led to some horrendous cars and ruined previously great ones. On the other – it was a time of innovation, futuristic styling, and some very radical design decisions. Pronounced fender flares, side gills, and pop-up headlights were the norm in those crazy days. When it comes to the Porsche 911, one design stands out as the definitive 1980s styling element – the Flachbau which translates to Slant Nose or flat nose in German.

Normally, when we think of reimagined or resto-modded classic 911s, the work of Singer is probably the first to come to mind. Of course, there are others like Theon, Gunther Werks, Kalmar Automotive, and so many more. Then, there’s Erbacher – an outfit based out of Dornach, Switzerland, dedicated to making its own epic iteration of the often-reimagined Porsche 964.

Porsche’s 986 Boxster was a model that until recently, did not get the recognition it deserved. It gave Porsche enthusiasts a more affordable, mid-engine sports car that offered 80 percent of the 911 performance at around half the retail price when both cars were new. The entry-level Porsche from the 1990s came with a downside though – it wasn’t the quickest. While even the base-model 986 Boxster can smoke a Mazda Miata from the same period, automatic variants were especially strangled, with 0 to 60 mph times being 7.2 seconds.

The 992.2 update for the Porsche 911 is an interesting case. On the one hand, we got the first-ever production hybrid 911 with the GTS earlier this year, but on the other, for the first time, we didn’t get a power bump on the track-focused GT3 model. The 992.2 lineup is slowly being updated as new 911 variants are coming out, and with the GT3 and GT3 Touring models being introduced on 18 October, we know the 992.2 GT3 RS should be around the corner. The most track-focused, normally-aspirated 911 will undoubtedly feature slightly more power out of its signature 4.0-liter flax-six. But what if you don’t want to wait? If you already have a 992.1 GT3 RS (or if you are considering one), Porsche Super Cup racing veteran and tuner, Manthey Racing based at the Nürburging has a solution for you. The company’s kit will take your 992.1 GT3 RS and infuse it with much-needed chassis and aerodynamic enhancements, which could make the 992.2 GT3 RS look like an unnecessary upgrade.

Porsche’s sports cars are often, considered some of the most usable high-performance models ever made. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder and as capable as the 911 and 718 are out of the box, there is room for improvement. These models generally provide a solid base from which to build upon. But sometimes owners want to make their Porsche truly their own by spicing things up a bit with even more power or altering the aesthetics to suit their style. Beyond what Porsche themselves offer, there are plenty of ways to do so with a wide variety of aftermarket performance and visual upgrades being readily available for both the Porsche 911 and 718. While Porsche owners could turn to renowned companies like TECHART, Manhart, and others who can completely transform your car from the ground up, there are more affordable ways to modify your ride, without the need for a comprehensive conversion. As with JDM cars or muscle cars, certain trends are popular in the Porsche community as well, and in this article, I wanted to focus my attention on five, that are common on the Porsche 911 that sometimes also apply to Cayman and Boxster models.

The Porsche 944 comes from the German automaker’s transaxle era (1970-1990) when the brand experimented with different drivetrain layouts. It was part of the company’s efforts to make a sports car that was more affordable and balanced than the rear-engined Porsche 911. The front-engined 944 was an evolution of the 924 developed with Volkswagen. Today, the 944 is becoming a popular classic car, but unlike 911s from the time (930), you can still find them for a relatively cheap price. Good examples can be found for around $5,000.

While the 911 is the Porsche brand’s definitive sports car, it is far from the only performance model that the German automaker has given us. During the 1970s and ’80s, Porsche was experimenting with the more conventional, front-engine rear-wheel drive layout. This spawned a variety of Porsche transaxle sports cars that were produced alongside the rear-engine 911. One of the four transaxle models is the Porsche 944. Like with the 911 (and other Porsche models), there was a Turbo variant that sat atop the 944 range.

The Porsche 911 has always had a myriad of versions, ranging from sporty grand tourers and supercar slayers to all-out track weapons. While the Turbo is the most recurring name when it comes to high-performance Porsche 911s that you can daily drive, there is another model that takes the usable sports car formula and makes it meaner. I am, of course, referring to the Porsche 911 GT2 RS, which is essentially a more powerful, turbocharged GT3 RS. The GT2 RS is the most powerful variant of the Porsche 911 lineup with the exception of the GT1, but we haven’t had one of those in a while.

Let’s face it, the standard Porsche 992 GT3 RS is already a track monster. It’s a car that thrives on pushing limits, begging to be unleashed on the world’s most demanding circuits and race tracks. But for some drivers, "enough" is never enough. Enter the 2025 Porsche 911 GT3 RS MR, an extreme machine set to be unleashed by the combined might of Porsche and their long-time racing partner, Manthey Racing. I’ve been following the development of this car closely for a while now, and am absolutely blown away by the sheer amount of engineering that’s gone into it. Not too long ago, an un-camouflaged white prototype was spotted at the Nordschleife, giving us an up-close look at the possible performance upgrades that Manthey is cooking up. Based on what I’ve seen in the spy shots from CarSpyMedia, I wanted to highlight some of the features of this performance racing kit.

The Porsche Cayenne is an overachiever in a multitude of fields. The first generation of Porsche’s SUV was instrumental in keeping the sports car manufacturer afloat while the current-generation Cayenne is about as close as you can get to a sports car while still offering some off-road capabilities. Regardless of the model and platform, Porsches have mostly offered a great baseline for tuners to extract even more performance. There are more than a few notable names in the business, but few can match the long-term experience as well as MANHART.

The Porsche 911 Turbo S is, by no means, an affordable car.... or is it? It all depends on the context and when that includes hypercars from the likes of Bugatti and Koenigsegg, the perception of value can drastically change. While the build process of most exotics typically employs the best and most exotic materials, this doesn’t always guarantee a million-dollar, 1,000-plus-horsepower hypercar’s position at the top of the automotive food chain. Then you have other cars that despite the lack of these sci-fi materials, are still built to be overachievers and the Porsche 992 Turbo S is certainly a great example of that.