Strange cars - page 12

The Porsche 993 Speedster is a unicorn in the truest sense. I always like to note how Porsche has a 911 variant for everyone. Between the numerous powertrain, transmission, and body styles, there are well over 30 different iterations of the iconic, German sports car. There is even an off-road variant that pays homage to the 1984 Porsche 953 Dakar rally car. But by far, one of the more unique and desirable variants of the Porsche 911 is the Speedster, which at its core, is a lightweight, bare-bones variant of the 911.

The Porsche 911 carries one of the most iconic and recognizable designs in the automotive world. The combination of simplicity, clever engineering, performance, and relative attainability has solidified it as the ultimate, daily-drivable sports car. Classic 911s, in particular, have a fanatic cult following. They are also some of the most popular platforms to be reimagined, which is why Porsche themselves have been playing catch up. Companies like Kalmar are taking the classic, air-cooled 911 formula and infusing it with modern tech while keeping the aesthetics and overall feel as close to the original form as possible.

Porsche has proven, on numerous occasions, that the 911 is one of the most versatile platforms. Since its introduction, in 1964, there have been countless variants of the German, rear-engine sports car, including all-terrain variants bred for rallying. Porsche offers a 911 for every taste and need, and with the 992 generation, it also brought out the 911 Dakar – a true, off-road sports car by Porsche that pays homage to the classic Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Paris-Dakar 4x4 (953) from 1984. But a US-based company has also undertaken the task of reimagining the rally-bred Porsche 911.

RUF was the first company to reimagine Porsche sports cars and it all started back in 1939. What started as Auto Ruf service garage, eventually became the first manufacturer to repair and restore Porsche sports cars, and eventually build Porsche-inspired, high-performance automobiles, under the RUF brand. The Pfaffenhausen-based company still makes Porsche-inspired models, but everything is now made in-house. Moreover, RUF is also a manufacturer of performance parts for Porsche models like the 911 and 718. One of Porsche’s most desired models from the 21st century is the Carrera GT, and it didn’t take long for RUF to come up with its own, mid-engine variant of a Porsche-based model. The RUF CTR3 is what we got, and here’s why it is the best way to get the Porsche Carrera GT experience (and more) at a fraction of the price.

Porsche purists are very particular about what you can and cannot do to a 911, especially if it is an air-cooled model. While this particular example of the German, rear-engine sports car is water-cooled, what the people at Street Bandito YouTube channel have done to it would, no doubt, irritate many Porsche enthusiasts. The Porsche 911 is considered, by many, to be the ultimate sports car that you can actually daily-drive, except maybe, the more track-focused variants like the GT3. Regardless, putting a V-8 engine, and an American one at that, into a 911’s tight engine bay is sacrilege in the eyes of the Porsche community. That said, there are certain scenarios where you could walk away with putting a pushrod V-8 engine in a Porsche 911, and this particular case comes pretty close to justifying the unusual engine swap.

Currently, only two carmakers produce boxer engines – Porsche and Subaru. Normally, when you hear a six-cylinder boxer engine, the first to come to mind is the German automaker, famous for being the last brand to put an air-cooled engine in a high-performance sports car. Subaru is still sticking to flat-four engines for its models, but back in the golden era of Japanese sports cars, it introduced a six-cylinder boxer engine that could rival what Porsche had. The EG33 was the only flat-six Subaru engine to feature in a two-door coupe. It also served as a basis for future Subaru flat-six engines. In 2020, Subaru produced its last flat-six engine, but before that happened Subaru almost redefined the GT segment altogether, with a Porsche-sounding Subaru, powered by a flat-six.

Porsche has no shortage of iconic race cars that have dominated in motorsports, and one very race 911 model is about to be the main star at the upcoming, Monterey Auction (August 14 and 15). We are referring to the only mid-engine Porsche 911 in existence – the GT1. The low-slung supercar was developed by Porsche for endurance racing like the 24 Hours of Le Mans. What’s special about this particular 911 GT1 is that, unlike, most cars that were used in endurance racing, this mid-engine Porsche was kept in surprisingly good condition, even after scoring many racing wins. The Porsche race car was freshly listed (on July 16, 2024) on Broad Arrow Auctions, and judging by the car’s estimated value, this 911 GT1 has the potential to become one of the most expensive Porsches ever sold, at an auction.

Porsche has made it a point to offer a 911 for every taste. Between the different body styles, engines, and drivetrain options, there are well over 20 variants of the rear-engine sports car you can choose from. The Targa form factor goes back to the ’60s and Porsche is one of the few carmakers to continue offering this unique body style with the 911, even today. Most car companies are offering, either fixed-head coupes or traditional convertible models with retractable tops. The Targa is neither a coupe nor a convertible, making it one of the most distinctive 911 variants you can buy, without resorting to the very expensive, limited-edition models. Unfortunately, this versatility also makes the Targa the heaviest Porsche 911 you can get, but there are a few reasons why this shouldn’t deter you if you are considering one.

The Porsche 911, one of the most revered sports cars in the world, isn’t considered a practical vehicle; no sports car is. Having said that it is one of the most usable sports cars that you can buy, given its ergonomics, excellent visibility, and available space for luggage upfront. But what if you wanted to push that narrative for even more space and take things up a notch with something like a 911 pickup? Well, an ambitious Swiss concept car builder, Rinspeed, had that very idea back in the early 2000s with the Bedouin concept, which was based on a 996 Porsche 911. Bedouin was a fitting name, considering it refers to nomadic tribes who brave the elements of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

Forget slick lines and a powerful engine. This is unlike any other Porsche 928 that you’ve seen before. This silver example cobbled together from mismatched components and resembling something out of a Mad Max film, is actually a Porsche legend. What you’re looking at is the world’s quietest 928, and its story is both odd and interesting. For over three decades years, this unique-looking Porsche fulfilled a single purpose: to silence its peers. Commissioned in 1989, it has cruised the Weissach test track, stuffed with insulation, and helped Porsche engineers in developing quieter tires owing to more stringent noise rules and regulations that came into force back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.

While the Toyota MR2 nameplate goes back decades, the mid-ship MR2 was one of the most exciting sports cars of the early 2000s. The fact that the third-gen (W30) was mid-engined gave it excellent weight distribution. Tipping the scales at a featherlight 2,195 pounds, the 138 horsepower from its 1.8-liter four-cylinder was more than adequate to put a smile on your face. Also, unlike today’s sports cars, this two-seater convertible was available with a five-speed manual. Throw in timeless style and it has the ingredients of an excellent performance car, out of the box. But what if you’re an MR2 owner who wants to spruce things up a bit? The aftermarket presents some options.

YouTube is a place where extreme automobiles live and Cboys TV often features some of the best ones. This time around they get their grubby paws on a lime-green Diablo mounted on the chassis of a Jeep Liberty. This abomination of engineering initially belonged to another YouTuber TheStradman, who owns a lot of exotic cars and has a soft corner for Lamborghinis. In the past, the team of Cboys TV have already bought a fake Lamborghini Diablo, which they feature in this video as well. The sight of a lifted Diablo on an off-road chassis is surreal as the boys take it for a spin, along with TheStradman’s carbon-fiber Lamborghini Aventador. Unsurprisingly it’s the "Jeeperghini" that gets more attention than the Aventador