[MUSIC PLAYING]
[CAR ENGINE ROARING]
MATT FARAH: There are few cars more iconic than the 1980s
Porsche 911.
The shape is instantly recognizable
and positively timeless.
And to this day, that generation of 911 is about the
most robust and durable platform
Stuttgart has ever offered.
It racked up just as much success on the racetrack as it
did on the showroom floor.
And legions of enthusiasts since have proven that with
proper maintenance, it can be essentially driven forever.
You may remember BBI Autosport from the first ever episode of
"Tuned." These guys build everything Porsche, from huge
power, standing-mile monsters to fully prepped GT race cars,
fast daily drivers, and everything in-between.
So when co-owner Joey Seely wanted to build his perfect
weekend warrior, of course it had to be a 911.
But for the first time in BBI's history, this 911 would
be cooled by air.
Three years of work later, and this is the result--
a modern vision of what the GT3 RS would be had
it existed in 1985.
And we think that even Porsche's top engineers today
would appreciate Joey's subtle details.
From the repurposed rear wing, to the vintage-look HRE
wheels, to the stripped yet clean and tidy interior, to
the exhaust plumbed directly through the rear bumper, it's
clear that this 911 showed up to party.
This is the type of car you'd expect to see vintage racing
at Laguna Seca.
And though you may see it at the track, the runway,
autocross, or car show on the weekends, from Monday to
Friday, it's just how Joey gets to work.
We think it bridges the gap perfectly between race car,
show car, and driver, which is why, once again, we will
demonstrate that all great drive stories start like this.
[CAR ENGINE ROARING]
MATT FARAH: Get your commenting fingers ready.
"Tuned" is back.
There is really a lot to love about this car.
First and foremost, of course, is the weight.
Under 2,200 pounds wet and with a 3.6-liter flat-6,
making 275 horsepower at the wheels, that's many hundreds
of pounds lighter than stock, with 100 more wheel horsepower
than stock.
So the power to weight ratio of this
car is pretty brilliant.
[CAR ENGINE ROARING]
MATT FARAH: The sound is off the chain.
Incredible.
Only thing is, on the 80-mile transit down here, I sure got
a lot of it and required some Advil afterwards.
Working with the brilliant minds at BBI offers many
rewards and only one downside--
location.
The nearest good roads are nearly 80 miles from the shop,
and that means a long, loud transit in which I'll get
accustomed to this car that probably wants me dead.
Lesson one--
if the owner leaves ear plugs in the glove box, even he
knows it's too loud.
Lesson two--
80s 911s, especially when modified to this level, are
not exactly easy to drive.
That's part of their charm.
It takes a simultaneous firm hand and a soft touch, perfect
timing, and plenty of patience, like a
high-maintenance girlfriend and one that makes just as
much noise.
[CAR ENGINE ROARING]
MATT FARAH: There is nothing in this car.
That's why it's so light.
There's no climate control of any kind.
There's no radio.
There's no power door locks.
There are power windows.
The mirror doesn't really work.
There's no insulation or sound-deadening anywhere.
There aren't even vents here.
But the car runs on 100 octane, which we can't even
get around here.
So we have to make sure we can get the car back to Joey on
the tank of gas that we're using.
JOEY SEELY: It's like camping.
There's no heat, no AC, no radio, no carpet, solid
suspension bushings.
It's really loud.
Like I said, it's a track car that's street legal.
It starts with ERP's 935 suspension control arms and
sub-frames from the 935 race cars back in the day--
KW Competition triple dampers; Tarett Engineering sway bars
and drop links and camber plates, so everything's solid;
big Brembos from Race Technologies; HRE wheels, the
935-look wheels, kind of a bold statement, for the street
anyways, kind of like a show wheel.
The motor is a 3.6-liter flat-6 from an RS America that
we were supposed to reseal, which is
the famous last words.
We opened it up, and then Jared, my engine builder, went
a little haywire with PTM.
And now it has basically a stronger and lighter bottom
end than the 993 RSR.
It's got a titanium connecting rods from the GT3 Cup car, GT3
oil pump, big duration cam, high-compression pistons, high
rev springs, pretty much just about everything, including an
AM standalone that we had tuned by our friend Mikey next
door at Autowave.
MATT FARAH: I swear to God, though, 275 at the wheel's
never felt so fast.
This thing grips.
[CAR ENGINE ROARING]
MATT FARAH: Oh, and it stops really good, too.
Not much pedal pressure required there.
Big Brembo brakes doing their job there on the Falken tires.
The Recaro seats, real comfortable.
This is, of course, my special seat, because I can't fit in
Joey's seat.
So they keep this one in the shop.
When I want to come drive the car, they pop it in for me in
the big boy's size.
Now before you guys get all up in arms that I'm just
describing driving any old 911, not this one in
particular, Alex Roy has a 1987 Porsche Carrera that I
took out for about 200 miles in preparation for this.
My homework is very difficult, I know.
And the differences between that car and this car are
basically like the differences between a modern Carrera and
like a GT3 RS--
way lighter, way louder, way more responsive, Much more
like a race inside, much more spartan.
JOEY SEELY: The front bumper is a replica of the Ruf
Yellowbird back in-- what was that? '87?
Just a nice clean look, but still not getting too far out
of what the original design of the car was, Not too new
school, not too old school.
We closed the sun roof, welded it shut, so that lost another
50 pounds or so off the top of the car way up high.
The rear bumper is a replica of a '74 RS.
But it's a little bit wider for the rear flare that we put
the exhaust through the bumper next to the license plate,
which we've always had an idea of doing that, just doing
something kind of clever.
And then the tail is from a '76 Turbo Carrera.
They don't make the rubber black foam piece
anymore for that tail.
So I had to take the original Carrera tail rubber, trim it
down, and shape it to fit this one, which gives it a little
more kick up in the back.
The only challenge of building the car is a budget because
the shoemaker has no shoes, so budget and time.
I always felt guilty working on it when I've got
customers' cars here.
So it took a little while.
Now it's finally done, and it's paid off.
And the challenges--
no, there really wasn't too many challenges, except for
we're not versed in the air-cooled so much as we are
in the newer water-cooled cars.
MATT FARAH: I just find it interesting that after being
around all that horsepower all the time, all that technology,
all that boost, he wants this--
light.
No radio, no air conditioning, no anything, sorta how I feel
after doing two seasons of "Tune." Forget horsepower.
Let's keep things light and raw dog.
[CAR ENGINE ROARING]
MATT FARAH: There's a lot of little details in the car that
really give you a great indication
of the car's purpose.
The CNC aluminum foot rest on the floor, the one-piece
shifter, no boot.
There's nothing to clutter it up, the Momo Prototipo wheel.
Now that we've learned the new GT3 RS and the new Turbo are
not going to come with manual transmissions anymore, it's
really nice to know that these chassis will be out there.
And for what is probably a lot less money,
you could have this.
Oh yeah.
Roll up to any car show, roll up to any racetrack, any
event, any Targa or Bullrun event, and just have the
coolest car around, man, because this is a classy move.
And I love that it's not a show car.
It's not mint.
It's got nicks and chips on it, because he drives
the hell out of it.
[CAR ENGINE]
JOEY SEELY: People like vintage stuff now.
They like anything that's got craft--
craft beers and craft coffee, and all that stuff.
So they like the old character of this car.
And they do like that it's nasty.
It's loud.
It's low.
It's got style.
And it's surprisingly fast.
They're not expecting that out of 1985 technology.
The current trend with the wide-body stuff, like RWB is
pretty cool.
We considered doing it.
But for us, form follows function.
And I wasn't going to be doing big, big power.
I more wanted to go lighter and slipperier,
like the 996 Cup cars--
nice and narrow and just screaming fast.
All we did was just massage the fenders for a little more
wheel clearance under compression.
Not necessarily a wider tire, which we do have wider tires,
but it was more for up travel.
[CAR ENGINE ROARING]
MATT FARAH: I'll admit I was a little torn
when I first saw it.
When he said "white wheels," I was like, oh no, you didn't
just say "white wheels." But seeing them on the car, it's
really got a Porsche motorsport thing happening
there, sort of a Group B, Porsche 935 race car look on
HR3 wheels, brand new modern wheels.
That's my favorite thing about this car.
It's a really proper, seamless integration of old world feel,
old world vibe, with new world technology driving it.
I hope they build more of these, so I can buy one.
[CAR ENGINE ROARING]
MATT FARAH: Though the car never skipped a beat,
it was a long day.
Joey's Porsche is hot, loud, unforgiving if you're not
brave enough to trust it, and keeps you on your toes more so
than nearly any other streetcar I've driven.
It beats you up with its heavy controls and booming exhaust
and confirmed in my own head that, no, I have no interest
in building a summer home inside of a muffler.
However, as an example of what an old Carrera is capable of
when built right, Joey's car is simply perfect.
It's stupendously fast, bulletproof reliable, gorgeous
and tasteful from every angle.
And there isn't a weak link to be found anywhere in the car.
You can literally feel that the owner knows race cars and
knows them well.
And without any insulation or rubber to soften the blow,
every part of your senses feels that
engineering at work.
The completeness of the build becomes immediately apparent
the first time you chuck it into a corner.
In the beginning, I said that this 911 is what a GT3 RS
might have been had they made one in 1985.
But the truth is, it's not.
It's much better.