LOS ANGELES, Aug 25 — A couple of weeks ago Porsche issued some early images of what appeared to be a 911 Turbo 993 undergoing restoration. And now the car dubbed “Project Gold” has been officially unveiled in all its resplendent glory as a 1998 model that’s been upgraded to Turbo S specification as a Porsche continuation model.
The car is still powered by the classic 3.6-litre air-cooled twin-turbo flat-six engine, but in this incarnation it now develops 450 horsepower that’s sent to an all-wheel drive system through a six-speed manual transmission. The engine and driveline are not the originals, but have instead been sourced from the extensive inventory of Porsche Classic.
As for the aesthetics, Project Gold certainly lives up to its name with bodywork painted in Golden Yellow Metallic, which is a colour also used for the 2018 Porsche 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series. It’s not entirely gold-coloured on the outside, but the only bits that aren’t gold are the wheels, door handles, rear-view mirrors, window trim and wing air vents that are instead finished in black. Black leather dominates the inside though, but the gold theme is continued in a nicely subtle way with some bright yellow contrast stitching.
Along with a healthy dose of carbon fibre trim on the dashboard, there’s also a badge proclaiming the one-of-one nature of a car also given a new chassis number that follows immediately after the last 993 to roll off the production line.
There was some conjecture about what would eventually happen to Project Gold, but we now know it’s going to be auctioned off on October 27 at RM Sotheby’s 70th Anniversary of Porsche that’s being held at the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta, Georgia. At the moment there’s no word about any estimate of what the car is expected to go for, but it’s sure to be a lot. Under any circumstances a car like this, professionally restored by Porsche itself, would fetch a hefty price, but because the proceeds are going to the worthy cause of the Ferry Porsche Foundation that focuses on “education, social issues, and youth development,” this one will probably go for stellar money.
Unfortunately, there is a downside with paying a king’s ransom for this car, and that downside is the fact that — like another recently announced continuation car — it’s not actually road-legal. If you’re going to go to bid at the auction then, you’d better take a trailer as well as plenty of money. — AFP Relaxnews
