This 600bhp Gemballa Porsche 911 Was Built To Be The Ultimate Sleeper
The 911 996 GT3 has become something of icon in recent years, which isn’t surprising when you consider that it offers a purer driving experience than any Porsche on sale today. The only downside to the 996 GT3 is the fact that it’s not a very subtle machine. With an aggressive bi-plane rear spoiler and bulbous bodykit, the car argubly looks faster than it really is. And with 360bhp located right at the top of the rev range, the GT3 really needs to be worked hard to get the most from it.
Well, it turns out that a rather smart chap from Germany has built what we think is the ultimate 996 GT3. Simply, he wanted an understated machine that wouldn’t attract attention, but had the power to destroy anything he lined up against. He started with a standard gloss black GT3, ditched the ostentatious rear spoiler, debadged it and sent it off to tuning house Gemballa.
Thankfully Gemballa didn’t touch the exterior, focusing solely on the motor. The aim was to create a GT3 with 600bhp, something which would usually necessitate swapping out the naturally aspirated motor for a boosted 996 Turbo unit, however this wasn’t to the owner’s tastes. Instead he requested that the original GT3 motor was converted to a custom twin turbo set-up. According to Porsche specialists RPM Technik, the owner had connections to Weissach, Porsche’s special motorsport department. As a result, Gemballa received ‘special development’ internals including pistons, rods and crankshafts, all custom for this one-off build.
To convert the car to run twin turbos, this original Mk1 front bumper was swapped for a freer flowing Mk2 unit. This also gave Gemballa more room to fit a comprehensive independent cooling system for both turbos - the car also received super-trick water-cooled intercoolers. At the end of the build the GT3 received the iconic GTR600 engine certificate, making it one ridiculously fast machine; remember the 911 996 GT2 ‘widow maker’ only packed 483bhp. To keep everything balanced this GT3 has also received a full Gemballa suspension and brake setup. The whole build cost somewhere in the region of £200,000.
We’ve never seen a cooler 996. The car is currently for sale at RPM Technik for £69,995. It comes with a full Gemballa service history and looks absolutely immaculate. What do you think CTzens: coolest 996 ever? Let us know in the comments below!
Comments
Cool? Very. Sleeper? Absolutely not.
Right, because every time I see a Porsche of any model I think “Man, that’s a slow sports car. Why do people even buy them?”
I’m starting to think the people who run CT are forgetting what things are. They are so focused on “OMG BMW!” that they forget that non-BMWs can be just as fast/good or faster/better even in stock form. Come on guys, it’s a freakin Porsche, a car that is known to be fast. In no way is that even a good sleeper, because in no way is it ever going to be a potential sleeper.
I like to chase caymans doe..
I’d wouldn’t call this a true sleeper, but 600hp out of a Porsche is still really quick. If i was going to make a sleeper Porsche it would be out of a 90’s 911 (Wangan Style)
I would say you could call this a sleeper. The people who would usually race this, and expect to win, would never imagine it having double the hp, and therefore it is a sleeper in its own category of cars
that Beetle isnt a sleeper… This one is!!
can a porsche even be a sleeper?
Thats half a mile from my house!
This is half a mile from my house! but 70k seems a lot for a 996 that was a GT3 but isn’t anymore.