The Rezvani Retro RR1 Is Another Modern Homage To The Porsche 935

The last time we heard from Rezvani, the American boutique manufacturer, was when it unveiled the latest iteration of the Beast, which rebodied the C8 Chevrolet Corvette and turned it into a real-life spy car in the process.

The company’s latest output, however, goes in a different direction. Called the RR1, it’s the first product of a new sub-brand, Rezvani Retro. Rezvani says it’s “inspired by iconic race cars of the 1970s.” Specifically, it seems to be referencing one particularly successful ’70s sports racer, but we can’t quite put our finger on which one. It’s right on the tip of our tongues…

Clearly, to avoid upsetting Porsche’s lawyers, Rezvani is ducking around straight-up stating the inspiration behind this car: the Porsche 935. The original 935 was raced with much success between 1976 and 1981. It was essentially a very heavily reworked 911 Turbo, with power going as high as around 850bhp in the legendary long-tail 935/78, nicknamed ‘Moby Dick’.

The RR1 seems to take a sort of ‘greatest hits’ approach, amalgamating bits inspired by the various 935 derivatives, not least the livery that’s clearly a homage to the original car’s iconic Martini colours. It's intended for track use, but can be made road legal too, says Rezvani.

It’s based on the current 992-generation Porsche 911, which is rebodied by Rezvani, primarily in carbon fibre. It seems it can be based on pretty much any coupe-bodied 992, with Rezvani specifically mentioning the Carrera S, GTS, GT3 and Turbo S. 

This means that, depending on the donor car, it can have various combinations of turbocharged or naturally aspirated engines, rear- or four-wheel drive and manual or PDK gearboxes. Rezvani must be planning some engine tweaks because it says power can go as high as 750bhp with a Turbo S donor – up from the standard car’s 640. In this spec, it’ll supposedly hit 60mph in two seconds flat.

Just 50 are planned to be built, with no pricing given (high six figures, not including donor car, is a safe bet).

The real reason Rezvani is tip-toeing around the 935 connection is likely the fact that Porsche unveiled its own modern take on the 935 back in 2018. It was called, erm, the 935, and was a 991 GT2 RS-based track special of which 77 were built.