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The unique decklid started life as one of Getty’s fiberglass early 911 ducktails. Says York: “I’m not a fan of wings on narrow-body cars, so I chose to do a ducktail. It’s not the best for high-speed runs, but, aesthetically, it’s far more pleasing than a Turbo tail. And, in terms of scale, it fits.” Thompson would spend considerable time adding material to the lid and reshaping it to have a longer profile. “The ducktail alone is probably worth 100 hours of work,” notes York. “Look closely and you’ll see the contours of the tail match perfectly with the contours of the rear bumper. It looks like what the factory would have made. What people don’t realize is how far back the tail is raked compared to a factory ducktail. It compliments Porsche’s attempt to make the 964 as aerodynamic as possible.” The spoiler also has a performance advantage, as it was carefully designed to seal to the rubber lip around the intercooler shroud as snugly as possible. “The 993 intercooler works by having the engine fan draw air through it. So, if the intercooler doesn’t seal to the lid, then it isn’t working and you’re losing power. After a hard run, you can pop the lid and this intercooler is cool to the touch!” This 1994 964’s desirable “Aero” mirrors were ditched in favor of even slicker 935 door mirrors. Another subtle change: the taillight lenses. York had his friend, Bob Wake, who builds models and prototypes in the automotive industry, paint the outside of the lenses with a special tint that results in a deeper red than the pinkish tint of OE 964 lenses. While the 964’s shell was stripped for the bodywork, York had it seam-welded to stiffen it. Thompson welded in steel plates to attach the roll cage. The added torsional rigidity would be needed given the 964’s new stats. Says York: “Essentially, we would double the horsepower and torque of the car, which creates a lot of twist I’m sure the engineers at Porsche never planned for.” Once all of the changes to the 964’s body were complete, it and all of its parts were hauled to Golden Touch Autobody in Burbank for a thorough repaint in Grand Prix White. As he reassembled the car, York worked in a consistent look from front to back. The stainless-steel mesh and buttonhead aircraft fasteners used on the front brake ducts reappear on the tail. Below the ducktail is a trick but discrete aluminum panel fabricated by Thompson to replace the center reflector, along with a vented aluminum muffler skirt like those used on 356 Carrera 2s to conceal the exhaust, again attached with aircraft fasteners. With the CTR as a target for how he wanted his 964 to feel and perform, York knew forced induction was the only way to go. To that end, he bought a used but healthy 3.6-liter flat six from a 1996 993 Turbo at L.A. Porsche Dismantlers in neighboring Sun Valley. Simply bolting that motor into his 964 would have made for startling performance, but York had other ideas. He left the engine with Porsche and electronics guru Lance Aspesi. The first order of business was to completely disassemble the flat six. “The reason we split the case was to upgrade to ARP rod bolts and head studs,” explains York. “I originally hoped for a fresh low-miles motor, but things got out of control and I ended up with a new build.” All of the internals were blueprinted before the engine was rebuilt with fresh bearings, lifters, and rings. “We also replaced every hose, including the expensive turbo tubes.” Once the motor was freshened, York turned to Ultimate Motorwerks for its Stage I conversion for 993 Turbos. This consists of larger K16/K24 turbochargers and a switch to larger 130-mm, 100-cell catalysts. Custom exhaust tips fabricated by Thompson run straight out of the cats to a pair of ceramic-coated RSR-style cookie-cutter megaphones. Fuel and timing are controlled by Ultimate’s Stage I-matching ECU from a 1996 993 Turbo while a Greddy boost controller allows York to dial in 0.8 bar, 1.0 bar, or 1.2 bar of boost. Though this 964 has not been tested on a dyno, York thinks it’s worth between 450-500 horsepower on 1.2 bar of boost and proper race gas. “The idea was to not stress it over 500 horsepower,” he says. “The goal was to come up with a car, like a Ruf, that is extremely driveable in all situations. I can poodle down Sunset Boulevard or shame most supercars on the highway.” As far as torque? York grins. “There’s probably not a tree stump in all of L.A. this car couldn’t pull out of the ground.” Dealing with that torque is a 993 six-speed gearbox with a factory limited-slip differential, a 964 RS Sachs clutch package, and a lighter 964 RS flywheel. Aspesi installed Turbo half-shafts with new CV bolts, as well. | |
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