What Does Porsche Classic Have Up Their Sleeve With “Project Gold”? [Updated]

Since our initial post speculating on Porsche Classic’s new Project Gold, Porsche has released a slew of new videos that seem to confirm our initial ideas on what it might be. We know for sure that the body is 993 based, and it has the rear quarter panel inlets as a Turbo S would have. From there, the pieces have gradually fallen into place. You can follow along on Porsche’s YouTube channel, or watch them linked on the page below.

First up is the wheels. The original Turbo Twist style wheels are treated to a nice shade of gold paint first, then a nice gloss black is laid over the top of that. In order to make the gold really pop, Porsche then takes a laser etching machine to peel back the layer of black in certain locations of the wheel, including the lips and the section of wheel just outside of the center cap. These mirror the wheels found on Porsche’s brand new 991.2 Turbo S Exclusive with gold layering the high points.

In the second video, Porsche shows off the ability of its craftsmen to turn out gorgeous gold-accented sport seats for the interior. Presumably this ‘deviated stitching’ gold will be extended through the steering wheel, dashboard, and carpeting as well. I look forward to seeing the end result of the interior.

In the description of this video, Porsche makes a claim that Project Gold has taken over a year and a half for the Classic department to finish. It’s quite interesting to me that they were able to keep this project completely under wraps for 18 months. This is an oddly pleasing video that depicts the car getting a cathodic undercoating dip. This is an anti-corrosion coating underneath the paint, like “primer”, which will help ensure that Project Gold is around for future generations to enjoy.

Thanks to the description of this next video, we finally know exactly what Porsche has used to power Project Gold. While we speculated that perhaps Porsche would increase the power of the 993 Turbo, or perhaps swap the original aircooled motor out for electric Taycan power, they’ve opted for neither. The engine in this 993 Turbo S is a brand new stock 993 Turbo S engine producing the same 450 horsepower that it did in the late 1990s. In this video, we see the drivetrain mated to the body and the wiring harness woven through the interior. Interestingly, the car is now painted a goregous shade of gold on the interior and inside the engine compartment, but the exterior of the car appears to be bright white. This will be an interesting look.

More updates will come as Porsche loads up more videos. For the time being, check out our original speculative post below. 

Porsche Classic is building a new project based on a 993-generation 911 Turbo S. It’s called Project Gold. It’s going to combine some modern aerodynamics with a classic body shape. And that’s just about all we know at the moment, because Porsche has only released the video below called “The Vision”, and a short blurb. As this project progresses, we’ll keep FlatSixes readers up to date with progress, but for now we’re going to do a little speculating on exactly what Porsche is building here.

A classic body is the starting point for a vehicle that will ultimately become a truly unique piece – assembled in the Porsche Classic workshop and individualized by the sports car manufacturer’s designers. Porsche Newsroom accompanies the “Project Gold” right from the start throughout the individual production steps. The series starts with “the Vision”.

Is Porsche Building Their own Resto-Mod 993 Turbo?

Perhaps the most interesting frames of the whole 40-odd second video released by Porsche are those featuring the pre-build concept sketches. If you look in the upper left hand corner of the screenshot above, you’ll see what appears to be a sketch of the recent 911 Turbo S Exclusive (below), which was painted a lovely shade of gold. Because of that minor detail in the video, I think this “Project Gold” is an attempt to re-create that same aesthetic in a 993 generation body. In the sketch of the 993 Turbo S, you can see a modified front bumper unlike anything ever seen before, and a large whale tail spoiler on the rear decklid. Throw in a set of over-large wheels and center locking hubs, and you’ve got a modern Turbo S in a twenty-year-old body.

In the sketch of the 993 model, you can see the corner “gills” that were common on Carrera 2 models, but larger and more aggressive. The center air inlet has been massively increased, presumably for a huge oil cooler and modern air conditioning components. There are a few ways we can take this, but I think this would indicate Porsche is going to retain the car’s aircooled engine, possibly pumping it up to 3.8-liters like the modern 991 car’s engine. It is possible that Porsche Classic will build that engine up to make as much power as the existing 991 Turbo S with 580 horsepower, which is up 130 horses from stock in the late 1990s. That should make for an incredibly quick 993.

On the inside you can expect scads of carbon fiber, quilted leather, and Alcantara with a focus on luxury performance. I’m not saying that Porsche is trying to out-do Singer with this car, but that wouldn’t be a wholly undue line of thinking. We can only hope that the 993 retains its original manual transmission, as we don’t know what we’d do if Porsche built one with a modern PDK gearbox. If their aim is to build the ultimate 993 Turbo, however, maybe custom paddle shifters are in the plans. One thing is for sure, it’s going to look incredible when it is done.

Other possibilities

In the resto-mod realm, really anything is possible. While it’s unlikely that Porsche would convert one of their most beloved air-cooled cars to a water-cooled engine, it’s not impossible. Maybe the 993 Turbo S will get a modern 991 Turbo S engine, transmission, and other accouterments. More believable, however, would be Porsche’s willingness to build this 911 into a vintage ride with an electric powertrain. The company has really been pushing their battery electric vehicle storyline in recent years, and that doesn’t show any sign of slowing down. Perhaps if they can entice customers with an EV powertrain in a vintage look body, they can also sell them on a modern EV 911. It isn’t like there isn’t a precedence here.