The first prototype Guntherwerks 993 was unveiled at Rennsport in 2018, almost two years ago. In that time, the car has reached nearly legendary status among the Porsche faithful, but none have ever reached customer hands. We were beginning to think that we might not ever see a production Guntherwerks, but it has finally come to fruition. This green meanie is the first customer car, and it’s as good as the prototype ever was.
The 400R, as it is called, is a phenomenal piece of work with a full carbon fiber body, extremely wide fenders and wheels, and a glorious engine slung out back. This is effectively what the 993 could have become if Porsche had continued to develop the chassis into the 2000s. Imagine if the first GT3 had been 993 based instead of 996, and you’ve got an idea of what Guntherwerks was shooting for with this car.
Matt Farah of the Smoking Tire has been handed the keys to the first 400R production model before it ships off to its new owner, and it’s fair to say he enjoyed the experience. The car is astonishing to behold. Is it worth $500,000? Perhaps. If you’ve got the money to afford it, and you want one, you probably already have an order in. For me? Well, my house cost less than that.
In any case, having a Porsche fine tuned to your specific desires is always a good thing. This car seems to have the kind of engineering and attention to detail that might warrant that kind of price. I know that I could listen to that big four-liter aircooled flat six scream all day long and never grow tired of the experience. That alone might be worth the cost of entry if you’re a handful of tax brackets higher than I am.
If you’re going to go this far, however, I’d recommend getting the GT2-style elevated wing on the back, and please for the love of everything Porsche, don’t get direction twist-style wheels.
