The DP Motorsport Project 911 Sleeper 3.2

Design and Plastik, those are the two pillars built to hold the success of DP Motorsport, in addition to the namesake of the company.  As early as 1976, DP Motorsport was designing and producing glass reinforced plastic (GRP or “fiberglass) panels for the Porsche 911 platform.  Working in racing for several seasons, the DP lightweight panels were a big hit.  Working directly with Kremer Racing for several years, DP even engineered the shape of the famous 935 K3, optimizing aerodynamics and garnering Kremer customers many victories.  Away from the track, however, is where DP made an even bigger name for themselves, building 935 Street replicas, selling aero panels for a number of cars, and building complete customs for discerning customers.

The company certainly has not been in the limelight since the early nineties, for sure, but that doesn’t mean they’ve been resting on their laurels.  DP has been producing fiberglass and carbon fiber panels for modern cars, as well as continuing limited runs of their vintage components.  A recent re-kindling of a marriage with Kremer has brought about a project to produce “continuation 935 K3” models.  DP has also been building top notch custom Porsches with stellar results.  The attention to detail required to produce cars of the level they have is pretty rare these days.

The newest DP project, known as the “911 Sleeper 3.2” is another chapter in the continuing history of the company.  While it doesn’t look like much, that is, ostensibly, the point.  Sleeper was intended to look unassuming to anyone but the absolute Porsche cognoscenti.  Project sleeper was built to be exactly that, an externally stock appearing 1986 Carrera 3.2.

DP Motorsport Project 911 Specs

This Porsche houses a few secrets under its skin, a Mister Hyde demeanor hiding under the Doctor Jeckyl body. The primary directive with this car was to make it light, and that’s exactly what DP did.  Beginning with the skin itself, the car has been lightened with liberal use of carbon fiber panels.  The windows are made of hardened plexiglass.  All of the hinges, brackets, and hardware have been drilled and perforated to within an inch of being unusable.  The car was then finished in a thin coating of metallic rock green, a unique but not gaudy color.  All of this weight savings has contributed to a total weight of only 905 Kilograms (just under 2000 pounds), which is a huge weight loss over factory specification of 2668 lbs, including adding back in some weight in the form of a safety roll cage.

To add more fuel to the flame, Sleeper 3.2 has had some excellent drivetrain upgrades to push the lighter mass around even faster.  Starting with a standard 3.2 liter, DP built it from the ground up with Schrick camshafts, ported and flow matched cylinder heads and intake manifold.  When mated with an RSR racing titanium exhaust system, an enlarged throttle body, and a lightweight flywheel, the engine revs quickly, and produces around 270 horsepower.  A 915 gearbox is employed, making the best use of a short shifter, an external oil cooler, and a limited slip differential.

The vintage car is also upgraded with a bevy of suspension optimizing tweaks.  Bilstein sports are pressed into duty at all four corners, a custom welded strut brace adorns the front trunk, and Super Pro provided the polyurethane bushings at all of the joints.  Oversized 16 inch Fuchs wheels in 7 inch width front and 9 inch width rear, making best use of 225/50 and 245/45 Michelin performance tires.  The need for larger wheels is partially due to the use of enlarged rotors and calipers sourced from the 964 Carrera 2, which are more than adequate in this case.

While the outside was intended to appear mostly stock, one peek at the interior makes it immediately clear that the car is a bit more performance oriented.  DP Motorsport has recently begun producing their own version of the 935 era “lollipop” style racing bucket seats, and the car is appropriately fitted with a brand new pair accented by Willians 4-point safety harnesses.  A custom crafted DP Motorsport roll bar, a 350mm steering wheel, and RS style lightweight carpet round out the accoutrements.

DP Motorsport Project 911 Pricing

So, what does all of this under-wraps speed cost to assemble?  Well, you can buy the car pictured here, or commission DP to build a similarly equipped car for 89,911 Euros (about $119,275 at the current rate).  Is this enough 911 to justify nearly 120 thousand dollars?  Well, it’s relatively certain that you’ll never see another one like it, and if you are more concerned with “GO” than “show”, then it is probably the 911 for you!

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