Hal Water had always dreamed of designing his perfect Porsche 911. So, when lockdown forced the retired architect to stay at home, he eagerly set to work.
The exhaustive, 33-page specification Walter emailed to Thornley Kelham nailed down every detail, from the car’s gear ratios to its wiper and indicator stalks. Now, after 6,000 hours and 23 further versions of that original masterplan, his dream has finally been made real.
We’ll get to the finer points in a moment, but the elevator pitch for the ‘European RS’ hardly lacks ambition. Thornley Kelham co-founder Simon Thornley says this restomod Porsche 911 provides “the nuance and feedback of a 1973 Carrera 2.7 RS and visceral thrill of the related 2.8 RSR racer, combined with the poise and performance of a 2010 GT3 RS 4.0.” The perfect Porsche, then? Let’s find out…
Hurry up and weight
Established in 2008, Thornley Kelham is best known for its award-winning, concours-standard restorations. However, after dipping its toe in restomod waters with the roof-chopped Lancia Aurelia ‘Outlaw’, the Oxfordshire company has dived in head-first with the European Collection: a trio of ‘reimagined’ classic cars.
The Jaguar XK (European GT) and Porsche 356 (European SL) are both well into development, but the 911-based European RS is the first project to reach fruition. Using Walter’s car as the prototype, Thornley Kelham plans to build 25 examples, each one unique and priced from £580,000.
“A concours restoration can be fascinating, but also very constraining,” says Simon Thornley. “Our aim with the European Collection is to apply those same standards to modifying classic cars, making them more relevant to 21st century drivers.”
Unlike comparable cars from Singer or Theon Design, each European RS begins life as an early, long-wheelbase (1968-1989) Porsche 911, rather than the subsequent (1989-1994) 964 model. The reason is simple, explains Thornley: weight. “This platform can be up to 300kg lighter than a 964-based alternative. It weighs just 1,070kg with a full tank of fuel.”
In Hal Walter’s case, the donor vehicle was a 1972 base-model 911T that had suffered an engine fire. Its shell has been seam-welded and reinforced with a roll cage, while the bumpers, bonnet, door skins and custom ducktail spoiler – designed with help from an aerodynamicist – are made from carbon fibre composite. Sitting squat on JRZ Motorsport adjustable coilovers, with rolled steel wheelarches stretched over 18-inch Fuchs-style alloys, it oozes aggressive RSR attitude.
Choose your flat-six
Lift the engine lid and 911 diehards will be relieved to discover an air-cooled flat-six aft of the back axle. Modified with custom camshafts, forged pistons and individual throttle bodies, the immaculately presented 3.8-litre motor drives the rear 265-section Michelins via the six-speed G50 manual gearbox from a 993. Maximum power is 385hp at 7,700rpm, with 290lb ft of torque at 6,000rpm.
Thornley Kelham is offering alternative engines for the European RS, too. A more muscular 4.0-litre six should deliver up to 450hp and 330lb ft, subject to dyno testing. Or you can choose the smaller 3.6-litre option (an “old-fashioned screamer”), which can muster 380hp and 300lb ft – and revs to a frenetic 10,000rpm.
“We thought our main demographic for the ‘European’ models would be bored supercar and hypercar drivers – and some of our customers do fit that description,” says Thornley. “But there are also plenty of classic car enthusiasts who simply want something more comfortable and reliable to drive on a regular basis.”
Under the hood of the new Porsche 911 European RS by Thornley Kelham
Inside the European RS
Climbing aboard the European RS, it’s clear comfort wasn’t the top priority; much like the factory Rennsport models, pared-back functionality is the order of the day. I’m wedged into a carbon fibre Recaro Pole Position bucket, held even tighter by four-point harnesses, my hands clasping a simple – yet wonderfully tactile – Momo Prototipo wheel.
Thankfully, there isn’t a glaring touchscreen in sight, although Porsche’s retro-styled PCCM Classic unit (with Apple CarPlay connectivity) is an option. Customer examples of the European RS will have an electric air-con system that weighs just 14kg, although Walter’s car goes without. Have I started perspiring due to the summer heat, or simply the thought of driving this irreplaceable labour-of-love on public roads? Probably both.
Wayne Kelham – the other half of the Thornley Kelham partnership – jumps into the passenger seat. I twist the modest key (no push-button nonsense here) and the naturally aspirated engine churns obstreperously into life. The unassisted steering is workout-weighted at parking speeds and the clutch is so sharp I almost stall, lurching up the road with a clumsy flare of revs. Not an auspicious start.
Speed and sensibility
Following Kelham’s directions on flowing country lanes, I soon start to feel more at ease. For all its enhancements, this is still a classic 911 after all. And the quicker you drive it, the better it gets.
The ride is taut and uncompromising, albeit no more so than a current 992 GT3, but the payoff is voracious turn-in and a steely-eyed sense of purpose. “We’re working on an adaptive damper setup with Intrax, which will be optional on the European RS”, notes Kelham.
Rocketing between bends, the 911’s neutral to tail-led balance feels fantastically exciting. Its steering bubbles over with fulsome feedback, while the manual shift, with its extended lever and artfully exposed linkage, is knuckly and precise. Above all, you sense the car’s lightness and lack of inertia.
As for the engine… oh my. Nail the right pedal and the throttle bodies ingest air with a deep-chested battle cry, the custom, OEM-look rev counter whipping towards 8,000rpm as the RS gleefully piles on pace. “That induction sound is completely addictive,” shouts a grinning Kelham over the commotion. “It’s like a Tasmanian devil for the road.”
Thornley Kelham hasn’t measured any performance figures, but the European RS certainly delivers against the clock, too. “Hal brought along his 997 GT3 RS 4.0 when we tested the European RS on track,” continues Kelham. “They were pretty evenly matched in terms of lap times. Neither one of us could catch the other.”
Thornley Kelham European RS: Verdict
The Porsche 911 is by far the most popular basis for restomods, giving well-heeled buyers an abundance of choice in this sector.
Indeed, as fellow journalist Andrew Frankel observed, writing for The Intercooler after visiting Monterey Car Week: ‘It made you realise what a debt of thanks this particular niche within a niche of the car industry continues to owe to the Porsche 911. Once you’d cruised past the stands of Ruf, Gemballa, Kalmar, Tuthill, Gunther Werks and Singer, you soon realised that without the 911, half of the show simply wouldn’t be there’.
I’ve been lucky enough to drive many of these cars over the years and there’s no doubt in my mind that Thornley Kelham’s effort bears comparison with the best. Personally, I’d choose a slightly softer setup for UK roads, and sacrifice a few precious kilograms for some mod-cons. But this is Hal Walter’s perfect Porsche, not mine. And it meets his brief brilliantly.
• Tim Pitt writes for motoringresearch.com