Category Archives: Restomod

Restomod

Red Bull Technology and Singer Design

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There are restomods, and then there are Singer restomods—the kind that make you wonder whether Stuttgart’s original engineers would smile, cry, or quietly take notes. Now Singer Vehicle Design has taken its obsessive reimagining of the Porsche 964 to a new level by teaming up with Red Bull Advanced Technologies, the engineering skunkworks behind Formula 1–grade simulations and structural wizardry.

Yes, that Red Bull.

The goal? Fix the one thing vintage 911s have never been great at: rigidity—especially when the roof goes missing.

Singer’s customers are the sort of people who know exactly how a car should feel at 140 mph through a fast sweeper, and they aren’t shy about asking for more. “Our clients are some of the most demanding drivers in the world,” says Mazen Fawaz, Singer’s head of strategy. “To achieve the standards they expect, we only work with the best.”

So Singer called in the people who build race cars that survive 300-kph curbs.

Step One: Tear It Down to the Bone

Every Singer restoration starts the same way: total annihilation.

The donor Porsche 964 is stripped of everything—body panels, interior, suspension, drivetrain—until only a bare steel monocoque remains. What’s left looks more like an archaeological artifact than a car. That naked shell is then cleaned, inspected, and prepped for what amounts to structural surgery.

This is where Red Bull Advanced Technologies enters the picture.

Using high-resolution 3D scanning and old-school hand measurements, RBAT digitally recreates the entire 964 chassis in a virtual environment. Every seam, every weld, every curve of 1990s Porsche steel is mapped. But the real magic comes next.

Formula 1 Math Meets a 1990s 911

RBAT feeds that digital 964 into Finite Element Analysis software—the same kind of simulation used to determine whether a Formula 1 monocoque will survive a 200-mph crash. The software twists, bends, and loads the Porsche chassis in thousands of virtual scenarios, identifying exactly which areas are weakest, especially in Cabriolets and Targas, which lack the structural help of a fixed roof.

Then the engineers start reinforcing.

RBAT designed 13 bespoke carbon-fiber structures that integrate into key load-bearing areas of the 964’s steel chassis. These aren’t bolt-on braces or aftermarket roll cages—they are carefully engineered, bonded and joined during the restoration so they become part of the car’s skeleton.

The result? A 175 percent increase in torsional stiffness.

That number is not a typo.

According to Singer and Red Bull, the reinforced open-top cars now match the rigidity of a coupe—something Porsche engineers in the early ’90s could only dream about.

Why Rigidity Matters

Chassis stiffness isn’t something you brag about at car meets, but it’s the secret sauce behind everything that makes a car feel right.

A stiff chassis means more precise steering, more consistent suspension behavior, better braking stability, and fewer squeaks, rattles, and shudders over rough pavement. It also means the car feels calmer and more refined at speed, even when it’s being driven hard.

In other words, it makes a 30-year-old 911 feel like a modern performance car—without losing its analog soul.

Built for Singer’s Brutal Turbo Cars

This Red Bull–engineered structure was developed specifically for Singer’s latest tribute to the legendary mid-1970s 930 Turbo. These aren’t gentle classics. They pack between 456 and 517 horsepower, send it all to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission, and now sit on a chassis that’s finally strong enough to handle that kind of punishment.

That means fewer compromises, even in a Cabriolet or Targa. Roof off. Throttle pinned. No flex. No drama.

The Ultimate 964

What Singer and Red Bull have done here is more than just reinforce a classic Porsche. They’ve solved one of its fundamental flaws using tools developed for modern motorsport.

It’s a fusion of old-school air-cooled character and bleeding-edge structural engineering—a 911 that looks like 1990 but behaves like 2026.

And if you think that sounds expensive, you’re right. But for Singer’s clientele, perfection is the only acceptable option.

Source: Singer Vehicle Design

Restomod

Kalmar 7-97 Turbo

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Restomods are supposed to be about nostalgia—rose-tinted memories of simpler cars, rebuilt with just enough modern hardware to keep them from leaving you stranded on the side of the road. But Kalmar has never really played that game. When the Danish outfit unveiled its 7-97—a beautifully sharpened take on the Porsche 993—it already felt less like a museum piece and more like a driver’s car turned up to eleven.

Now Kalmar has taken that idea and bolted on a turbocharger.

The result is the 7-97 Turbo, a strictly limited, deeply obsessive homage to the most feared 911 of them all: the 930 Turbo. Only 11 examples will be built, split between coupe and cabriolet, and every one of them exists to answer a single question: What if the Widowmaker had been given modern technology—and modern restraint?

Turbo Power, Without the Terror

The original 7-97 was a purist’s dream. Its naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six made 417 horsepower and delivered its power the old-fashioned way: cleanly, instantly, and with no digital safety net between the driver and the rear tires.

The Turbo Edition throws that restraint out the window. In place of the 4.0 sits a heavily reworked 3.2-liter turbocharged flat-six that makes an outrageous 659 horsepower and 670 Nm of torque. Those are modern 911 Turbo S numbers, wrapped in a body that looks like it just rolled out of a 1990s Porsche press kit.

To survive that kind of boost, Kalmar went deep into the engine. New pistons, reinforced cylinder walls, copper-beryllium head gaskets, and upgraded valve seats all ensure the engine can handle being force-fed at this level. This isn’t a tuned street motor—it’s a purpose-built turbo powerplant designed to live at the edge.

And yes, it sends power to all four wheels. Traction control is standard, because even Kalmar knows 659 horsepower in a 1200-kilogram car is nothing to joke about. But this is still a proper enthusiast machine: three pedals, a gear lever, and no dual-clutch safety blanket in sight.

From Widowmaker to Precision Tool

The original 930 Turbo earned its reputation honestly. Massive turbo lag, brutal power delivery, and rear-heavy balance made it infamous for catching drivers out mid-corner. It was thrilling, but it was also ruthless.

The 7-97 Turbo is built on the opposite philosophy. Kalmar’s goal wasn’t to recreate the terror—it was to recreate the character, minus the unpredictability. Modern electronics, adaptive TracTive dampers, and all-wheel drive give the Turbo Edition a level of composure the old 930 could never dream of.

You can still get sideways if you want to—but now it’s a choice, not an accident.

Carbon-ceramic brakes sit behind 18-inch magnesium center-lock wheels, while the chassis has been reinforced to cope with the forces this thing can generate. Carbon-fiber doors and roof keep the weight at a stunning 1200 kilograms, giving the Kalmar a power-to-weight ratio that edges into supercar territory.

A Subtle, Smarter 930

Visually, Kalmar showed rare restraint. The 7-97 Turbo doesn’t scream for attention. Instead, it refines the 993 shape into something that feels both familiar and subtly more aggressive.

The rear wears a new whale-tail spoiler, a clear nod to the 930, while the front blends design cues from several vintage 911s, including a grille inspired by the 1967 911R. It’s retro, but not cartoonish—exactly the kind of design that makes you look twice without ever feeling forced.

Inside, the Turbo Edition sticks close to the standard 7-97 formula, but with bespoke details to suit its boosted personality. The example shown wears Recaro Sportster CS seats trimmed in dark brown leather, but with only 11 cars planned, buyers will have near-total freedom to tailor the cabin to their own taste.

A Restomod With Supercar Punch

What Kalmar has created isn’t just a faster 7-97—it’s a redefinition of what a classic-inspired 911 can be. With power that rivals today’s best from Stuttgart, a curb weight that embarrasses them, and a manual gearbox to keep things honest, the 7-97 Turbo sits in a class of its own.

It’s not trying to replace a modern 911 Turbo S. It’s trying to do something far more interesting: deliver that level of performance while making you feel like you’re driving a piece of Porsche’s most notorious history.

The Widowmaker has been tamed—but it hasn’t been neutered. And for the lucky 11 people who get one, that might be the ultimate version of the turbocharged 911.

Source: Kalmar Automotive

Restomod

Theon Design Turns the Porsche 964 Into a 426-HP Air-Cooled Weapon

Singer may have written the opening chapter of the modern Porsche restomod story, but the genre has evolved well beyond a one-brand show. Case in point: Theon Design’s latest take on the 964-generation 911, a car that looks politely classic until you realize it packs a better power-to-weight ratio than a modern GT3 RS. Yes, really.

From a distance, this renewed 964 doesn’t scream for attention. The lines are familiar, the stance restrained, the vibe unmistakably air-cooled 911. Look closer—or better yet, drive it—and you discover that subtlety is just camouflage. Underneath the vintage skin lives a deeply reengineered machine built by Theon Design, a UK-based outfit that’s quietly become one of the most serious players in the restomod game.

The heart of the transformation is a new air-cooled 4.0-liter flat-six, and it’s exactly the kind of engine enthusiasts fantasize about at 2 a.m. It makes 426 horsepower at a heady 7,600 rpm and 439 Nm of torque, thanks in part to independent throttle bodies that promise razor-sharp response. Open engine intakes complete the package, ensuring the soundtrack is as unfiltered as the driving experience. If you believe air-cooled engines should be heard, not muted, Theon is clearly on your side.

Power goes to the rear wheels only—because of course it does—through a six-speed manual gearbox. No paddles, no modes, no apologies. To make sure all that power doesn’t turn into expensive tire smoke, Theon fits specially calibrated TracTive semi-active dampers and brakes borrowed from the 993-generation 911 Carrera RS. The result is a chassis that blends old-school feedback with modern control. Period-correct 17-inch Fuchs wheels fill the arches, wrapped in Michelin rubber that quietly hints this car is meant to be driven hard, not parked under velvet ropes.

The build process itself is obsessive in the best possible way. The donor 964 is stripped to its bones, the chassis reinforced with additional welding, and the steel body panels replaced by lightweight composite parts. Finished in Medium Ivory with contrasting Grand Prix stripes and protected by PPF, the car manages to look both timeless and purpose-built.

All that carbon pays dividends on the scale. Theon’s 964 tips the scales at just 1,150 kilograms, giving it a power-to-weight ratio that eclipses Porsche’s current 911 GT3 RS. That’s an outrageous statistic for something that still looks like it belongs in a 1990s showroom poster.

Inside, the same level of care continues. Carbon-backed Recaro CS seats are trimmed in Tobacco nubuck leather with ivory stitching that mirrors the exterior details. Plastic switchgear is banished, replaced by machined aluminum components that feel substantial and mechanical—exactly how a 911’s controls should feel. The rear seats are gone, swapped for a carbon-fiber storage compartment, while a Focal six-speaker system with an Audison amplifier handles audio duties for the rare moments when you’re not listening to that flat-six howl.

None of this comes cheap. Prices for one-off commissions like this start at £420,000 (about €484,250), and each build takes roughly 18 months. But in the rarefied world of high-end restomods, that price isn’t just for parts or performance—it’s for patience, craftsmanship, and the idea that a classic 911 can still move the goalposts.

Singer may have started the conversation. Theon is making sure it doesn’t end there.

Source: Theon Design