Tag Archives: Porsche

Tuning

Gunther Werks Gemini Commission: Subtlety, Turned Up to 862 Horsepower

In the restomod world, subtlety is usually the first thing sacrificed on the altar of excess. Widebody kits shout, carbon fiber gleams like a mirror, and horsepower figures are wielded like blunt instruments. Gunther Werks’ latest creation—the Gemini Commission—takes a different approach. It’s proof that an 862-hp Porsche 911 can whisper instead of scream, even while bending the laws of physics in the process.

The Gemini is one of just 75 cars built under Gunther Werks’ Turbo program, which already puts it in rarefied air. But this particular commission pushes exclusivity further, layering bespoke design choices over an already obsessive reengineering of Porsche’s beloved 993-generation 911. Somewhere, a very fortunate owner is about to have the kind of New Year that makes the rest of us question our life choices.

Like every Gunther Werks build, the Gemini starts with the 993 chassis—the last of the air-cooled 911s and, to many purists, the last truly analog one. From there, the Turbo program adds a widened stance and serious aerodynamic upgrades. A vented hood relieves high-pressure air trapped beneath the car to reduce lift, while gills in the front and rear fenders improve cooling and stability. These aren’t styling flourishes; they’re functional necessities when you’re dealing with supercar-level performance wrapped in a ’90s silhouette.

For the Gemini, that aggression is cloaked in restraint. The body is finished in a muted gray selected from four possible hues, and it’s the kind of color that reveals itself slowly, changing character with light and angle. It’s not orange, red, or yellow—and that’s precisely the point. This car doesn’t demand attention; it earns it.

The wheels nod to the original 993 Turbo design but reinterpret it with modern precision and a striking white-gold finish. It’s a bold choice, yet somehow still elegant. Elsewhere, Gunther Werks adds subtle exterior touches, including a stealth-gray wrap on the CNC-machined mirror caps and door handles. The result is a cohesive palette of tones that feels considered rather than conspicuous.

Inside, the Gemini continues its balancing act between craftsmanship and performance. Carbon fiber dominates, as expected, appearing on the upper instrument panel, door panels, center console, and even the racing seat shells. But Gunther Werks knows when to soften the edges. Tangerine orange Italian leather appears in key areas, injecting warmth and contrast without overwhelming the cabin.

This is also the first Gunther Werks build to feature two distinct cockpit motifs. The driver’s seat is trimmed in luxurious Japanese denim with orange stitching and detailing—a material choice that sounds odd until you see how perfectly it works. The passenger seat, meanwhile, is upholstered in fine Italian leather, creating an asymmetry that feels deliberate rather than gimmicky. The center-mounted tachometer, ringed in orange just as Ferdinand Porsche intended, stands out against the other gauges, which wear gray-coated CNC-machined bezels matching the exterior accents.

Lift the rear hatch, and the Gemini stops being subtle altogether—at least mechanically. Nestled beneath is a 4.0-liter flat-six assembled by Rothsport Racing, and it’s mechanical art in the purest sense. Unlike the vertical cooling fan used in standard 911 Turbos, this engine employs a horizontal fan that pushes more air and cools all six cylinders more evenly. It’s a small detail with enormous implications for reliability and performance.

The rest of the engineering reads like a wish list for speed obsessives. Radiators ensure the turbochargers are fed a steady supply of cooled air, while side vents and a ram-air effect at speed sharpen throttle response. Individual throttle bodies on each cylinder add immediacy that modern turbo engines often lack. In normal driving mode, the engine produces a still-absurd 608 horsepower. Switch to Track mode, and that number jumps to 862 hp—enough to make the notion of “restomod” feel hilariously inadequate.

Gunther Werks isn’t revealing the price of the Gemini Commission, citing customer discretion. Fair enough. What we do know is that the Turbo program starts at $850,000, which tells you everything you need to know without saying anything at all.

The Gemini doesn’t exist to shock. It exists to demonstrate restraint at the extreme edge of performance—a rare quality in a world that often confuses loudness with greatness. And that may be its most impressive achievement of all.

Source: Gunther Werks

News

China Doesn’t Need Porsche Anymore

For decades, Porsche’s crest has carried near-mythical weight in China. Stuttgart performance, Nürburgring credibility, and a luxury aura that once felt untouchable helped make China the brand’s single largest market by the mid-2010s. But the ground has shifted—fast—and Porsche is now learning what happens when the hunters become peers.

The latest sign of retreat is subtle but telling: Porsche will begin shutting down its proprietary electric charging network in China starting March 1, 2026. Roughly 200 high-power charging stations will go dark, according to a memo confirmed by Porsche and reported by Chinese outlet Yicai. On paper, the move is framed as “optimization.” In reality, it looks a lot like strategic downsizing in a market that has become unforgiving to legacy Western brands.

China was once the automotive industry’s El Dorado, where European and American manufacturers could sell premium metal at premium margins. That era is over. Domestic automakers have not only caught up—they’ve leapfrogged in areas that matter most to modern buyers: electrification, software, and value. Luxury no longer requires a German passport, and performance no longer needs a European proving ground.

Porsche, like several of its Western peers, appears to have underestimated just how quickly that transition would happen.

Electric Porsches were never volume sellers in China, even as the market sprinted toward EV dominance. The Taycan, while dynamically brilliant, arrived with a price tag and charging expectations that made sense in Europe or North America—but felt out of step in a country where fast, ubiquitous charging and aggressive pricing are table stakes. Chinese brands didn’t just offer alternatives; they offered better-connected, tech-forward cars for significantly less money.

Now, Porsche says it will rely on third-party charging providers rather than operate its own network. Once closed, the brand’s chargers will disappear from the Porsche app’s charging map altogether. That decision follows another recent pullback: Porsche plans to cut its Chinese dealer network nearly in half, shrinking from about 150 outlets to around 80.

These are not the actions of a company doubling down.

It’s a stark contrast to Porsche’s trajectory just a few years ago. The brand entered China in 2001 and steadily climbed the sales charts for two decades. In 2015, China became Porsche’s largest market worldwide. Sales peaked in 2021 at 95,671 vehicles—a figure that once seemed like a new baseline rather than a high-water mark. Since then, the slide has been steep. By 2025, Porsche sales in China are forecast to land around 40,000 units, less than half of their peak.

That decline would have been almost unthinkable not long ago. Porsche’s sports cars—911s, Caymans, and Panameras—have always enjoyed strong brand cachet in China. But cachet only goes so far when competitors are offering luxury cabins, cutting-edge driver assistance, and blistering acceleration at prices that undercut Stuttgart by a wide margin.

Perhaps the most symbolic blow came not on Chinese streets but on Germany’s most sacred strip of asphalt. Brands like BYD and Xiaomi—yes, that Xiaomi—have posted Nürburgring lap times that demand respect. For a company whose identity is deeply tied to motorsport and track performance, watching new Chinese players rewrite the rules on home turf is more than a PR inconvenience—it’s a strategic wake-up call.

Porsche’s official explanation for the charging shutdown emphasizes changing user habits and convenience. That’s fair enough. China’s public charging infrastructure is massive, mature, and often better integrated than anything Porsche could reasonably build on its own. But context matters, and this decision lands alongside shrinking sales, a reduced dealer footprint, and intensifying competition from brands that didn’t exist a decade ago—or existed as budget players with no global ambitions.

The bigger takeaway isn’t just about Porsche. It’s about a global industry recalibration. Western automakers no longer set the pace in China; they’re reacting to it. The market has evolved faster than product cycles, brand strategies, and corporate assumptions could keep up with. And while Porsche isn’t officially exiting China, the signs suggest it’s bracing for a much smaller role.

For a company built on precision, performance, and long-term planning, that’s an uncomfortable position to be in. The crest still means something—but in today’s China, meaning alone isn’t enough.

In the world’s most competitive car market, even icons have to fight to stay relevant. And Porsche, once the benchmark, now finds itself chasing the curve instead of setting it.

Source: Porsche

News

Porsche Theft Ring Goes for Volume, Not Vibes—and Ends in Prison

For ten months, a pair of thieves treated Greater Manchester like a self-serve Porsche dealership. No smashed windows, no high-speed chases, no social-media flexing—just quiet, methodical theft. And for a while, it worked. Twenty-five Porsches vanished between January and October, lifted cleanly and efficiently, as if summoned rather than stolen.

But the operation that probably felt airtight to its architects ended the same way most do: flashing blue lights, a courtroom, and years behind bars.

The men at the center of it all—Eidmantas Sadauskas and Vytautas Ceponis—weren’t joyriders or thrill-seekers chasing rear-engine glory. They were pragmatists. Using unspecified electronic equipment and basic hand tools, they allegedly defeated Porsche security systems, disabled alarms, and drove away without attracting attention. Once liberated, the cars were quickly re-registered with fresh plates, blending back into traffic like nothing had happened.

The numbers tell the story. Authorities say the 25 stolen vehicles had a combined value of roughly £1 million (about $1.35 million). That averages out to around $52,000 per car—hardly the stuff of GT3 RS fantasies. Translation: this wasn’t a 911-centric operation. As Road & Track noted, the more likely targets were Macans, Cayennes, and possibly a few entry-level Panameras. The bread-and-butter Porsches. Expensive enough to move for serious money, common enough not to draw heat.

It’s a reminder that modern car theft isn’t about drama—it’s about logistics. Steal what sells, steal it quietly, and move it fast. Police suspect the vehicles were destined for resale, potentially shipped abroad through illegal export channels. No burnout videos, no flexing on Instagram. Just volume.

Still, patterns attract attention. As the Porsche disappearances piled up, Greater Manchester Police began connecting dots. CCTV footage was combed through. Automatic number plate recognition data was cross-referenced. The kind of slow, unglamorous police work that eventually catches up with people who assume they’re smarter than the system.

That moment came at 1 a.m. on October 16, when the Tactical Vehicle Intercept Unit pulled over a suspect vehicle heading toward Cheshire. The car had already been linked to previous thefts, and inside were Sadauskas and Ceponis—along with a blank car key, screwdrivers, sockets, pliers, and other tools of the trade. Investigators also tied the pair to locations where thefts had occurred.

Game over.

Faced with overwhelming evidence and the prospect of a lengthy trial, both men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal motor vehicles at Minshull Street Crown Court on November 24. Sadauskas received a four-and-a-half-year sentence, while Ceponis was sentenced to four years in prison.

“This was a sophisticated criminal operation which saw multiple valuable cars stolen and sold on for gain,” said Chris Hopkins of Greater Manchester Police. “As soon as we identified the trend, we immediately began comprehensive work to identify all possible suspects and track them.”

Police have since recovered several of the stolen Porsches and continue efforts to locate the remaining cars. For owners, insurers, and law enforcement alike, it’s a small win in a larger battle—one that highlights just how vulnerable modern vehicles can be when convenience and connectivity collide with criminal ingenuity.

For Porsche drivers, the takeaway isn’t paranoia—but awareness. The same tech that lets you unlock your car with a button can be exploited by people who know what they’re doing. And while this particular ring is off the road for good, the market for stolen luxury crossovers isn’t going anywhere.

Fast cars are fun. But for thieves, it turns out the slow, boring ones pay just as well—until they don’t.

Source: Road & Track