Tunerworks: Porsche Project 50 / 95

The dead of winter is upon us but all true mod addicts know that freezing temperatures can’t kill the itch to build a project car!

With the price of oil lower than most Albertans would like to see and the unfavorable USD / CAD exchange rate it seemed like the perfect time to build something that offered very good value rather than shooting for the stars. That plan led to the purchase of a clean black on black 2003 Porsche 996 Turbo with the help of Kulu Motorcar’s vast network of car connections.

Tunerworks has a long history of upgrading the 996TT platform beginning with the very first one ever delivered in Calgary, a silver on black coupe that we installed H&R Sport lowering springs and wheel spacers on. I can vividly remember taking that car for a proper drive (with the owner’s blessing!) and thinking that it felt like some kind of high-tech German rocket ship; it was really that far ahead of almost everything else at the time!

The name Project 50 / 95 was chosen because the goal is to create a 996TT that costs roughly 50% of a similarly-equipped 997TT while offering at least 95% as much performance. While the styling of the 996 line has been criticized it’s performance credentials were never in doubt and that is especially true of the 996TT, GT2 and GT3 models. That said, I think the years have been kind to the MY2002 and newer 996 styling and to my eye they look more attractive now than they did a decade ago. A 997 might always have the edge in the styling department but there is no reason why a 996 can’t match it’s performance in every category while arguably offering a slightly more raw and pure driving experience.

Project 50 / 95 will take shape over the next few months beginning with a healthy dose maintenance and refreshing to make sure the baseline is solid and then some carefully chosen upgrades from our favorite suppliers – Michelin, Ohlins, GMG Racing, Rennline, Champion Motorsports, GIAC, CSF radiators, Tarret Engineering, RSS and more. This won’t be an over-the-top 1200hp Texas Mile style machine nor will it be full-on road course build (since we don’t have a track!), instead it will be a well-rounded street car that can go, turn and stop very well while remaining civilized, reliable and fun to drive. Hmmmmmm, that sounds like most of our builds Stay tuned!