If you caught my Attack Tsukuba 2022 coverage earlier in the week, you’d have no doubt seen the matte black 993 GT I ended the post with.
I didn’t want to leave you guys hanging too long for the promised spotlight, so let’s just jump right into it as this Porsche 911 is pretty damn cool.
It was a surprise to say the least, firstly because it was hidden away inside one of the pits, and with so much commotion when the fast cars hit the track early on, I never passed by it. Secondly, well, it’s an air-cooled 911 model, and you don’t see too many of these cars at Tsukuba Circuit outside of the idlers events, save for a couple of RWB builds spotted in previous years.
One look around the car and it was obvious that this is not an aesthetic exercise as RWB cars usually are. This is a fresh build by T-Tec (Tsukabi Technica) for a member of the Mid Night club, and Attack provided another opportunity to shake it down.
I have to say, it’s really cool to see this amount of contemporary aero – and by that I mean the functional variety – applied to an older 911.
If I said this a few years back I would have been called crazy, but the aero in play here is still pretty simple, comprising of a large extended front lip and a tall bi-plane rear wing. There aren’t many other elements along the side or anything really done to the fenders or the underside of the car, just the vented hood.
That’s designed to work along with the flat-mounted radiator and the carbon shroud it’s all neatly contained in.
Wait, what? A 993 with a radiator?
Yes, indeed. And look, there’s a throttle body in a weird place too. On a flat-six engine, the throttle body sits on top of the octopus-like intake manifold and is oriented towards the left side of the car.
It’s not like that here, because the problematic, forever-leaking, finicky, delicate, pricey-to-do-anything-with (forgive me for venting my anger from 964 ownership here) flat-six has been replaced with a dry-sump-equipped and MoTec ECU-managed GM LS7 V8.
A year or two ago, I might have been working myself up with anger at the sight of this – as a few purists likely are now – but I really do get it. It’s a fairly straightforward way of making a reliable 550hp with masses of low and mid-range torque to boot. It’s exactly what you need to exploit all of the grip these cars have when you exit corners hard on the gas. Just watch the lift-off oversteer…
Cutting off the lower section of the rear bumper is a superb touch that allows the LS7 to throw out its headers without any obstruction before the rest of the custom-made exhaust meets up in the center.
Opening the lightweight driver’s door gives a clear view into the very focused cabin, complete with an extensive roll cage, carbon fiber seat, Tilton adjustable pedal box and air jacks. There’s nothing in here that doesn’t need to be; it’s as functional as it can be with all the controls laid out across the custom dash. Diagonally across from the driver and right behind the compact fuel cell is the aluminum oil tank for the dry sump system.
Race brakes have been fitted at each corner too.
The driver recorded a 58.245-second lap, which is an impressive baseline for the team to build on. It will be interesting to see just how much faster they can push this evil-looking 911.
Dino Dalle CarbonareInstagram: dino_dalle_carbonare
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Keyword: 7.0-Liters & 550hp: Tsukuba’s Mid Night Express