When world-renowned artist Daniel Arsham isn’t creating his trademark, life-size models of “eroded” cars that appear to have been eaten away by the passage of time, he has a passion for restoring and reimagining classic Porsche 911s. His latest—and most complex—build, is a tribute to the legendary Porsche 993, the last of the air-cooled 911s produced between 1994 and 1998. The restomod, called the 993A, is based on a final-year 1998 Porsche Carrera 2 S coupe that the New York–based artist spent eight months totally rebuilding in 2024. He was aided by 911 mechanical wizard and fellow artist Greg Anagnostopoulos. The completed car debuted at the Bridge, the invitation-only concours in the Hamptons, later that same year. More from Robb Report Advertisement Advertisement How Wealthy Women Are Driving a New Era of Luxury Real Estate Americans Are Drinking Less Wine, but Spending More Than Ever Before: Report Watches of Switzerland Just Earned a Record $2.4 Billion in Revenue Thanks to Wealthy U.S. Shoppers Daniel Arsham’s 993A restomod is based on a final-year 1998 Porsche Carrera 2 S coupe that the artist spent eight months reimagining.Canepa The exhaustive restoration was also the subject of a recent film by Anagnostopoulos and cinematographer Johnny Komar entitled Art Is The Process. It closely documents the entire nut-and-bolt rebuild and was first shown at New York’s SVA Theater in February. Since 2000, Arsham has rocked the art world with his visionary work reflecting his fascination with cars and archaeology. A major exhibition at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles in 2023, entitled “Arsham Auto Motive,” showcased his “eroded” car series, where modern automotive designs are conceived as historic relics. Highlights included his creative take on a 1968 Ford Mustang GT, a 1955 Porsche 356 Speedster, and a DeLorean. Last year, a two-volume, 688-page collection of his car creations, entitled Arsham Motorsport, was published by ERG Media. Arsham himself fashioned the quirky, matching-green instruments adorning the dash.Canepa To make way for future projects, Arsham has just commissioned Canepa, the Northern California–based restorer and purveyor of exotic and classic automobiles, to find a buyer for this interpretation of a 993. Looking for a matching pair? Arsham has also asked Canepa to find a buyer for another of his 911 art cars, the 1987 911 Carrera coupe he calls “911 Sculpture.” Completed in 2023, it was part of a 20-year Arsham retrospective at New York’s Perrotin Gallery, where part of its restoration was performed live as a piece of performance art. The original 3.6-liter flat-six engine has been expanded to 3.8 liters.Canepa What makes Arsham’s 993A unique is the extent of the restoration, which included a painstaking rebuild of its flat-six motor, the G50 six-speed manual transmission, and suspension—a first for the artist. Arsham long deliberated over the “perfect” color, eventually settling on a rare Porsche shade called Vanilla Yellow. According to a description on his Instagram feed, the color was originally created for a bespoke 993 Turbo S built for a former prime minister of Kuwait. Advertisement Advertisement To complement the exterior paintwork, the artist turned to Germany-based Justin Placek, a specialist in Porsche interiors, who retrimmed the entire cabin in rich dark-green leather. His meticulous attention to detail included triple-stitching the leather, creating a complete leather lining for the Porsche’s front trunk, and even wrapping the switchgear and controls in matching leather. Arsham himself fashioned the quirky, matching-green instruments. The restomod project included a painstaking rebuild of the car’s flat-six motor, transmission, and suspension—a first for the artist. Canepa As for the engine rebuild, the original 3.6-liter flat-six was expanded to 3.8 liters, and fully blueprinted where every tolerance was returned to original Porsche specifications. The cylinder heads were CNC-machined, while California-made Carrillo connecting rods were specified. Other upgrades included a custom ECU remap and a bespoke suspension setup to Arsham’s specs. The latter was done by German suspension maker KW, whose coilovers are favored by many top motorsport teams. For ones interested in potential ownership of Arsham’s 993A restomod, offers in the vicinity of $595,000 will start the conversation. Click here for more photos of artist Daniel Arsham’s Porsche 911 restomod. A 993-generation Porsche 911 restomod from artist Daniel Arsham.Canepa Best of Robb Report Advertisement Advertisement The 2024 Chevy C8 Corvette: Everything We Know About the Powerful Mid-Engine Beast The World’s Best Superyacht Shipyards The ABCs of Chartering a Yacht Sign up for RobbReports's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article.
Liked by Zoë Clark, Mia Macdonald
Liked by Zoë Clark, Mia Macdonald
Liked by Zoë Clark, Mia Macdonald
