Chris Harris Drives The Tuthill Porsche 911K - THE ASTONISHING 11,000RPM LIGHTWEIGHT MACHINE

[Lankan]

Seems like the forum needs some chatter to keep it alive, so thought this may help stoke up some conversation/debate on whether or not this is the most intense experience one can experience on the road today. I have no doubt it is (for a car with a roof)...what do you think?

Having taken out my Lotus Exige S RGB for a run yesterday (for the first time this summer), I had forgotten what a raw, rewarding experience that car is to drive on twisty, undulating B roads.
:race:

I then saw the following video in my YouTube feed. I knew of the car, and had seen it being unveiled in the US, but, boy, this video certainly slams home what we are missing, and will continue to miss, with all these modern behemoths that fill up our roads, Porsches included. As a long-time fan of the marque, watching this video certainly rekindled my yearning for a small, lightweight, air-cooled 911, after being stupid enough to sell my 964RS! :rollseyes:

The 911K is something else, the sensory overload (as experienced by CH and RT, abundantly evident in this video, is just something else) - what a machine! Enjoy...
Chris Harris Drives The Tuthill Porsche 911K - THE ASTONISHING 11,000RPM LIGHTWEIGHT MACHINE

 

[Brembov6]

Awesome, I'm liking these modern retros although it seems to be becoming more and more popular.

11k revs is madness! Must be a riot to drive. Was a price mentioned....!?

Never been the biggest Porsche fan but a few months ago I got to drive a 996 Turbo, same age as the Clio V6. I'm smitten. Can see the appeal and it's sorely tempting.

 

[Lankan]

Awesome, I'm liking these modern retros although it seems to be becoming more and more popular.

11k revs is madness! Must be a riot to drive. Was a price mentioned....!?

Never been the biggest Porsche fan but a few months ago I got to drive a 996 Turbo, same age as the Clio V6. I'm smitten. Can see the appeal and it's sorely tempting.

What you really need to drive is an old-school, air-cooled 911, which is quite a back-to-basics design with tricky handling, but full of character(as evident in the video above). The 996 range is the first of the so-called 'modern' 911s, and the 996 Turbo was the heaviest of the lot - the 996 GT3 RS was the pick of the bunch (for me). The 4WD drivetrain suited the 996 Turbo perfectly. Did the car you drive have the X51 power kit? That is quite the combination. The most extreme 996 was the GT2 RS (and the 993 GT2), often referred to as the 'widow maker' as it was RWD!

If I recall correctly, the 911K featured above has an expected guide price between £500K and £1 million, but since these are (1 of 33) bespoke builds, the price is what the consignee was to pay for such a build. Here is the (audio-only) feature recorded at the US unveiling, which goes into more detail on the build: LINK

 

[MrBlueSky]

Having taken out my Lotus Exige S RGB for a run yesterday (for the first time this summer), I had forgotten what a raw, rewarding experience that car is to drive on twisty, undulating B roads.

That must be the most controversial comment in your post.
What are you doing leaving the Exige undriven in the summer.
Had my Evora gt410 out for a blast yesterday and it reminded me it's all the car l need over a mix of roads. Fabulous. Followed a Caterham for the last 20 miles which was fun.

Back on your subject, never driven any Porsche, however that 911K looks like a proper piece of fun.

 

[Jitstar]

Awesome, I'm liking these modern retros although it seems to be becoming more and more popular.

11k revs is madness! Must be a riot to drive. Was a price mentioned....!?

Never been the biggest Porsche fan but a few months ago I got to drive a 996 Turbo, same age as the Clio V6. I'm smitten. Can see the appeal and it's sorely tempting.

What you really need to drive is an old-school, air-cooled 911, which is quite a back-to-basics design with tricky handling, but full of character(as evident in the video above). The 996 range is the first of the so-called 'modern' 911s, and the 996 Turbo was the heaviest of the lot - the 996 GT3 RS was the pick of the bunch (for me). The 4WD drivetrain suited the 996 Turbo perfectly. Did the car you drive have the X51 power kit? That is quite the combination. The most extreme 996 was the GT2 RS (and the 993 GT2), often referred to as the 'widow maker' as it was RWD!

If I recall correctly, the 911K featured above has an expected guide price between £500K and £1 million, but since these are (1 of 33) bespoke builds, the price is what the consignee was to pay for such a build. Here is the (audio-only) feature recorded at the US unveiling, which goes into more detail on the build: LINK

As a 993 and 996 GT2 owner I can agree with the above. 993 has a lot more character; noise, old-school feel, and not being particularly powerful - there’s a lot of satisfaction from having your foot planted everywhere!

996 GT2 is basically a sledgehammer compared to a 996 GT3’s scalpel. But……it’s soooo much fun in a pretty scary way!!! Build quality on the GT cars feels a step above the non-GT cars in 996 form.

 

[10]

I'm not at all into the Singer/Singer-esque Porsche 'resto-mods'. I think they over do it and something like the Tuthill highlights how more can be done with less; smaller, simpler (relatively) and with a low contact patch.

That being said, I do wish it was made from steel, perhaps with some fibreglass (as per the 60's racers). It'd still be 350bhp and under 1-tonne, fine by me. Then at least it'd only be £400k! [smilie=yay.gif]

 

[Jitstar]

I got a passenger ride in the Kamm 912…

750kg with a 200bhp four cylinder air-cooled engine and it felt fast enough. Full carbon body panels and interior pieces, with full Tractive suspension.

I don’t think it’s Tuthill money either.

 

[Kett]

I like that Tuthill 911K a lot. It looks a whole load of fun and is uber cool without being pretentious.

I tend not to wince but that delicious spec comes at a delicious price. I wonder what the poor man’s equivalent is? A lotus Elise with a superbike engine, I imagine?

 

[Kett]

I like that Tuthill 911K a lot. It looks a whole load of fun and is uber cool without being pretentious.

I tend not to wince but that delicious spec comes at a delicious price. I wonder what the poor man’s equivalent is? A lotus Elise with a superbike engine, I imagine?

A couple of the Sunbeam Sport Imps had BMW bike engine conversions at Silverstone. I wonder if this would feature on the poor man’s 911K list?

 

[rustedandrotten]

I like that Tuthill 911K a lot. It looks a whole load of fun and is uber cool without being pretentious.

I tend not to wince but that delicious spec comes at a delicious price. I wonder what the poor man’s equivalent is? A lotus Elise with a superbike engine, I imagine?

A couple of the Sunbeam Sport Imps had BMW bike engine conversions at Silverstone. I wonder if this would feature on the poor man’s 911K list?

Apparently a common swap

 

[Lankan]

"Having taken out my Lotus Exige S RGB for a run yesterday (for the first time this summer), I had forgotten what a raw, rewarding experience that car is to drive on twisty, undulating B roads."

That must be the most controversial comment in your post.
What are you doing leaving the Exige undriven in the summer.
Had my Evora gt410 out for a blast yesterday and it reminded me it's all the car l need over a mix of roads. Fabulous. Followed a Caterham for the last 20 miles which was fun.

Indeed, not driving the RGB all year is a travesty, but I have been scarred by Lotus' incompetence (long story) in handling my delivery of an Emira V6 FE, which I was so looking forward to driving this summer, and possibly having alongside the RGB! So, it was a case of getting fed up with the manufacturer, not their cars. :rollseyes:

Must admit, good though they are, unlike the series 2 Exige, the Evora's styling (and to an extent even the series 3 Exige's styling, especially its rear end) never quite gelled with me, but loved the way they both drove, especially with the 6-speed manual box, which is why I put a deposit down on an Emira V6 First Edition in November 2021, with delivery promised in spring 2023, but Lotus completely cocked it up, so cancelled the order and got my deposit back.

Jit ([mention=4155,#000000]Jitstar[/mention]), fantastic to hear that you have acquired a 996 GT2. :approve: Must be quite the departure from both the Vee and your 993 (C2?).
Driven the GT2 in anger, in the wet, yet? A Lovely Clubsport is up for auction at Bonhams - seems like a bargain at the moment, with 4 days to go:
2002 Porsche 911 (996) GT2 Clubsport

Good shout re the Kamm 912c. :approve:
If one can look past the fact that it is not a 911 (4-cylinder vs 6-cylinder engine - there are some who cannot get over this), the Kamm 912c looks like a real hoot, and I am sure would provide as much fun for lost less (£280K vs £500K+).

Oli ([mention=5031,#000000]10[/mention]), I would tend to agree with you re the SInger-esque retro mods. Having attended the launch of the Singer (in London) and having seen the underside when it was on a ramp at Tognola (who were entrusted to service and prep the launch car), to me it is a feat of engineering and attention to detail that stood out. The first cars also had issues: LINK

Back in the day, when I first got into Porsches (23 years ago), there were no such creations, only replicas of significant models or those of race cars. Only those that were true to the original were valued. Most such cars were raw and fit and finish was so-so to begin with, but they all (at least those I was interested in), were raw, highly mechanical, and simple - no carbon fibre, but kevlar, and/or aluminum were used for weight saving. The mechanical and oily bits were on show (no engine covers), etc. However, now manufacturers have to cater for the present demand; buyers who are lookign for cars to put on show, akin to expensive art or jewellery. Tehy may drive them, but these are mainly created to satisfy the YouTube generation and to satisfy car spotters when being driven about (e.g. to and from shows, etc).

As such, I bet however capable the 911K is, wonder how many (of the anticipated 33 produced) will get driven as they should be, or as demonstrated by Ch and RT as featured in the video. I don't mean trying out slides on public roads, but, given that it has been geared to produce much fun between 40 and 80 miles an hour, which is ideal for UK's B, roads, how many are likely to get driven that way?

 

[Jitstar]

Cheers Dulan (@Lankan), bit if a dream realised for me tbh! Absolute dream car is a 996.1 GT3 in Zanzibar Red, but this car came up as an opportunity that was too good to miss, plus it’s a C16 UK Clubsport, so real unicorn spec!

It’s an absolute Jekyll & Hyde car; off boost, it drives like a normal 996, I’d even say it’s comfortable! Light up the turbos, and it’s warp speed quick; the acceleration is brutal! Had a good bonding drive with it Saturday, and you can tell it can bite, even in the dry. In the wet; I’ve never let it get into boost….no PASM, no traction, so I don’t want to bin it!

BTW…..those Alpine’s are ridiculously good to drive!

 

[Lankan]

Cheers Dulan (@Lankan), bit if a dream realised for me tbh! Absolute dream car is a 996.1 GT3 in Zanzibar Red, but this car came up as an opportunity that was too good to miss, plus it’s a C16 UK Clubsport, so real unicorn spec!

It’s an absolute Jekyll & Hyde car; off boost, it drives like a normal 996, I’d even say it’s comfortable! Light up the turbos, and it’s warp speed quick; the acceleration is brutal! Had a good bonding drive with it Saturday, and you can tell it can bite, even in the dry. In the wet; I’ve never let it get into boost….no PASM, no traction, so I don’t want to bin it!

BTW…..those Alpine’s are ridiculously good to drive!

Fantastic, looks lovely - a GT2 Clubsport to boot too! Well done. :approve:

Indeed, I can imagine that it must keep you on your toes.

Enjoy!

 

[Lankan]

Here is a Top Gear feature on a trio of 4-cylinder resto-mods, which includies the Kamm 912c. Quite interesting:
Alfaholics GTA-R vs MST Escort MKI vs Porsche 912c By Kamm: The Restogods

I am most familiar with the Alfaholics GTA-R, which is a beast. A similar example is actually raced by the owners of Alfaholics.

They do know their stuff when it comes to the 105 series Alfas. Loved my 1972 GTAm replica ex-race car, which I had Alfaholics' 3D ignition system installed and mapped, but it was still too brutal, and unrefined, for road use but I did enjoy some memorable drives. The chap who bought it decided to make it even more extreme and rebuild it for track use (only).