Earlier this year we undertook an exciting project in which we ended up creating a real one off for our client.
The brief was simple, to make a lightweight special wide body normally aspirated 996.
The donor car was a 2003 996 C4S tiptronic, this was an original Irish car, the body was in superb condition, no rust, corrosion and all original panels.
An extensive inspection of the car was carried out, in which we identified many original components that were now worn out and required replacement. Other items that could be refurbished to bring them back to as new condition would be treated that way. Items that couldn't were either upgraded or replaced with genuine Porsche parts. Many components were replaced as a preventative measure to ensure reliability for the furture.
The car interior was stripped, we removed the rear wiper, rear seats and associated hardware. The carpet section was sent off to be refurbished to delete the rear seat belts and mounting points. The center console was removed along with handbrake lever, tiptronic gear selector and associated components.
We then removed the entire pedal setup and the instrument cluster, the door cards were removed to access the seat belts which were sent out to the trimmers to be rebuilt using blue fabric to match the cars exterior.
Then we undertook the wiring changes required to adapt the cars main harness to become a manual car !!!!
The three pedals were installed, clutch master cylinder and pipework from the bulk head right back to where the manual gearbox would marry up to the 3.6L motor for the rest of its days.Out went the Tiptronic gearbox and torque convertor & drive plate. Our client wanted the car to be use able everyday so we installed a factory dual mass flywheel and OE clutch.
The 6 speed manual transmission was installed, which was fully rebuilt along with a Quaife LSD to suit, new driveshafts were also installed as these are different to the tiptronic ones.
Back inside we reinstalled the panels for the rear wiper after carrying out the welding to smooth off where the rear wiper once sat, the new rear carpets were installed. Next we installed the blue seat belts and the recovered rear cards to give the car a proper factory two seater/GT3 look.
Out went a set of fully electric and heated sports seats and in with a set of genuine leather GT3 Recaro seats that were sourced. These were sent out to the bodyshop to have the backs painted to match the Lapis blue exterior, with the 997 GT3 short shifter installed along with new cables the Lapis blue centre console was also installed.
A 996 GT3 steering wheel was fitted and the finishing touch to the interior was a Porsche PCCM Classic single din head unit was fitted.
Out with the original factory suspension and in with a set of Ohlins road and track dampers, not only do these provide considerable un-sprung weight savings they are fully adjustable with 24 settings for bump and rebound, they are also height adjustable. Ohlins have designed these in such a way that the height adjustment does not pre-load or loosen the springs.
A set of 996 GT3 front hubs were also fitted providing the required caster, these were mated to new suspension arms, brake discs, pads and our re-furbished calipers.
The factory front driveshafts, differential and propshaft setup were also removed.
The entire cooling system was replaced, new radiators, pipes, hoses, clips, brackets, water pump were all installed.
New RS engine mounts were fitted to the original motor, we then installed the stunning M&M silencers export, a company who are well known for manufacturing exhausts for Manthey racing in Germany.
The final items required to rebirth this 996 were the programming of the vehicle ecus' and setting of parameters that needed to be adjusted from C4S tiptronic to its new status. The end result is the DME/ABS & PSM systems all function together correctly as if the car had been originally been built as a 996 C2S manual in Stuttgart.
With the final product sitting on the scales, we had shaved a hefty 150KG from the cars original weight, the savings gained throughout the build brought this machine to the same weight as a MK1 996 GT3 (1350KG), pretty impressive for a widebody car.
The end result, a B-road weapon, across an Irish wet back road the grip and compliance the Ohlins dampers give this car coupled with the weight savings are something that has to be experienced to be believed.
We are proud to have turned this lovely daily auto into a machine that can be used everyday for every type of drive, european roadtrips through the Alps, attacking the Karussel at the Nurburgring or a spin over the Wicklow gap !
To find out more information on this type of conversion please contact Dobsportscars today!
thanks,
Dave O'Brien
