When it comes to Porsche 911 restomods, you’re spoiled for choice. Established names include Singer, Ruf, Canepa, and Paul Stephens, just to name a few. But what if you want something with an Italian flair? Enter Lab Eleven. Although the company is headquartered in Austria, the workshop where the magic happens is 20 miles from Milan. The niche company specializes in giving Zuffenhausen's 993-generation sports cars a new lease on life.
Lab Eleven starts by securing an accident-free 911 with matching numbers. It ships the car to Modena where the air-cooled machine is completely stripped down. Some body panels such as the bumpers, front fenders, doors, and hoods can be swapped out for aluminum, magnesium, or twill-weave carbon fiber parts. The new panels are faithful to the factory-spec tolerances to maintain the OEM look.
After refreshing the body, the car is hand-sprayed in one of the 100+ original Porsche colors, some of which trace their roots to the 356 era. Alternatively, there are over 200 custom paint jobs available. It’s the very same body shop where the limited-run Lamborghini models such as the Aventador SVJ, Veneno, and Centenario were pampered.
The Italian expertise is noticeable inside where the cars get a retro treatment with wool fabrics, houndstooth, tartan/plaid, and bull hides of European origin. Lab Eleven can also apply hand-woven patterns and perforated motifs, not to mention that neat mahogany gear knob hardening back to the 917 race car. Not everything is a tribute to the past since the 993-gen 911 gets a modern infotainment system while still blending in with the rest of the dashboard.
As for the mechanicals, the engines are not reconditioned in Italy. Instead, they’re sent to a German partner in Baden-Württemberg, near Stuttgart. It’s where most bits and pieces are re-machined in higher tolerances compared to when the car rolled off the assembly line. The six-speed manual gearbox goes through the same process. Additionally, this Getrag transmission can be fitted with different gear ratios, a lightweight flywheel, a limited-slip differential, a multi-plate clutch, and a short-shifter.
Depending on what the customer wants, the flat-six is offered in 3.6, 3.8, and 4.0 displacements with anywhere from 300 to 400 horsepower. The regular SportTouren version is offered alongside a beefier Sportwagen, with both available as either a coupe or as a targa with a deployable acrylic-glass roof. Then there’s Project Rennen as a track-focused, rev-happy derivative inspired by the classic 1967 911 R.
Although the 911 restomod scene is already crowded, Lab Eleven is confident it can carve out a niche with its unique blend of Italian and German know-how. All in, nearly 4,000 hours are invested in each car, so the outcome should be nothing short of spectacular.
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