Viper's Tail

Look once and it's an early ‘70s' Targa in back-in-fashion Viper Green. Look again, closely, and now you're not so sure. Actually, it's a 964-based recreation from PS Auto Art.

It's been getting on for a year, since we stuck our collective heads round the door of Paul Stephen's workshop to check out the first of his PS Auto Art replicas. It's always hard to know how such ventures are going to turn out, but we're very pleased to report that he's built ten now which, in this game of niche sectors, is pretty good going.

The concept may be simple enough but the reality is far from it. Take big-bumper Porsches up to numbers nine, six and four and turn the clock back to 1973. Well, all you've got to do is to take off the ugly bits and off you go. Paul and his team have learnt a lot and have been constantly refining the cars and applying all those tweaks to earlier versions, and Paul visibly winces at the notion that this is a simple exercise.

And so here is car number 10 – and what a marvellous day for a punt in such a machine. It may be late October but, thanks to an unstoppable Indian summer, wind-in-the-hair motoring is still very much on the agenda.

‘Go on, do a double-take – because, if you've just returned from casually flicking through the mag, then you will be expecting to read about a Viper Green Targa of early 1970's vintage. Based on an SC or 3.2 Carrera, the deception would be relatively simple, but this Targa is based on a 964, which is the toughest but most modern car to start with, and so creates the most contemporary recreation in terms of driving.'

When Paul first mooted these replicas it was the 964 concept that really grabbed us, if only because no one had been there before. And, on the face of it, rewinding to early-bumper status sounds simple enough. After all, the bodyshell is still roughly the same as the earlier cars. Well, ‘roughly' just about covers it. The front end is, indeed, the same – requiring as with the SC or 3.2 Carrera mods to the bonnet – but what lurks under the rear bumper and the sills is very different, requiring different solutions.

On that basis it's nearly impossible to get the pre-'74 look on the 964 with the exposed oil pipes running front to back. Paul and the team have chosen to stick with the sill skirt and modify it where it meets the rear arch. Moving to the back, and if you really examine the bumper and rear apron carefully, then you'll conclude that it does look a bit more bulbous. This is to accommodate the extra crash protection and exhaust. The 964 rear lid is a bit of a giveaway, too, but you could go for an earlier one. Personally, I like the fact that it still has the retractable wing. That in itself acknowledges that it's not trying to be anything other than a ‘look' inspired by the earlier cars.

Of course, the other crucial element to this retro look is the wheels. The all-important Fuchs cannot be retro-fitted to a 964, because even a 16in wheel has been created, which again does the job but without being a direct copy. It has a taller, flatter look to the traditionally deep-dished Fuchs.

Predictably, this 964 didn't start off being Viper Green but a rather more subtle white. Not that this really matters, as all PS Auto Art replicas are stripped to a bare bodyshell for painting as a matter of course. The brushed aluminium targa hoop is simply the standard 964 hoop stripped of paint, and chrome window surrounds complete the look. The interior is fully trimmed in leather, including the dash top and door cappings. It's a nice touch, but not essential if you were looking to trim costs a bit. The dials have also been modified for that period touch – although, again, the 964 transmission tunnel will leave you in no doubt of this car's history.

How does it drive? Well, like a 964 unsurprisingly – which, after all, is the whole idea. It's the first of the truly modern-driving Porsches with power steering, a more compliant suspension set-up and the altogether more manageable G50 gearbox which, in the 964, is further improved over the version fitted to the later 3.2 Carrera. Air conditioning is not unusual, either.

This is a car that you use every day with no problem at all. Not that there's anything unusual about using a Porsche every day, except that 99 per cent of the population will assume that this wild-hued Targa is from another generation altogether.

Paul has had people ask how he's managed to retro fit a later interior into a ‘70s' car – it is, of course, the other way round! The 964 running gear and earlier pre-impact bumper aesthetics work well. It's a truly modern Porsche driving experience.

How much?

Ah, a tricky one. Paul likes to start with a complete car and strip it right back, refurbishing and renewing as necessary. On that basis, no two projects are ever the same. The difference in budgets largely depends on whether the running gear needs an overhaul. There are other ways of doing it, too. You could, say, do the exterior mods and then do the interior at your leisure. PS Auto Art offers a number of options here – from fully-stripped-out RS look to something a bit more comfortable. For more info, contact PS Auto Art on 01440 714884 or else log on to: www.psautoart.com

The PS Auto Art effect works differently on different cars. The Viper Green Targa is an unashamed homage to the early ‘70s, but this silver 964-based early-look car is much harder to pin down. It does, however, look the business. The wide arche and twin tail pipes, plus the unique wheels blur the line between modern and retro. It really is one of the cleanest looks we've seen so far.

The running gear is as standard, save for the exhaust, which possibly adds another 10bhp to the power output. It certainly sounds good, which always helps. However, it's the weight saving front and rear from losing the standard big bumpers that makes it feel livelier – which, with the lowered suspension, gives it an almost 964 RS feel, but with the retro look. Get your head round that!