King Of Cool

Whatever your view of the retro-look 911 there's no denying that Paul Stephens' offerings warrant a second glance. And, as we discover, they drive as well as their modern underpinnings and some modest tweaking would suggest.

It's the 911 look that everyone wants. The pre-1974 chrome-bumper 911 is currently as ice-cool as Steve McQueen and the 2.4-litre ‘S' that he drives in the opening scenes of Le Mans . It's reflected in demand and prices, particularly for ‘S' models – and, of course, for the iconic Carrera 2.7 RS.

The original purist shape has aged remarkably well, and those classic lines now accentuate the clumsiness of the big bumpers and ugly rubber bellows inflicted upon the later SC and Carrera 3.2s. Those oh-so 1970's Dayglo greens and oranges – the safety colours, as they're known – once abandoned to the wildness of bad taste suddenly look absolutely fantastic.

You want that McQueen ‘look', but there is only a finite number of cars out there, unlike the seemingly huge numbers of impact-bumper cars built between 1974 and 1989. You want the purist ‘look', but the classic-car angle that comes with it, together with the non-galvanised body shell, rendering it garage-bound in the winter, doesn't work for you. In short, you want your cake and you want to eat it.

Suffolk-based independent Porsche dealer Paul Stephens understands your needs perfectly. In fact, he not only understands but has a result developed a range of retro-look cars that for once don't slavishly copy the 2.7 RS. He understands that it's the ‘look' that's important, and to achieve it he's taken a different path to the more traditional replicas on the market.

He's also taken a rather different path in terms of donor cars. Before we get down to the detail just take a closer look at the accompanying photographs. No prizes for guessing that the white car is based on a SC (could also be a Carrera 3.2, says Stephens), but the dark-blue metallic machine doesn't quite compute. That's because it's based, believe it or not, on a 964. That's old-school looks combined with Porsche's first significant upgrade in terms of running gear. It's a compelling package.

Taking the road less travelled in terms of these creations has been something of a double-edged sword for Stephens. On the one hand he has managed to avoid some of the metalwork involved in an exact replica, but on the other he's had to create his own mouldings for the front and rear bumpers and, rather more radically, commission a range of split-rim Fuchs-inspired wheels in sizes up to 17 inches in diameter. There are numerous other details, too. Enough, indeed, to form a PS brand.

PS 240C

This is where the range starts. First, though, if you already have an SC and you rather fancy the idea of the early-look front and rear, then forget it. Unless you're happy to go the whole hog then Stephens isn't in the market for panel jobs and a quick blowover.

Indeed, once a car is submitted for the process it's all or nothing. That means a ground-up rebuild from a bare body shell, with any suspect metalwork renewed without questions. It's the only way to get the quality. Best plan of action, then, is to find yourself the least desirable colour combination available. Something in bronze with a brown Pasha interior (as this donor was) should fit the bill. Sold, yet pretty much unsaleable, a donor such as this could be yours for around £800*. Don't worry too much about the running gear, either, because it's going to be rebuilt anyway. The 240 in 240C means 240bhp from the rebuilt and breathed-on motor. The ‘C'? That stands for Classic.

So where does the PS car differ from other similar replicas in terms of its creation? Well, for a start it manages to retain the standard SC front wings and bonnet, which in turn means that the original front slam panel is also retained. How is this achieved? The lip of the bonnet is extended with a new panel, which is lead-filled. An insert meanwhile bridges the gap between the front of each wing and the new bumper/spoiler. The indicator housings and slatted intake mouldings are specially made to follow the very slightly different contours of the SC wings. It's all bolt-on stuff, too, so if you ever wanted to revert to impact-bumper specification then you can.

The rear end is rather simpler, with a single moulding, replacing the big bumper.

It's all in the detail. Retro dials, repro Fuch and even and RS-style 3.0 badge combine to create the classic look that Paul Stephens is striving for.

To ducktail or not to ducktail is up to you. The moulding, like all the others on the car, is produced by Dare (UK) Limited in West Mersea , Essex, which under the gaze of the Walklett brothers is probably better known for building the curvy Ginetta G4 and G12. Put it another way: they know a bit about top-quality GRP work.

So that's your body sorted, and painted in a colour of your choice (we're thinking perhaps a powder blue; predictable, yes, but it'll look fantastic). With the Pasha trim binned the interior is retrimmed in black, including a leather-covered dashboard and door tops. Seats are RS-style in leather and black cord, and they do look the part. No less predictably the door cards are RS-style, but the windows remain electric. The rear seat is redundant, and a chunky half roll-cage adds race appeal. Look closer and you'll spot earlier-style PS dials, too.

Mechanically speaking you get the aforementioned rebuilt engine and gearbox plus new suspension with thicker anti-roll bars, and rebuilt brakes. Lightening and balancing, plus some tweaking of the fuel-injection system, produces the extra power, and that 915 gearbox should be as good as it's ever going to be (funny, no one ever moans about them when driving a 2.7 RS).

Oh, and finally those replica Fuchs. Well, actually they're really rather more relevant to the 964-based cars, but Stephens has produced 15- and 16-inch versions, too. Of course, a standard Fuchs rim would fit the bill just as well, but these machined replicas, while not exact copies, should find favour from the Beetle and VW bus brigade through to the Porschephile. And they do have a certain appeal all their own, too.

So there, as the saying goes, you have it. The classic Porsche look from an early-1980s' dogs dinner that frankly no one else wanted. Cost? All in? Well, that's rather harder to quantify. Let's have a think. First, though, let's examine the 964-based car.

PS 280R

Now this is the car that really intrigues. In this instance the ‘R' stands for Retro. It's going for a look that's been inspired by the earlier cars, but which in the case of the 964 is famously near-impossible to achieve in terms of an exact copy. Paul Stephens let us into his plans for converting a 964 some time ago. Consider it briefly and you might think, ‘Yes, well, the body is basically the same', but the reality is a good deal more complicated than for the earlier SC.

The same basic procedures apply, certainly, but the mouldings are slightly different to take into account the bodywork changes that arrived with the 964. Take the curvy bumpers off, for instance, and you'll find a good deal more under the skin in terms of crash protection front and rear.

Likewise take the side sill covers off the 964 and you won't find the same classically curved box-section and oil lines as on the SC. It's a lot messier, so the 964 sill covers remain, but the rear moulding that curves up around the rear-wing bulge is replaced by a simple straight extension.

The big giveaway, of course, is the wheels. Paul knew that it would be impossible to create any sort of retro-look 911 based around the 964 without Fuchs rims. Trouble is, the offset required for the 964 is completely different, and even if it were the same then the original Fuchs rims are too small to clear the front brake callipers – the minimum size that will fit is 17 inches. Cue some head-scratching and finally the realisation that they would have to be made specially.

Cord- and leather-trimmed seats look the part. Engines subtly modified to give 240bhp and 280bhp, respectively.

Surprisingly, perhaps, the most cost-effective option was to go for a modular three-piece wheel. It's a lot cheaper to set up a CNC machine to carve the centres from solid than to create unique castings.

Because of their size and offset issue the wheels, while clearly Fuchs-inspired, look very different. While you always expect a deeply dished wheel these are by necessity very flat. This in turn perhaps makes them look taller or skinnier than the 18-inch rims that they really are. Eighteens? Yes, this retro-look 964 packs the stopping power of a 964 RS. Then again, with its 3.8-litre engine it needs it. That's right. It's been thoroughly reworked with new barrels, forged pistons, camshafts and 280bhp. Cost? Somewhere in the region of £10,000*.

Inside, the rear seats have been shown the door and a half roll-cage fitted. Reclining leather/cord seats look the part, and 964 RS door trims add to the race feel. PS dials add that retro touch, but the 964 transmission tunnel and centre console give the game away. Not that anyone's trying to hide anything. This is a look, not a replica.

The 964 was the first truly modern 911, and so you can mix the retro styling with four-wheel drive, ABS, power-assisted steering, Tiptronic transmission (if you must), and quite often air-conditioning, not to mention the improved driveability that came with the 964. Unlike the Classic range the 964-based cars aren't subject to a ground-up rebuild. The bodies are newer and so don't need the potential attention. As a result the costs are more variable – if not necessarily higher – and it's down to the customer as to how far they want to go.

Time to try the 964-based machine. Despite identical cabin dimensions this somehow feels more cramped. The seats are bigger and wrap around you. There's more dashboard, and the transmission tunnel encroaches on your space.

The hefty 3.8-litre motor rumbles into life, the mass of its moving parts blunting its response compared to the flyweight 3.0-litre. Despite being hydraulically actuated the clutch feels heavier, and the steering, although still light enough, is inevitably slightly numbed by the power assistance and the bigger wheel/tyre combination. The gearshift is superb, though, with a lovely mechanical action.

On the road the 280R trades the lightweight responses of the 240C for sheer muscle. It's Tyson compared to Naseem. The big-bruiser flat-six has the sort of fat power delivery that simply bludgeons its way through any peaks and troughs in its power band. It starts big, and it stays big.

Otherwise the driving experience is kind of what you'd expect from a 964 compared to a SC. The 911 experience is all there, definitely, but it's just not as raw and immediate, and every control and input feels slightly more weighted. Special mention must go to the brakes, though. The 964 RS stoppers are simply brilliant.

So while the SC-based car predictably gets closer to the feel of the earlier classic 911s, the 280R looks the part but feels thoroughly contemporary - which is exactly what Paul Stephens set out to do. He must be feeling very pleased with himself.

All three of the cars featured here are, to some extent, prototypes with a few rough edges. Paul Stephens and the team at Dare Engineering have learned a huge amount, though, which will doubtless be reflected in the customer cars.

These conversions aren't for everyone. In fact, they're really going to appeal only to the relatively small number of folk who like the idea of the classic- or retro-911 look, but with the practicality of a more modern platform. Good job, really, because that's exactly the brief. Paul Stephens reports a healthy level of interest from visitors to the Porsche Club GB's Festival at Brands Hatch over the August bank holiday, and the immediate sale of the Targa.

It's futile, then, to play the ‘well, for this much or that much you could have one of these or one of those' game. Yes, you could, and as a dealer, Paul would happily sort you out, too. You're either going to buy into the concept or you're not.

Me? Let's just say that my own Carrera 3.2 is starting to feel a little nervous.

Shut up and drive!

Wow, what a difference we have here. These cars may look the same, but they really are poles apart.

The SC-based car (above) is nimble and responsive. Fire up the lightened 3.0-litre engine and it zings and fizzes through the twin-tailpipe exhaust. Stephens says the idea was to make it feel as close to the mechanically fuel-injected 2.7-litre engine as possible. And it does, but with the added benefit of a bit more torque.

Weighing in a 1095kg, the PS car is 20kg heavier than an original RS, but with another 30bhp its power-to-weight ration is up from 195bhp per tonne to a healthy 216bhp per tonne. Throttle response is immediate, and it howls up to the re-line with a vigour that's truly addictive. On the flipside it will pull from no revs and a high gear with incredible flexibility. The freshly rebuilt 915 gearbox has yet to be-in fully, but that steeply angled and stubby, rubber-booted gear lever both looks and feels the part.

Handling is as you would expect. The front end feels typically light, and the steering chats away through the period-style MotaLita wheel. The technique is the time-honoured slow in, fast out. Hit the throttle as soon as you can, and then feel first the rumble of the torque and then the high-end push as the power comes in. Find a good twisty piece of road, repeat, and you'll be in classic-Porsche heaven.

A 964 Targa?

Why reproduce a Targa? Well, unlike the later 993- and 996-model cars the classic Targa with the stainless-steel roll-over hoop has always been in demand.

In some respects this was the most deceptive car of the bunch. There's something not quite ‘right' about it, but you just can't pinpoint it – particularly from a distance. Indeed, at the Brands Hatch Festival quite a few people asked Stephens how difficult it had been, and why he had transplanted a later dashboard in to what they perceived to be an early car.

Essentially the conversion on this car is much the same as for the blue coupe. The trademark silver roll-over hoop is the standard Targa item, but stripped back to reveal the original finish. The door frames are chrome-plated, and the door handles taken back to polished aluminium.

The repro Fuchs wheels are the most convincing yet, with the traditional silver-and-black finish. The underpinnings, though, are modern, complete with four-wheel drive. And the dead giveaway? Watch it drive off and then goggle in amazement as the electric rear spoiler (above left) slowly raises itself!