It would seem that every tuning haus in Germany is finding its own way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic Porsche 911 - as well they should, given that this one model has been responsible for a significant proportion of their income.
For DP Motorsport in Overath, that meant rebuilding just one car, a G-model that left the factory in October 1986, as a lightweight Club Sport racing car that looks, to the casual eye, dead standard.
In American street-racing terms, a sleeper.
First the body was stripped down to the shell and every vestige of paint, insulation and sealer was removed; then it was re-assembled using lightweight racing components wherever possible - even the side and rear windows were replaceed with toughened acrylic sheet, and every hinge and bracket drilled like Swiss cheese before being hot-dip galvanised.
The completed body was finished in a metallic mossy green that was a factory colour in the late 1980s.
The engine was hogged out to 3.2 litres, with ported and flowed cylinder heads, and 288-degree Schrick cams. The throttle body was bored out to 67mm, the flywheel lightened, and two HJS 100-cell catalytic converters hooked up to an RSR titanium racing exhaust system.
The resulting 199kW and 307Nm were fed through a five-speed 915 gearbox to a limited-slip differential, and kept under control by an external oil-cooler and a short-throw selector mechanism with extended shift lever.
Competition-spec Bilstein dampers were fitted, along with all-metal rose joints, polyurethane bushings and a welded-in front strut brace.
UPRATED BRAKES
The period look was rounded off with 16” Fuchs rims wearing 225/50 front and 245/45 rear Michelin semi-slicks, while the braking system was lifted, complete, off a later-model 964 C2 racer. A specially made racing cable loom was hooked up and a lightweight 25ah gel battery installed.
The flight deck was fitted out with 935-style Lollipop seats, Willans four-point harnesses, a DP Motorsport Club Sport roll cage, a a 350mm sports steering wheel, and last but not least, special RS lightweight carpeting.
And the end result weighs just 905kg - a radical 280 kilograms lighter than the original car. The DP 3.2 Sleeper also has no power steering or electronic driver aids whatsoever - driving it anywhere near its limits is reserved for enthusiasts possessed of a distinctly Porsche-savvy skill-set.
MIX AND MATCH
The Sleeper is now for sale at €89 911 (R1.2 million); the final three digits, DP Motorsports assures us, are no coincidence. The company's literature points out that all of the components used to build this unique commemorative car are readily available, and can be mixed-and-matched in any combination you want on your G-model Porsche 911.