First Drive: This 1986 Porsche 911 Restomod Delivers Racing-Inspired Performance Without Bells and Whistles
To many connoisseurs of Porsche history, the current automotive restomod craze runs counter to the entire point of owning an air-cooled 911. To be fair, everyone has the right to restore or modify a sports car they own, but modernizing a classic often results in a vehicle that loses much of the original spirit that makes bygone-era cars so exciting in the first place.
Regardless of personal opinions among enthusiasts, a subset in the restomod industry caters to that originalist mindset, using modern techniques to enhance classic cars without going overboard. The RSR Project, based in Bedford Hills, N.Y., attempts to bridge that gap by lightly backdating late 1980s G-Body 911s in a tribute to the iconic 1973 911 Carrera RSR race car that won Le Mans in its debut outing.
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Of course, the first thing you’ll notice about an RSR Project build is the famous “ducktail” rear spoiler and wide fender flares that first helped those 1970s race cars stand out—and still do. Upon closer examination, rubber latches holding down the “frunk” hood, the lower-than-low ride height, and even exposed torsion-bar holes in the side sills complete the racing aesthetic.
The founder of the RSR Project, Richard Schickman, readily admits that his first build emerged as more of a personal endeavor centered around his passion for the style of the original RSR. Schickman intended to keep that first car for himself, but soon after completing the build, received an offer too good to turn down. And so a business was born, slowly ramping up in quantity and vision over the past seven years.
Each example from the RSR Project starts with an original 911 that was manufactured between 1984 and 1989, because they’re lighter than most of the 964-generation cars that so many other restomod companies use as platforms, yet also came from the factory with galvanized components that reduce the extent of required rust remediation. From 1987 on, these 911s also used the famous G50 transaxle, known for being easier to shift and more reliable.
The cars are then stripped down to basics. The specific 911 that we’re taking for a test drive began life in 1986 and was finished in Forest Green with a tan leather interior, but the customer wanted to ramp up the motorsport inspiration to the maximum with zero creature comforts and a ride height low enough to place his palm on the ground while sitting in the driver’s seat.
Out went the radio, air conditioning, rear seats, and even the glovebox lid—in went buckets trimmed in tartan fabric to match the exterior repaint, a half roll cage and harnesses, a fire extinguisher, and a Wevo short-shifter kit. Rounding out the major stylistic modifications are a center-fill fuel cap on the aluminum front hood, metal pedal caps, a catless twin-tipped center exhaust, and Fuchs-inspired wheels.
Shickman also rebuilt the engine to 3.4 liters using RSR race-spec camshaft profiles and a Steve Wong performance chip, and rebuilt the original transaxle, too. The result? An air-cooled 911 that weighs around 2,200 pounds and has a rasping engine that roars to life immediately and revs far more eagerly than any stock G-body Porsche.
Driving this customer car requires leaving behind hesitations about pushing its drivetrain and suspension hard. The engine loves to live at the top end of the rev range, where torque transitions to horsepower. The tighter canyons of Malibu, Calif., made second and third gear the stars of the show as we shift and downshift repeatedly, getting a sense of how the steering and suspension respond as they settle into a rhythm.
Schickman always refreshes each build’s suspension with new bushings to combat the effects of time, and gives customers the option of using uprated Elephant Racing torsion bars. Accordingly, this car’s low stance never sacrifices the comfort factor, still allowing for enough side-to-side body roll and front-to-rear weight transfer to highlight everything great about the 911’s original engineering. Under hard braking, the snug bucket seat communicates exactly how much grip the front tires gain—all equally expressed in the driver’s hands as well, through the non-assisted steering wheel.
Luckily, such a light car—with the engine hanging behind the rear axles—means that the lack of power steering never becomes a workout, even in traffic or parking lots. The modern Michelin tires on 15-inch wheels might measure far wider than stock, too, yet never deliver too much tire squirm or squealing. And the confidence that the tail won’t cut loose in a bout of unexpected throttle-liftoff oversteer is, surprisingly, quick to be gained when behind the wheel.
The hot summer day certainly left us wishing that this car’s owner had decided to retain air conditioning, though, and we also found the Wevo shifter to be the single biggest letdown in the car. Somehow, the throw length and “notchiness” don’t match the rest of the driving experience, especially considering the buttery smoothness of a stock shifter when rebuilt and maintained properly.
After all, even with more power and less weight, an RSR build is still never going to be about shifting as quickly as humanly possible during high-speed drag racing against modern Mustangs or Corvettes. Instead, it’s about enjoying the analog engagement that so many modern cars, even most new Porsches, unfortunately lack. In that regard, we’d also appreciate a few more touchpoints on the interior to match the RSR’s buttoned-down nature. Maybe door handles that feel more solid, a Momo Prototipo steering wheel, or some aluminum details in place of the climate control and radio blanks. Nothing showy, but more textural elements—and all details that the RSR Project will add for customers upon request.
For Schickman, though, some details are mandatory. Many aftermarket companies sell smaller rubber hood latches, but he insists on using the larger original-sized pieces. A single flag mirror and the location of the fire extinguisher ahead of the shifter on the floor are also critical for his vision of the RSR Project.
Other accents come down to a collaboration between Schickman and his clients, as expected for RSR Project builds that typically cost around $375,000. This 911 is eye-catching in Gulf Blue with orange Porsche script and a stripe that resembles a classic Gulf Oil livery. Of course, an array of custom paint tones also fit into the mix. As for some of the other options, air conditioning costs $10,000, a set of upgraded Boxster brakes costs $5,000, and the up-spec 3.4-liter flat-six is an additional $10,000.
Some clients have also requested Kinsler fuel injection or carburetors, or a limited-slip differential, and Schickman allows for the Porsche Classic radio with covert Apple CarPlay, as well as the use of woven leather for the seat upholstery in more than one commission. Yet he strives to toe a fine line, as each car that undergoes the RSR Project treatment tends to remain more in the realm of tribute backdate rather than full restomod.
These 911s have a serious presence without seeming overly precious, and are equally adept as canyon carvers or cars-and-coffee showstoppers. And the harder we push that raspy flat-six, on a hot summer day with the windows cranked all the way down, the more the echoes of motorsport history reverberate through the simple cockpit, summoning that old Porsche spirit in the way that only an air-cooled 911 can.
Click below for more photos of this 1986 Porsche 911 Restomod from the RSR Project.
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