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Lab Eleven makes restomod Porsche 911s built in Italy

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How can you not fall in love with this? PHOTO FROM LAB ELEVEN

Restomod Porsche 911s have grown in popularity in the last few years. You have the likes of Ruf, Tuthill Porsche, Rennsport, Paul Stephens, Kaege, and Singer to name just a few that are tinkering with air-cooled 911s, with the last name arguably taking backdated 911s to another level of acclaim.

There’s a new name to add to the list: Lab Eleven. The company is based in Austria, but its workshop is in Italy.

Lab Eleven uses the Porsche 993 as its canvas for the project because it’s the last and most modern air-cooled 911.

When old is indeed gold. PHOTOS FROM LAB ELEVEN

The car is entirely stripped. Rather than replacing it with a carbon-fiber shell, original fenders are sourced from Porsche Classic. The company shares that it has gone this direction so that the vehicle can be serviced at any Porsche Center without having to do any special order. You can have it as a Coupe or as a Targa.

Panels such as the frunk and the rear decklid can be opted with aluminum to further lighten the car. That said, Lab Eleven has managed to shave more than 200kg off the original 993, resulting in a weight of about 1,200-1,300kg (depending on the client’s customization).

Once the body is prepped, there are over a hundred Porsche colors to choose from, including period-correct shades from the early 911 to complete the retro look.

Are you a member of the EDC crowd? PHOTOS FROM LAB ELEVEN

The inside is where you’ll see that Italian touch, with Porsche Pepita or tartan fabric matched with Italian leather. Pop the frunk and you’ll see matching travel bags from the same fabric, minimizing material waste.

Hand-woven patterns can also be selected. A nice detail is that wooden shift knob, replicating that of the Porsche 917 race car. Adding functionality is a Porsche Classic infotainment system.

We’re still fans of physical knobs and switches. PHOTO FROM LAB ELEVEN

While the car is built in Italy, the 3.6-liter flat-six engine and the six-speed manual transmission are sent to Germany for a homologation inspection known as TÜV (or Technical Inspection Association in English). According to Lab Eleven, every vehicle is sent to Porsche AG for inspection and a certificate of authenticity before setting delivery miles.

The engine, depending on the level of modification, starts with the base 3.6- up to 4.0-liter, with output between 282hp and 400hp. For even better response, the gearbox can be combined with a lightweight clutch and a single-mass flywheel.

This brand will have a lot of admirers, trust us. PHOTO FROM LAB ELEVEN

What’s the starting price of this reworked 911, you ask? About $700,000. Based on what we see and its unique combination of German engineering and Italian elegance, Lab Eleven is a welcome addition to the restomod 911 club.



Jason Dela Cruz

Jason is a veteran member of the motoring community, having worked as an automotive journalist and a car industry executive. He is now based in Cebu, where the car culture is vibrant.



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