Having been mostly wrapped up with wedding photography lately, I was elated when I got a call from a client with whom I’d worked with before. I’d shot his 2008 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet back in March of 2011, when he’d first bought it.
While it was plenty fast and good looking back then, it apparently 480 horsepower and 460 lb/ft torque just wasn’t cutting it for the owner. He sent the Porsche to Lucas Auto Care, hoping they could coax a little more power from the flat six. After a lengthy modification laundry list was added to the Porsche including parts from FabSpeed, it was safe to say that coaxing a little extra power out was a severe understatement. FabSpeed sport headers and a complete custom quad-tip exhaust were added by Lucas Auto Care, along with a new ecu and tune to make use of the new power coming in. A carbon fiber intake and exhaust manifold was also tacked on for good measure, and the intercoolers were upgraded to compensate for the enormous amount of heat generated by the engine.
They overhauled the motor as well, replacing the twin turbos with much larger, variable turbine geometry units. GT Street front and rear bumpers along with custom side skirts were added, along with a GT2 style carbon trimmed spoiler and a GTR style aluminum hood provided by Wicked Motorworks. 2011 LED rear taillights were added to update the modern appearance of the car. As a finishing touch, a beautiful set of HRE 790R Forged wheels were added, as well as “Turbo S” decals on the rear decklid and sides. All the work was done to factory spec, and the fit and finish is perfect.
After all was said and done, this Porsche was now pushing out somewhere north of 680 horsepower and 650 lb/ft torque. 0-60 was estimated at 3.3 seconds, depending on how fast you can shift.
The new look of the GT Street body kit is much more agressive than that of the stock aesthetics, but still very tasteful in my opinion. It is fully functional, with both the front and rear scoops feeding the engine and brakes with cooling air. The GT2 spoiler also has built in scoops to force feed the engine at high speeds. The new engine note is amazing, sounding much louder and rougher, as if the 911 has caught a cold. It burbles and pops under deceleration, as if unhappy to be slowing down.
Normal driving in the Porsche is still suprisingly docile. If you don’t dip into boost, the car is happy to tool around at slow speeds. The suspension is still very compliant, and while stiff, not overly so. Steering is dead-on, and the Porsche seems to be already moving in the intended direction the moment you think it. It truly is an every day super car, and I was beginning to grow fairly comfortable with it until I floored it in second gear. The larger turbos take a half second or so to spool, and then you are hit with acceleration so brutal that it feels as though you’ve been hit from behind by a cement truck. The sheer amount of speed triggers your involuntary fight or flight responses as both driver and passenger claw for something to hold on to for safety. The roar of the engine is completely obscured by the noise of the turbos hungrily sucking up air behind your right ear and force-feeding it into the engine. After a shift into third and speeds north of 100mph I shut it down, hands shaking from the sudden burst of adrenaline. This Porsche was a completely different animal than what it was before. It had become a monster.
I drove to a few pre-planned locations to begin shooting the set. The first thing I noticed while driving was that this car, despite its flashy bodywork and graphics, flew much more under the radar than the Lamborghini Gallardo I’d driven months before. Not surprising, and I actually preferred it that way as I always likened to the old adage of “speak softly and carry a big stick”. That didn’t stop a few Camaros and Chargers from challenging the Porsche on the way to the locations, a few of which obliged by showing them a great view of the Porsche’s new rear end modifications.
I arrived at a bridge that I’d planned to shoot at first, and set up the car right in the center. I liked the symmetry of the bridge, and thought that the bright colors would contrast well with the clean white of the Porsche’s paint. I hadn’y been shooting for more than 5 minutes when a Harris County constable’s car approched slowly towards me, rolling down it’s window. I assumed that I would be informed that I could not shoot here and would have to move on, but in fact, the officer had nothing but questions about the Porsche. “How much horsepower does that thing have?” “What year is it?” “How much does it cost?…..How much?!” As it turns out, the officer was another car geek like me, and pulled over to the side of the road to get out of the car and have a closer look. We talked for a few minutes before I got an idea and asked if it would be possible to pull is car behind the Porsche for a few shots. He agreed on the condition that I remove his plates in post. I did, and the shot turned out great. A big thanks to that officer for offering to help!
From there, we moved on to a few more locations. I had located a few grungy locations a day prior, thinking that it would be nice to offset the perfect cleanliness of the Porsche with a not-so-much urban landscape. As always, Houston was more than happy to provide that setting, and I found a few areas that worked well with my idea. I also was happy to get a shot of the Porsche on Main Street right as the train was approaching from behind. The new Main Street is a very cool setting, and I hope to find more ways to use it in the future.
This 911 was great before, but now it is just off the scales. It is a visceral driving experience that can go from thrilling to downright frightening with a simple twist of your right ankle. The noise of those twin turbos spooling up behind my head is something I won’t be forgetting for a long time.
On to the photos!
And a short video of a small pull on the way home. Short, I know, but I was in a 30mph zone…whaddaya want from me?!
