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Driving Thornley Kelham’s ultra-light, £650,000 Porsche 911 restomod – car pictures of the week

In the latest issue of evo, we get behind the wheel of Thornley Kelham’s Porsche 911 European RS restomod – these are our favourite shots

We’ve lost count of how many Porsche 911 restomods have appeared recently, and it takes a lot to stand out in what has become a saturated market. Cotswolds-based restoration firm Thornley Kelham joined the party this year with its own take on the formula, called the European RS. 

Taking inspiration from iconic models like the 997 GT3 RS 4.0 and 2.7 RS, it’s designed to be an ultra-light, laser-focused 70s 911 finished to the highest standard possible, and we put it to the test in the latest issue of evo. Grab a copy in-store or online to read the full feature.

The European RS is the brainchild of retired architect Hal Walter, who formed an exhaustive 36-page blueprint for his perfect Porsche 911 in his free time during the Covid lockdowns. Walter’s dream spec was to have the intensity and performance of his own 997 GT3 RS 4.0 and the low mass and muscular look of an early RS, and he enlisted the services of Thornley Kelham to make it a reality.

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The result is an ultra-light (1070kg), analogue 911 fitted with high end componentry throughout, not least a 3.8-litre 12-valve fuel-injected high-compression engine with 385bhp. It’s not cheap at £650,000 (including a donor car), but as our man Dickie Meaden found out, the results are fabulous. 

‘It has a sprinkle of the very early short-wheelbase 911’s magic in the way it comes alive with on-off throttle inputs, but with a balance that’s easier to manage,’ he said. ‘It also has the steering response, point-to-point performance and brilliant braking of a 997 GT3 RS.’

To find out whether Walter’s creation is indeed the ultimate 911, grab a copy of evo 327 in-store or online via the evo shop

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