Test-Driving The 2025 Gunther Werks Turbo

Forbes

4 days ago

The 2025 Gunther Werks Turbo.
'What if' is one of those hypotheticals that every automotive enthusiast regularly dreams of. What if I had $100,000 to spend on a single, brand-new sports car? What if I were to swap X modern powertrain into Y vehicle from the past? Another scenario that truly lives rent-free in enthusiasts' heads: What if an automaker could create the pinnacle version of a beloved car of yore, utilizing the most up-to-date modern technology and sparing no expense along the way? When it comes to Porsche, Gunther Werks has brought this to life in various iterations, based on the mid-1990s' 993-generation 911. Recently, the Southern California operation has debuted a new model and it's the most powerful, yet: The Turbo.
Starting at $850,000, this handcrafted extra-high-performance machine is more than just a restomod; it's an almost entirely in-house-produced love letter to the legendary 911 badge. Recently, I had the chance to check out Gunther Werks' facility in Huntington Beach, as well as take this new creation for a spin.
Gunther Werks' boutique showroom.
Getting To Know the Brand
To get a good idea of what GW is all about, Peter Nam, CEO/Founder and Ross Pisarkiewicz, Director of Client Relations and Marketing, gave me a thorough tour of the building. When clients walk through the front door, they enter a beautiful showroom with carefully curated color samples, interior equipment displays, and at least one of its models bathed in beautiful showroom lighting. It's more boutique than front office, devoid of clutter, and GW even offers carefully planned dining experiences with chef-prepared meals to break bread and discuss bringing visions to life.
Moving deeper down the main hallway, personnel offices face a special room designated for hand-assembling opulent interior pieces, steps away from where engineers make concepts a reality. Across the hall, craftsmen carefully put together cars' complex harnesses using aerospace-grade wiring and connectors. Finally, through the back doorway is where the majority of production kicks off.
Gunther Werks' assembly facility.
Here, countless carbon fiber components are carefully organized on shelves, from interior accouterments to seats, panels and aerodynamic features. Several bodywork and paint bays prepare the classic 911 shape for full assembly, and massive machinery turns out a variety of lightweight alloy and carbon-fiber wheels. Nam shared that around 90% of parts are made in-house, including the carbon fiber bodywork. This maximizes freedom in the creative process, as well as significantly decreases tariffs' impact. GW also has the ability to offer an unlimited selection of paint colors to firmly secure its place in high-end automotive customization.
The 4.0-liter air-cooled flat-six engine that bolts up behind each example's rear wheels comes from Rothsport Racing, an authority in its own right, which GW enjoys an excellent technological partnership with. Suspension and electronic components are sourced from a myriad of top-tier suppliers with endless experience in motorsports, such as Motec, JRZ and KW. Visions truly come to life in the final room: Craftsmen move about each assembly bay carefully bolting models together, from heat exchanger piping to finely stitched, opulent interior pieces. It's a place where enthusiasts with an appreciation for anything classified as coach-built could spend all day poring over details.
The 2025 Gunther Werks Turbo.
Hopping In
In the middle of this room sat my ride for the day: A 2025 Gunther Werks Turbo painted in gorgeous pearlescent orange. Limited to just 75 examples, this wide-body work of art pays homage to Porsche's own circuit-ready 993 911 RSR and Turbo, inside-out. While customers may choose from a selection of aerodynamic features, this one sported a massive carbon fiber wing for maximum grip and motorsports aesthetic.
The instrument cluster stays true to the classic Porsche formula with five finely machined gauges reporting on the engine's vitals—three readings are dedicated to oil, since there are no coolant channels cut into its case. There's no shortage of beautiful Alcantara, carbon fiber and stitched leather inside, though simplicity is definitely the main theme. It's an open and airy environment, rich in opulence and surprisingly spacious. As the Turbo is based on an older 911, overall visibility is quite good in spite of the wing occupying almost all of the rear-view mirror.
The 2025 Gunther Werks Turbo's interior.
Firing it up produces an awe-inspiring, even-firing roar, and the event truly begins. After a few miles with Pisarkiewicz at the helm to help me get acclimated and soak it all in, it was my turn to take the wheel. Not to oversimplify the experience, but every finely machined metal surface felt perfect. From the bottom-hinged and perfectly placed pedals to the lightweight titanium shifter.
The 2025 Gunther Werks Turbo.
Massive Vehicular Joy
Selecting first gear and becoming acquainted with the right ratio of clutch to gas pedal was, in a word, easy. The clutch possessed quite a bit of weight behind it, but finding the take-up point was a cinch, and the gas pedal quickly introduced me to how fast the independent throttle body-equipped 4.0 revved. Once underway, I was quickly up to speed with smooth rev-matching, heel-toe downshifts, and learning what percentage of throttle input dilated my pupils the most.
The 2025 Gunther Werks Turbo's shifter.
The Turbo's hydraulically assisted steering was rich in texture and feedback, with a brilliant ratio to match, and the brake pedal was reassuring in both its power and easy modulation.
This is one rapid little sports car. No, scratch that, hypercar. With under 2,800 pounds to haul, the twin-turbo 4.0 produces as much as 840 horsepower and 594 pound-feet of torque in its most powerful Track mode. Here, 0-60 mph takes a little over three seconds, and the quarter mile comes and goes in 11 at over 134 mph. Prefer a tamer experience? A quick turn of a knob on the steering wheel cuts output to just 650 and 518, respectively, in Sport. Then, 513 and 458 are available in Comfort—it's basically always fast. There's no electronic traction or stability control to speak of, but rather the analogue kind; an aggressive aero package, massive carbon-ceramic brakes, and 295-wide track-ready tires.
The 2025 Gunther Werks Turbo's engine.
Power was brilliantly linear with barely any turbo lag to speak of, thanks to the turbos' somewhat reasonable size, generous air-to-water intercooling and a very short path for the intake charge to travel. Yet, there was never any fear of aggressive throttle inputs sending us straight into a nearby wall. All we experienced was thrilling acceleration achieved by way of a little courage and a blessedly good manual gearbox sporting perfect gearing. And then there was the beautiful soundtrack: Strong notes of quintessential Porsche howl and boost-building crescendos, followed by pronounced blow-off valve and wastegate actuations. The shove back into the seat was unreal in each gear, including some eyebrow-raising passes on the nearby freeway in sixth.
Finally, thanks to intuitive adaptive shocks that adjust damping rates on the fly—compensating for every minuscule bit of pitch and roll—the Turbo rode quite comfortably. While I didn't get the chance to wring out its abilities on any winding canyon roads, It dipped in and out of traffic with precision, and dealt with Southern California's most battered roads like any number of more luxury-centric fare. To increase comfort even further, a nose lift system was equipped to make easy work of steep driveways. Combine all this with its vivacious powerplant, and I was taken aback by how effortless and daily-ready this monster was to drive.
In terms of downsides, well, they really weren't any. The turning radius rivaled that of a seafaring vessel, and there was plenty of road and engine noise inside. But these are miniscule in the grand scheme of things. The Gunther Werks Turbo is an all-around idyllic high-performance driving experience.
The 2025 Gunther Werks Turbo.
Pinnacle
There's no mistaking that every fine-tuned aspect of the Gunther Werks Turbo's assembly resulted in an equally fine-tuned driving experience. Quality of construction and materials were second-to-none, its visceral driving experience was a highlight of my career, and I'm still amazed over its brutal-yet-user-friendly performance. Anyone who gets behind the wheel will agree—kudos to GW for creating a blank-check scenario that blends '90s 911 and modern hypercar technology so well.
The 2025 Gunther Werks Turbo.