I purchased perhaps the most affordable Porsche 996 Turbo—that’s proper, Jalopnik is a two-Porsche 996 household—available on the market a 12 months in the past, and I’ve principally been fortunately stacking miles on the odometer since then. I’ve been engaged on making the automobile my very own with a period-correct set of wheels, some additional carbon trim, and a GT3-style middle console. I’ve additionally been fixing a number of of its minor quibbles, because it served because the earlier proprietor’s observe rat for a number of years, and was, um, cosmetically challenged.

The entrance bumper and hood are mismatched, however I don’t just like the manufacturing facility Seal Gray colour anyway, so I’ve been ready for the winter after I wouldn’t be driving the factor to ship it in for a little bit of paint and bodywork. Right now, understanding it might take a month or two to completely bake, I ordered up the carbon fiber roof that might be put in on the identical time.

A couple of months in the past I began following c1composites on Instagram, as they’re constructing an all-carbon 996 observe automobile proper now, and I used to be intrigued. I gained’t be going practically so far as they are going to, however a customized laid carbon roof and hood had been actually in my plans. Once I reached out and found the roof would price me simply $1,600 plus two payments to ship it, I used to be stunned. It’s nonetheless a troublesome capsule to swallow dropping $1,800 on a single half when there technically isn’t something fallacious with the roof my 996 Turbo got here with from the manufacturing facility.

If you would like a carbon roof on your 911 from the manufacturing facility, it’ll price you virtually $4,000! I’m certain there might be not-insignificant set up prices when the automobile goes in for paint and bodywork, however hopefully getting all of it completed directly will make the method somewhat simpler and rather less costly. I nonetheless reckon I can get a carbon roof put in in my 996 for lower than Porsche would cost you to place one in a 992 GT3.

By deleting the sunroof and swapping chilly laborious steel for this carbon piece, I needs to be eradicating practically 70 kilos from the very high of the automobile. With a number of different modifications, I’d prefer to see how shut to three,000 kilos I can get the automobile from its unique 3,380. This can be a huge step in that course.

My objective with the challenge is to develop a period-correct customized 996 Turbo extra in step with at present’s 911 S/T or 911 Sport Basic. There might be some throwback tweaks, however principally it’ll be a push to make a lighter and extra partaking 911 Turbo with out resorting to the fully track-focused (and infrequently lethal) 996 GT2. A little bit of carbon right here, a bit of additional horsepower there, and a few excessive use of colour to essentially set this automobile aside from the gang.

For now it’s fall, so I’ll proceed driving the automobile by enhance season, however then it’ll head below the knife for a little bit of a revamp. I’ll go away you Porsche nerds with a number of key phrases to get your creativeness going.

Ocean Jade Metallic paint. Uncovered carbon roof and hood. Full-leather Nephrite Inexperienced inside. Inexperienced wool tweed seats with a single hardback sport seat for the motive force and a consolation seat for the passenger. The hardback, the half-cage, the middle console, and the gauges color-matched to the outside. Yeah, that is going to be good.