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J
911 GT2
t is human nature to want to improve and
hone just about everything. Be it ourselves,
homes, careers, children and, of course, cars.
Tuning, modifying, and tweaking cars is
nothing new; owners and manufacturers alike
have been investing a combination of time,
much effort and considerable piles of cash in
improving a machine that has already been
developed, tested and built to destruction by
some of the best minds in the business for
generations. Petrol heads just can't help
themselves, their car is the blank canvas for their
imagination to develop their ultimate car.
Inspiration can come from many forms,
motorsport is still the favoured source for ideas,
but the end result is always a highly-personal,
bespoke package for others to admire and take
their inspiration from.
Jack £lam went through this very scenario.
With his 997 GT2 delivering everything the
factory promised of its 530hp 911, it still wasn't
long before his imaginatioh wandered and he
cast his eye over what the extensive Porsche
tuning world had to offer, just to establish what
was achievable with his car's performance you
understand. Unsurprisingly, Jack's attention was
drawn back to the GT2's German homeland,
although rather than leave the autobahn at
Stuttgart he continued a couple of clicks until he
arrived at the door ofRuf Automobile
(metaphorically speaking, because it was
actually through this magazine that Jack's
attention was drawn to Alois Rufs product line).
"I read your first test of the Ruf Rt12 and
appreciated the quality and subtly of the
workmanship that had gone into building that
car," explained Jack. "There was a sense that the
engineering and craftsmanship was to such a
standard that it could have come straight from
the factory. Anyone can build a quick shed, but it
takes a certain skill set to improve on a car and
still make it feel like a factory product. And the
580hp that Rufhad given its Rt12 had a certain
appeal, too!"
The first step was for Jack to find someone to
take on his project and turn his ideas for the
GT2 into reality. For this he turned to Jeff
Holcombe at Reeves Import Motors, the
performance car specialist based in Tampa Bay,
Florida, and between them Jeff and Jack set out a
plan for the GT2. Top of the list was an increase
in the GT2's engine performance to match Rufs
efforts. But like all plans there are often
distractions and the odd deviation ...
Finding an additional 50hp from the GT2's
VfG-equipped flat-six was no great hardship:
freer-flowing induction, an increase in boost
pressure and an ECU remap dealt with that. But
as Jack's GT2 started to evolve, so did the plan.
"We started asking ourselves 'what if we do this?'
and 'what will happen if we change that for
this?' - it wasn't so much ofthe start of a
slippery slope, but more of the beginning of a
steep climb," explained Jack.
What didn't help the team's focus was
Porsche's announcement and introduction of
the 911 GT2 RS, a car whose performance
would outstrip not only the Ruf Rt12 but also
the planned current outcome of Jack's own
GT2. "When I discovered Porsche was building
an RS version of the GT2 I was caught in two
minds. First, I was frustrated that the factory
was finally building a car that I had always
wanted the GT2 to be, but then I thought to
myself 'I'm building the GT2 I've always wanted
,so forget about the RS'. When my dealer called
to ask if I'd like a GT2 RS I didn't have to think
that long or hard before turning down the offer.
I was building a GT2 RS-beater; why would I
want to take a step backwards?"
By this point Jack's confidence had grown
due to the direction the project was taking and
the GT2's motor had been removed for serious
surgery. The standard car's original 3.6-litre
capacity had been increased following th~
fitment of a 3.8-litre piston and cylinder set.
The internals of the pair of variable turbine
geometry blowers had now been precision
modified so they spun up quicker and would
suck and blow the exhaust gasses through
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Jack's GT2 has been treated to
a subtle interior make over with
aluminium the material of choice
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911 GT2
quicker. The Protomotive Eeu would allow up
to 22PSI (1.5bar) of boost. New intercoolers
were fabricated from aluminium to improve
efficiency and FVD high-flow headers fitted.
The rest of the exhaust system was a hybrid of
quality components, made up from
Protomotive high-flow cats and a factory
Akrapovic exhaust system.
The effort paid off. And then some. During
the bedding-in period for the engine, and on a
dyno that provided far from optimum cooling,
the engine that Jeff built returned 558hp and
514lb ft at the wheels. Take into account the
industry standard 12% frictional losses and
you have flywheel figures of 633hp and 584lb
ft of torque. The 13hp gain over the RS may
look disappointing considering the effort gone
into the engine build, but the 69lb ft gain in
torque more than makes up for it.
Despite the level of work that has gone into
the engine's build, Jeff says it was more of a
time-consuming job rather than a problematic
one - the whole process taking just five days
from start to finish. Indeed, it's testament to the
quality of Porsche's engine designers and
builders that such result can be achieved with
such minimal fuss. Although what else did you
expect from a Hans Mezger engine?
Of course, there is more to the GT2 RS than
its engine, and while Jack couldn't go as far as
fitting carbon-fibre front wings and Plexiglass
windows, he could utilise the magic black weave
for other areas of the GT2's body. GMG Racing
supplied a carbon fibre front diffuser and a rear
AUGUST 2011 85
wing extension, while Oakley Design's carbonfibre rear valance replaced the original plastic
item. There are also matt black inserts for the
side air-intakes and rear bumper, and
powdercoated mesh inserts for the front bumper
inlet. The wheels are HRE-coated three-piece 19inch rims dressed in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup
rubber (the low Florida rain count doesn't
trouble them too much).
Inside, the roll-cage is Porsche's brushed
aluminium affair and the floor mats are
fabricated from aluminium and perfectly suited
for track days - the GT2's natural habitat.
"When we se~ out on the project our goal was
to make a true race car for the street," explains
Jeff. "We didn't want to sacrifice the daily
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driving aesthetics of the car for pure track
performance." With this mindset the standard
PCCB brakes and PASM suspension have been
left untouched, although the geometry and roll
bars have been adjusted to optimise the car's
new-found level of performance.
Setting out to take on a car manufacturer or
one of the world's leading Porsche tuners is no
whimsical task. Where the industry big hitters
have untold resources to call upon when
embarking on such a project, an individual has
only the skill, foresight and natural talent of a
few who think nothing of taking on the big boys.
Jack's GT2 is the result of his vision and
determination to create something uniquely
special and personal to him. A Porsche he knows
will be like no other, one that he will never come
across on the road, or a track, and one that he is
confident can take on the factory GT2 RS. What
started out as a project to build a 911 inspired by
Rufs sublime Rtl2 has resulted in a GT2 that has
the on-paper credentials to stand toe-to-toe with
Porsche's most powerful road car ever built.
But the project doesn't stop there. "We've still
got some work to do with the engine's software
to optimise its performance," explains Jeff. "We're
also building our own dyno room with the
proper cooling required to measure a forced
induction car under realistic conditions. None of
the dynos (in Florida) have the proper forced air
assets to truly see all the power that a car like this
can make."
I---~---
911 GT2
What makes Jack's personal project so
interesting is that the result is all his; it hasn't
been developed by a specialist in order to fill its
workshop with customer cars wanting the same
off-the-shelf conversion. It is one man's vision of
what a GT2 RS competitor should be. Others
may have done things differently, gone for even
more power, stripped even more weight out of
the car, or ditched the factory chassis hardware
and installed more extreme adjustable springs
and dampers. Or perhaps done a combination
of all three. But this is what makes us, and our
cars, so unique. We are all individuals, we're all
very different and we all want to be better than
the rest. And Jack Elam looks like he has scored
a hat trick! 0
Jack Elam is happy with his GT2 .. . for now.
Engine builder Jeff Holcombe thinks there is
more to come from the flat-six, and a run
on a better dyno should allow for a more
potent state of tune to be achieved
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