A 1978 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3, originally ordered through the Sonderwunsch special-wishes programme and then left to rot in Florida for years, has been named Grand National Champion of the 2026 Porsche Classic Restoration Challenge. Harper Porsche, the dealer behind the project, also took the national Restoration title. Porsche Cars North America published the results on 16 October 2026.
The format is straightforward. Porsche Centers across the United States each enter a project carried out by their factory-trained technicians, who spend close to a year on it. Sixty entries took part in this sixth edition. Regional rounds ran through the summer and early autumn of 2026: Area West at Werks Reunion in Monterey on 14 August, Area South-Central at Artomobilia in Carmel, Indiana, on 28 and 29 August, and Area East at the Audrain Newport Concours on 2 and 3 October. The nine finalists then met on 9 and 10 October in Fayetteville, Georgia, with judging at Trilith Studios and the cars on display at Luftgekühlt at Town at Trilith.
Three categories, three philosophies
Since 2023 the challenge has split entries into three categories. Restoration aims for like-new condition, as close as possible to the original factory specification. Preservation keeps as many period components as it can: repair as much as possible, replace as little as possible. Individualization, modelled on the Sonderwunsch programme, rewards creative use of genuine Porsche parts to fulfil a client’s special wish. Dealers can draw on nearly 85,000 Porsche Classic Genuine Parts.
The Buick-green 930
The winning 911 Turbo, a Type 930, is far from ordinary. Its Paint to Sample colour, Buick Medium Green Poly metallic, is paired with white leather and a pinstripe velour interior. The car reached Harper Porsche in poor shape after years of neglect. Work began with extensive rust repair, followed by a bare-metal repaint. The engine, transmission and turbocharger were all completely rebuilt.
The model holds a special place in the line. The 930 arrived in 1975 with a 3.0-litre turbocharged flat-six and moved to 3.3 litres for the 1978 model year, which puts Harper’s car in the very first year of that evolution. Our French-language history of Porsche turbo engines covers the full lineage.
A 993 Turbo returned to factory spec
The national Preservation title went to Gaudin Porsche of Las Vegas for a 1996 911 Turbo of the 993 generation. Decades of aftermarket modifications had stripped the car of its original character. Rather than swapping out period parts, the team reversed the modifications, kept the original finishes and restored the factory equipment. A Porsche Classic Technical Certificate, issued after road testing, confirmed the final configuration.
A yellow 993 rebuilt as a bespoke RS
Porsche Orlando won both the national Individualization title and the People’s Choice award, voted for by visitors at Luftgekühlt. The starting point was a 1997 911 Carrera Coupe, a well-loved Pastel Yellow 993 owned by Byron and Carey. The car was stripped to a bare shell and rebuilt as a bespoke take on the 993 RS, with handcrafted details and a high-revving 4.0-litre engine assembled from components drawn from several Porsche platforms.
The other finalists
Porsche’s release of 8 October 2026 listed the remaining six projects. In Area East, Porsche Englewood brought a 1980 911 in Oak Green Metallic nicknamed « The Gentleman’s Outlaw », with a reworked 3.0-litre engine and a rebuilt gearbox with limited-slip differential. Porsche Mechanicsburg entered a 2003 911 Carrera 4S in Dark Teal Metallic, a daily driver for almost two decades, now fitted with a Porsche Classic Communication Management system. Porsche Beachwood restored a 1969 912 Targa with soft rear window, a project that raised tens of thousands of dollars for Alzheimer’s research.
Elsewhere, Porsche Cary showed a Guards Red 2001 Boxster, Porsche Tucson a 1973 914 rebuilt from a gutted rolling chassis as a tribute to master technician Jim Guthrie, and Porsche San Francisco a 2003 Carrera 4S completed by two first-year technicians under the guidance of veteran mentors.
Jonathan Sieber, Senior Manager of Porsche Classic in the US, said this year’s winners « should be incredibly proud » of what they achieved, and that their passion and commitment to craftsmanship are what make the challenge special.
The results underline how central the 911 is to Porsche Classic: six of the nine finalists were 911s. The infotainment unit on the Mechanicsburg Carrera 4S follows the same retrofit logic as the PCCM Plus units announced in late September 2026 for the 997 and 991. To place each of these cars in the family tree, our French-language guide to 911 type codes from 901 to 992 is a good companion.
Laisser un commentaire