Ray Ho 08/30/2025

In the world of restomod Porsche 911s, Singer Automotive Design is atop the totem pole. They took the 911 (964) and reimagined it into highly sought-after “collectibles.” Their cars are priced from 1.1 million to 3 million, with a current production wait time of 3 years. Another company that is famous for modifying air-cooled 911s (993s) is Gunther Werks. While Singer retains more of the classic first-generation 911 appearance, Gunther Werks took the 993 and remastered it with extreme designs and incorporates carbon fiber everywhere. Their base cars are also in the million-dollar range, with limited editions costing twice that and more. They are, you guessed it, also struggling to keep up with demands.

On the heels of their success, a handful of other smaller companies have entered the restomod business, the latest being Ruehle, based in Germany. The main difference is that Ruehle ditches the air-cooled platform and uses the more current water-cooled cars. The company started out life in 2024 with the 996 model cars, but the suspension did not work correctly. They have since moved on to the newer 997 platform. 997, as in Porsche lingo, is the internal code name for the 6th generation 911 with model years between 2005 and 2012. Ruehle elected to work on the 997.2s from 2009 to 2012 (in the U.S.). Hence, they claim their cars are 997 reborns. Chris Ruehle (the owner) said that they started production in March this year and have been converting about one car a month. While the conversion time typically takes one month, the entire process takes about 6 months because the work is being done in Germany.

The conversion is a frame-up restoration and modification, where the car is stripped and acid dipped; the acid dip itself shaved off 100 lbs., and even with some weight added back when refurnishing the body, other weight-saving measures resulted in a final weight in the 2800 to 2900 lbs. range, which is at least 300 lbs. less than stock. The wide body panels are steel, while the ducktail is fiberglass. The front of the body is shortened by 2” to be more in line with the classic 911 proportions.

For the $399k base price, the car retains the 3.8-liter displacement. It comes standard with upgraded interior, a KW V3 custom suspension, bespoke wheels, brakes, and other performance upgrades.

The example here is a Carrera S with the original 3.8-liters engine bored out to 4.1 liters (a $25K option) that cranks out 465 horses. The gorgeous, brushed bronze trim is a $5k option. The bolt-on roll cage is another 4 to 5 grand. The roll cage can be certified for track use at an additional cost. Such service and maintenance can be done at their satellite facility in Montclair, CA, where they collaborate with the company called 911 Design. There are plenty of other smaller options, and they are usually limited to $1k to $2k. As a result, a fully optioned car would still be well under 500K, which is about half the cost of the base cars from Singer and Gunther Werks. That said, the level of customization and performance is yet to be on par with those companies. Ruehle is not really a direct competitor to Singer and Gunther Werks, it does provide a restomod alternative if you prefer the newer and more efficient water-cooled cars. The price may sound a little crazy, but if Ruehle can achieve even half the success of Singer or Gunther Werks, the “reborn” cars may turn out to be good “investments.”

While I can’t yet afford a 911 that is reimagined, remastered, or reborn, I am grateful that I own a 911, even though it is just one that is resold.