Project Endgame: An Ironman-inspired Guntherwerks 911

There are plenty of ways to build a special Porsche 911. You can restore one to factory condition, turn it into a lightweight track weapon, or modernize it while keeping its classic character intact. But companies like Gunther Werks don’t just modify 911s but build bespoke creations that belong in a sci-fi movie.

Over the years, Gunther Werks has made a name for itself by building the most special Porsche 993s on the planet. Each one is a work of art and an engineering masterpiece, but that wasn’t enough. So they set out to build one of the wildest 911s inspired by one of the most eccentric characters in movie history.

Gunther Werks Only Works On Porsche 993s

The Porsche 993 911 was produced from 1994 to 1998 and was the final 911 generation to use an air-cooled engine. That alone makes it one of the most desirable modern-classic Porsches. Rather than treating the 993 as a car that should simply be preserved, Gunther Werks sees it as a much bigger opportunity and has built a very niche business building and modifying only this generation of 911.

When Gunther Werks gets a 993, it is stripped completely to the bare shell and extensively re-engineered, with modern materials, suspension components, brakes, powertrains, and much lighter and stronger carbon-fiber bodywork replacing almost every original part on the car. The result is not quite a restoration or a new car, but something special.

993s In Different Flavours

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There are a number of ways you can have your Gunther Werks 911, from the initial lightweight coupes and speedsters to turbocharged powerhouses that are all capable, fun, and engaging. But the most fun ones are arguably the open-top speedsters.

The Speedster formula was particularly interesting because it combined the familiar 993 silhouette with a completely roofless body. Porsche never officially made a mass-production Speedster, and only two were made as custom orders from two important Porsche Clients. When Gunther Werks made its interpretation of a 993 Speedster, they didn't stop at two; a total of 25 naturally aspirated Speedsters were made before the program was closed.

But Gunther Werks wasn't finished experimenting with the 993 Speedster just yet. The company had already developed its Turbo program around a Rothsport Racing-built 4.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six. Combine this engine with a highly bespoke Speedster, and the result is something Gunther Werks has never built before and will never build again.

The One-Off Speedster That Looks Like It Came From Stark Industries

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This one-off Speedster is known as Project Endgame, and at first glance you may just think it's a pretty expensive-looking toy until you look at the details. The car is finished in this beautiful True Candy Red paint with gold accents on the exterior. Even the interior has the same red and gold color scheme inside. This color combination takes inspiration from Iron Man's red-and-gold armor, and the name Project Endgame is reminiscent of the 2019 Marvel movie Avengers: Endgame.

Another crazy detail in the car is six real gemstones embedded into the 24-karat gold shift knob to mimic the Infiniti gauntlet Thanos wore in the movie to house the Infinity Stones. These are some of the crazy details that set this car apart from other Gunther Werks creations. But calling this an Iron Man-themed Porsche doesn't quite capture what Gunther Werks has done here.

Project Endgame is the final Speedster in the company's program and the only Speedster the company has built with the turbo powerplant. The body itself is heavily modified beyond the regular Speedster. The rear quarters are wider to accommodate the beefed-up chassis, suspension, and wider rear tires. Gone is the ducktail spoiler in favour of a massive rear wing for added downforce and high-speed stability. It needs all these changes because it packs a powerful punch.

An 850-HP Air-Cooled Twin-Turbo Flat-Six

Gunther Werks 911s aren’t slow since they’re light, but while the naturally aspirated flat-six engine makes 500 horsepower at best, Project Endgame makes a lot more. At the rear is a 4.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six engine built by Rothsport Racing, and it makes 850 HP and 660 lb-ft of torque. All that power is sent exclusively to the rear wheels through that Infinity gauntlet six-speed manual transmission.

Those numbers would be impressive in almost anything, but in a lightweight 993-based Speedster, that’s just crazy power. Gunther Werks says the car weighs roughly 2,600 lbs, giving Project Endgame an extraordinary power-to-weight ratio. They’ve taken the iconic air-cooled 911 and given it power levels we’ve never seen before with such an engine, but they also needed to figure out how to cool it down.

Gunther Werks adds another unmistakable touch: 24-karat-gold-plated air-to-water intercoolers. That might sound like pure decoration, and you’re not really wrong. But underneath the gold are some serious cooling upgrades supporting an engine that produces more than three times its original power. But that six-speed manual transmission is equally important. With 850 hp going to the rear wheels, Project Endgame could have used a sophisticated automatic transmission, but it is still a car you engage with, which is more important that all out peformance.

The Iron Man Theme Suits This Car Very Well

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The easiest way to ruin a car like this is to make the theme too obvious. Project Endgame comes surprisingly close to that line, but the level of detail helps make the concept work. The True Candy Red paint is the foundation. According to reports, applying the finish took roughly three weeks, while gold details were carefully applied on each component.

Inside, the same red and gold theme continues through the leather, Alcantara, and carbon-fiber components, with black serving as the base to make these colors pop. But the best detail is arguably that gear lever. Incorporating movie details like these in cars can be hard, but this was well executed. There is also an arc-reactor-inspired element between the seats, adding another reference to Tony Stark's technology.

But the best part is that despite having these crazy details, this is not just a show car but a serious piece of engineering. Project Endgame isn't an ordinary 993 wearing an Iron Man costume. The superhero theme is effectively wrapped around an entirely re-engineered sports car. Even the gold in the engine bay is functional. It is a bit excessive, but that is exactly the point.

This is a one-off commission that reportedly cost around $2 million, but it’s safe to say it was worth it. The owner was able to push Gunther Werks towards creating something that had never existed before and will probably never exist again.

The End of One Gunther Werks Era and the Start of GWX

The name Endgame suddenly makes a lot more sense. Gunther Werks has closed the chapter on its Speedster program with this car. After years of developing its open-top 993, the company has created a final one-off to mark the end of that era and also usher them into a new one. The car serves as a launch point for GWX, Gunther Werks' new bespoke coachbuilding program for highly individual commissions.

In that sense, Endgame is both a farewell and a beginning. The Iron Man theme makes the entire story more memorable because Project Endgame wasn't designed to be subtle in any way. It takes one of Porsche's most beloved classic platforms and pushes it into territory the original engineers could never have imagined. And it is a befitting way for Gunther Werks to close its Speedster chapter.