Custom 996 Worn Racing Livery Looks Absolutely Amazing
Custom 996 paint job replicates a battle-scared Gulf Racing livery. Purists might hate it, but we think it looks beyond cool.
It’s no secret that a flamboyant modification to any Porsche can draw unsavory opinions of some Porsche enthusiasts. Often referred to as “outlaws,” folks who substantially modify Porsches are, in many ways, the black sheep of the Porsche community. However, we’re not saying this with any hostile intent. In fact, we favor the outlaws over those who, like the father of the great Cameron Frye, rub their cars with a diaper instead of driving them.
That’s why when we stumbled on this killer custom 996 on the Porsche 996 Facebook page, we had to share! Owner Silas Bradford reports that his 2001 911 needed a new paint job anyway, so he decided to get a little creative with it. Yes, you’re reading that correctly. That is paint, not a wrap. Honestly, that makes all the attention to detail that much more impressive. For the Porsche purists who are struggling with this one, rest easy. It appears to be a cabriolet with a hard top. We all know that a cabriolet 996 is what you look down on the most, anyway.
How Did He Do It?
The livery gives the appearance of a Gulf Livery race car that has been through some hectic racing abuse. Rubbing’s racing, as they say, and it’s not uncommon to see a real race car with some pretty substantial body and paintwork damage. Of course, this isn’t real damage and didn’t come from racing. Short of spraying the livery on and then attacking the car with a load of sandpaper to strip through the layers of paint down to a black basecoat, it seems like all the battle scars might actually be hand-painted. If that’s the case, here, this is more than a custom 996. This is an art car. We can’t just reserve that term for famous artists!
The whole paint job appears to be covered in clear coat. This is just our opinion, but some sanding to matte finish on the “damaged” areas, and a duller finish across the entirety of the surface would really sell the look. We’re not jumping to conclusions just yet, though, because Bradford states in the post that the car isn’t finished yet. We’ll definitely be keeping an eye on it to see the final product.
Ultimately, the level of individualism here is something that car owners shouldn’t be afraid to express with their vehicles. Yes, it’s a Porsche 911. Regardless of the generation or how others feel about it, it’s a valuable car at the end of the day. So, the distaste for substantial modifications to it is somewhat understandable. That said, nobody’s opinion on the subject truly matters except the one who owns the car. Enjoy your cars. It’s the right thing to do.
Within reason, of course. We’ve seen plenty of modified Porsches that definitely cross the line.
Photos: Facebook/Silas Bradford
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