Car Designer Builds His Ideal Restomod 911

The Start of a Journey

Markus Haub has worked for multiple manufacturers as a designer, and created some beautiful paintings and artwork as an artist, celebrating legendary sports cars. And speaking of legendary sports cars, he obviously has a special place in his heart for Porsches. As he explains, the idea behind this project was conceived back in 2013 during a trip to his Porsche mechanic.

Photos and story: Markus Haub for Petrolicious

The Vision

"I saw an "old rusty 2.4-liter F-series and started thinking about how to rebuild it," he recalls. And right then and there he started to think about a potential restoration project of his own. But not just any restoration project. He wanted to turn an old F-series narrow body into something he could drive around and have fun in, while standing out from everyone else.

>>Join the conversation about this owner's restomod 911 right here on Rennlist.com.

Inspiration

He also wanted to keep the build budget minimal, not to fall into an endless pit, as many of us do! With that in mind, he began gathering images for inspiration and after some time, he drafted some sketches to visualize what he wanted to accomplish with the build.

>>Join the conversation about this owner's restomod 911 right here on Rennlist.com.

The Design Process

He knew he wanted to create a distinct look with his Porsche project. He spent time defining the color combinations for the interior as well as the exterior. And the details are just as important when it comes to the work of an artist. But he also wanted to keep the character of the car intact, keeping much of the timeless design unaltered.

>>Join the conversation about this owner's restomod 911 right here on Rennlist.com.

Change of Course

Haub spent the better part of a year trying to finalize the smallest details of his design, to make sure his Porsche would stand out from the 911 crowd. And by the end of it, he came to the realization that a quick and cheap project is likely out of the question. He knew he wanted it to be done right. So a near-complete restoration was the way to go.

>>Join the conversation about this owner's restomod 911 right here on Rennlist.com.

The Spark

He stumbled upon the Onassis Porsches Agency and decided to give the founder, Tom Gaedtke a call. Haub felt that Gaedtke understood what the goal for this build was. And having been able to sample the quality of Gaedtke's work, he knew he could trust Onassis Porsches Agency with the job. And so, they began discussing ideas.

>>Join the conversation about this owner's restomod 911 right here on Rennlist.com.

Clear Vision

The performance wasn't the top priority here. The primary focus is the design. And Haub had a clear vision of what he wanted. " it had to be an F-series with a narrow body; it had to be painted Stone Grey, and on the rear, I wanted to place my bright contrasting graphic. I also wanted to fit the car with GFK mudguards and rear taillights resembling those of the infamous 911R." He writes.

>>Join the conversation about this owner's restomod 911 right here on Rennlist.com.

Finished Product

Having found the perfect donor car, the project finally kicked off in 2015. The full restoration went deep into the mechanical elements of the car as well as the visual. And Markus Haub is very happy with the way it turned out, knowing he saw it through from the first spark of inspiration, to the sketches, and all the way to the finished product. 

"Now that I am able to drive the car, it makes me smile to both experience a well-built early Porsche, but perhaps more rewarding is the realization of a few sketches and a chance run-in with a car that might have never received the love I’ve given it," he concludes.

>>Join the conversation about this owner's restomod 911 right here on Rennlist.com.

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