Tuthill has built an 11,000rpm Porsche 911

Indeed, while Singer and many others have taken the approach of massaging the classic 911 look with bigger muscles, hot rod touches and in some cases, modern tech, the Tuthill Porsche 911K stays very true to the originals in terms of looks. It also doesn’t use a newer 964 as a base but a genuine earlier car.

This isn’t to say it’s low-tech either. According to Tuthill, the priorities for the 911K were simplicity and lightweighting. Those original-looking body panels for instance, are actually remakes in carbon fibre. These include the bumpers, bonnet, roof, doors, wings and engine lid. Likewise many parts of the chassis, which were originally steel, have been remade in titanium. In all the 911K weighs just 850kg. For some context to really ram it home, that’s in the region of half the weight of the current 992-generation Porsche 911 Turbo S.

The real kicker though is that shifting its slender mass up the road will be a screaming flat-six engine good for an 11,000rpm redline. Rather than going big on swept capacity, this motor is a short-stroke 3.1-litre four-valve mill. Exact power numbers aren’t available just yet but we’d expect it to comfortably clear 350PS (257kW) at a very rough estimate. That power goes to the 15-inch carbon fuchs rear wheels via a six-speed, magnesium-cased version of the manual gearbox native to 911s from 1972-1986.

You’ll be able to properly hear that engine from the inside too. The scant weight figure shouldn’t be too much of a giveaway to the fact this cabin is if not spartan, quite minimalist. Certainly compared to the bling of Singer and co’.  What is there is nicely trimmed and uses quality materials but it’s very pared back. There’s a titanium half cage where a rear bench might be and a carbon dash, while the enormous hydraulic handbrake is a tell-tale as to Tuthill’s regular rallying remit. Buyers will in the process of ordering their cars be able to specify trims and all but dictate not only the aesthetics but certain aspects of mechanical spec too.

This demo car is if nothing else, a demonstration of focus for the project. Hopefully, we’ll hear it scream up the Hill at the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard next year.