Update, Feb. 6, 2024: This article has been revised to include new photos and additional information kindly provided to us by the owners of the vehicle, Marleen Riemen and Ricardo Sciascia.
A devoted Porsche enthusiast is on a mission to resurrect a Cayman GT4 RS, which met its unfortunate demise in the aftermath of a rare natural calamity. RS Dynamics has aptly dubbed this endeavor ‘Project Seacret,’ yet one can’t help but liken it to a modern-day Lazarus project. Their audacious goal? To breathe new life into a 2023 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS, a victim of a once-in-a-century flood.
Considered by many enthusiasts as one of the finest Porsche’s of our time, the Cayman GT4 RS initially found its home with an owner in Slovenia, snugly nestled in an underground parking garage. However, fate had a different plan and, about a month after the car was delivered, a colossal storm swept through the land, unleashing a deluge that submerged the owner’s cherished performance model in their now-flooded garage.
Photos Salvatore Russo
To merely label it a victim of flooding would be the understatement of the year, for the depths of devastation inflicted upon this Porsche defy simple description. The high-performance sports car found itself entombed beneath water and engulfed in a suffocating shroud of thick mud for three days before being exhumed.
Despite being so thickly coated in mud that it couldn’t even roll, it was sent to Frankfurt, presumably as scrap. That’s when Ricardo Sciascia, the founder of RS Dynamics, a tuning shop in Solingen, Germany, saw the car online and decided he wanted it. He showed it to his partner, Marleen Riemen, who says she wasn’t all that interested in it at first.
“When my husband Ricardo first became aware of the Porsche GT4RS Weissach on the Internet and told me about it, I didn’t want to know anything about it at first,” Riemen told Carscoops. “A few days later he didn’t let up, I took a closer look at the pictures of the Porsche on the Internet and was shocked. After all, this is a flood victim, there’s probably not much left to save. Who has any experience of this, or who would be so crazy as to buy such a damaged, rare vehicle?” she added.
Read: Stolen 1990 Acura NSX Submerged In A River For 20 Years Sells for $8,500!
There were a few details that made Sciascia think it wasn’t such a crazy project, though. Firstly, it was a 718 Cayman GT4 RS that had not only barely driven 471 miles (758 km), but was also equipped with the highly sought-after Weissach package, an add-on that costs around €15,000 (US$16,300 at current exchange rates).
Furthermore, in its three days underwater, nothing had run into it or hit it. That meant that the carbon fiber components and the paint have managed to retain their integrity surprisingly well, courtesy of a protective film. That, in addition to her husband’s conviction, were enough to sway Riemen.
“I was convinced that if anyone could manage such a project, it would be him,” she said. “He’s an incredibly good mechanic, we have lots of contacts and a family that always has our backs. And that’s how we ended up looking at the vehicle at the dealers in Frankfurt.”
That said, this project won’t be a breeze. As mentioned above, the Cayman was so thoroughly encased in mud that it couldn’t even roll when it got to the shop. That meant that it had to be craned off the trailer and onto their property. They then used a BMW X5 to drag it into their garage.
Photos Salvatore Russo
On top of that, the car was completely dead, and there wasn’t even a flicker of a warning light to suggest that the car was clinging to life. As a result, every single piece as to be taken apart and cleaned thoroughly, which they are still in the process of doing.
The difficulty of the task is compounded by the fact that this serves as a side project for Sciascia and Riemen, who still have to run a business and work on cars for paying customers. However, they are getting help from their employees, and the project it is drawing plenty of attention to their shop, which is definitely worth something.
Such was the interest in the project, that they’re now asking their photographer, Salvatore Russo, to film the project.
“We were of course delighted that it went so viral, but it was never our goal,” Marleen told Carscoops. “We thought we would simply post online that we have this project for a little more visibility and reach for our workshop. Now the interest has become so great that we will soon open a YouTube channel and take everyone who wants to follow us on our journey. Because one thing is certain for us, we definitely want to get the car back on the road!”
It sounds like an exciting journey, and we can’t wait to see it unfold!