- Theon Design has revealed its most hardcore 911 restomod yet, the Theon R.
- The 964-based coupe is made with F1-grade carbon fiber body panels and weighs less than 1,000 kg, or 2,200 lbs.
- Power comes from a 4.0-liter, naturally-aspirated air-cooled flat-six generating over 500 hp.
The 2025 GT3 RS is the lightest Porsche 911 you can currently buy. But Theon Design’s new restomod creation, the Theon R, makes the RS look like a candidate for a six-week stay in a summer fat camp.
Old cars are almost always lighter than their modern equivalents that are longer, wider, safer and better equipped. So even the early-1990s donor 964-generation 911 Theon uses as the jumping off point for its creation weighs less than a modern GT3 RS. But the British Porsche-modding outfit has put the 964 on such an extreme diet that it’s lighter than a Miata. And no, not the current Miata, the original ’89 car.
Related: Theon’s First Targa Commission Gets Extra-Stiff Carbon Body And 993 RS Brakes
The R tips the scales at “less-than” 1,000kg (2,205 lbs) thanks to Theon’s obsessive use of F1-grade carbon fiber for the body panels and interior. That compares with 3,268 lbs (1,482 kg) for a modern GT3 RS, and 2,210 lbs (1,002 kg) for the OG Miata, in case you were wondering.
A modern RS make more power, of course, but not as much more as you’d think. Its 4.0-liter water-cooled flat-six generates 518 hp (525 PS), but the Theon’s same-sized air-cooled motor pumps out 500 hp (507 PS), meaning the Theon easily wins the power-to-weight shootout.
No one is suggesting the R could take the RS in a track shootout, but Theon says its car features a seam-welded chassis and a carbon tub bonded to the chassis to give the body torsional rigidity similar to what Porsche achieves on its modern cars.
It’s Porsche’s classic hardcore machinery that Theon used for inspiration when it came to the exterior design, however. The magnesium Minilite-style wheels look like the kind seen on the original 1972 911 ST (though here they also include carbon in their outer construction), and the whaletail rear wing evokes memories of the 1974 Carrera RSR. Carbon ceramic brakes, a Wavetrac limited slip differential and bespoke MCS dampers are standard.
Theon says the R can hit 60 mph (96 km/h) in 3 seconds and 100 mph (160 km/h) in 6.5 seconds, figures almost identical to those achieved by the 2025 GT3 RS. But while you can (theoretically) sign up for an RS for $241,300 (£192,600) and expect to take delivery in a few months, the Theon takes 18 months to build and will set you back $1 million (£790,000). Which would you prefer?
