Stunning 911 Speedster from 9ff
2009-11-23 08:40
Vehicle Specs
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Manufacturer
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Porsche
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Model
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Speed9
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Engine
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3.6l flat-six turbo
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Power
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478kW
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Torque
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890Nm
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Dortmund-based tuner (or if you wish to be pedantic, it is probably a manufacturer) 9ff has imbued the 911 Turbo with some classic James Dean overtures.
Gearing up for Europe’s version of SEMA, the Essen motor show, 9ff has leaked pre-show images and technical details of its latest Porsche based product – the Speed9.
Rumour has it 9ff wished to pay homage to the 356 Speedster, yet one can make a case for the perceptible presence of some 550 Spyder details too.
Kids not welcome
From a packaging perspective the most obvious change is classic Speedster layout, which sees the 911 Turbo’s token rear seats completely binned (great idea).
Speed9’s lower bodytrim benefits from new air intakes up front, side skirts along the flanks and a rear apron.
The most notable surfacing changes affect the rear third of the car. Here 9ff have moved the 911 Turbo’s exhausts to a centrally grouped position, carved out dual horizontal air ducts just under the engine-cover shutline and fleshed out the rear bumper with substantial vertical air ducts at the outer edges.
Aft deck area has been radically resurfaced and smoothed out. Looks outstanding, especially considering the aesthetic shortcomings of 9ff's most notable creation - the Veyron-besting GT9...
Bigger output, better brakes
All 9ff products are dynamically validated with a suite of balanced engineering upgrades. This is hardly surprising when you consider the engineering expertise on offer within 9ff's workshop - these are the boys who built the 409km/g GT9 after all...
With all 9ff's products, any increase in acceleration is counterbalanced by a commensurate improvement in deceleration and direction changing stability.
To this end Speed9's increase in engine output shadows 9ff’s trusted 911 Turbo modification blend - liberally recalibrated ECU, radical exhaust plumbing, high-flow catalytic converter and a performance air filter.
What you get in return is a very neat 110kW increase over the stock 911 Turbo, with peak rotational force settling at around 890Nm.
Reigning in the additional performance potential of the Speed9 is a beefier set of brakes.
Both front and rear axle rotors increase by 30mm in size over the sock 911 Turbo (swelling to 380mm), with the rear caliper set-up boasting two additional contact points, boasting six-piston actuation when the brake pedal is depressed.
The Speed9’s directional stability is buoyed by a 30mm median ride
height reduction, courtesy of dual coil-overs and new stabilisers at each
wheel corner.
Speedster profile suits the current 911 Turbo's dimensions particularly well. Larger brakes immediately perceptible behind those split-blade five-spoke mags.
Retro the right way around?
Although, as a company, 9ff has an enviable reputation for recording incredible performance numbers (the company’s GT9 has been clocked at 409km/h) it has not released any acceleration or top speed figures regarding the Speed9.
Suffice to say it’s one of the prettier things to roll out of 9ff’s Dortmund workshop, yet we expect full performance potential disclosure when the car is shown during the opening of the Essen motor show on Saturday.
In a world of overpowered, garishly styled 911 Turbo aftermarket products, this Speed9 from 9ff is an example of retro done right...
