Say hello to the latest creation from acclaimed Porsche motor sport preparation and restomod crafter Tuthill: the Tuthill GT One. The car is described as a tribute to the 1990s GT1 endurance racing class, and it is a collaboration between the British company, and film producer and car collector Elliot Ross. Although the fact is carefully avoided in the car’s press announcement, it is clearly inspired by the Porsche 911 GT1 which, after a rocky start in the series, eventually won Le Mans in 1998.
Tuthill readily accepts that Porsche’s own road-going homologation special, of which 15 were built in Strassenversion form, was compromised as a road car in a pursuit of ultimate track gains (of course, without explicitly mentioning the 911 GT1 Strassenversion directly…). Instead, Tuthill’s GT One has been designed to be a road car from the very beginning.
A mere 22 production examples of the Tuthill GT One are due to be built, with a fully carbonfibre body designed by Florian Flatau encasing twin-wishbone front and rear suspension, carbon-ceramic brakes, bespoke calipers and Inconel exhaust system. The tastiest part, however, comes with the engine. All in, the car is due to weigh a mere 1200kg.
Based on the Tuthill-developed 4.0-litre flat-six developed for its 911K restomod, the engine is available in either naturally aspirated or forced-induction form. Tuthill says 500bhp is possible without forced induction, 600bhp with. A choice of transmissions is available – either the seven-speed dual-clutch item on the display car due to be revealed later today at The Quail, or a manual equivalent.
Tuthill says the underbody and aero package have been honed via CFD analysis, and within the carbonfibre bodywork is an FIA-based rollover-protection system, while the doors feature side-impact bars. For those seeking to take their GT One on track, an aero package might be developed in future.
Each example of the Tuthill GT One will take 3500 hours to build – no pricing or timeline to production has been revealed as yet.
“At the heart of this piece of artwork is, of course, the constant pursuit of mechanical excellence,” says Richard Tuthill. “We have taken inspiration from all that we have done in the past, and have been inspired by what others have done before us and continue to do.
“As usual, I sincerely hope those who wish to own one of these will also wish to drive them as often as they can and create memories that will last a lifetime. The FIA GT1 class enabled manufacturers to create stunning race cars. We have taken the best bits, but focused on producing a wonderful road car.”
Design director Flatau says: “I would never have imagined that I would one day be entrusted with the freedom, in this environment, to revisit the spirit of an automotive era such as that of the FIA GT1 class; it’s a very deep and personal experience for me.” He adds, tantalisingly: “It’s the first in a collectable series I aim to establish over the years to come.”
More information is available here.
