Theon Design reveals new lightweight Porsche 911 Targa creation

Car design firm Theon has revealed its latest creation – a bespoke Porsche 911 Targa known as the GBR003.

The GBR003 has an all-carbon body, six-speed manual gearbox and a 4.0-litre naturally aspirated air-cooled engine – producing 403bhp and 100bhp per litre.

The exterior colour is a one-off – called Pastel blue – with a contrasting liquorice leather interior while there are 18-inch Fuchs wheels, wrapped in Michelin Pilot 4S tyres.

Step inside and the GBR003 Theon 911 has the touring seat option, which is designed for comfortable fast road driving, with sculpted rear bucket seats that take inspiration from Porsche’s 928 coupe – while the rear seats also incorporate subwoofers to enhance the audio experience.

To make sure that the GBR003 drives as good as it looks, the engineering team at Theon has made sure that the car gets bespoke carbon fibre strengthening tubs – which are bonded to the floor of the chassis while keeping weight to a minimum and improving rigidity.

The whole process to make this the perfect Porsche 911 (964) Targa is to take an ordinary Carrera 2 Targa as a base and then strip it to bare metal before doing a complete nut and bolt restoration.

Adam Hawley, Theon’s co-founder said: “With our first Targa commission, the whole Theon team has been determined to set new standards for an air-cooled open-top Porsche 911 driving experience.

“We’ve been totally focused on honouring and distilling the air-cooled recipe, forensically honing every element to create a rewarding, analogue classic 911 that combines the sensory richness of Targa motoring with razor-sharp handling and visceral modern performance.”

The GBR003 has been made with the greatest attention to detail, with a wiring loom that seamlessly hides beneath the bodywork saving over 20kg of weight while the air-conditioning compressors and electro-hydraulic power steering system pump are all relocated at the front for better front-to-rear weight distribution.

The Targa roof has been rebuilt to ensure it has the perfect fit against the strengthened carbon fibre shell and it’s finished in a mohair material, too..

Prices for the Theon design commissions start at £390,000 for coupes and £415,000 for Targas excluding costs for the donor cars, shipping and local taxes – each collaboration takes an estimated 18 months to build.