If you love the iconic Porsche 911 GT1 but lack the seven-figure budget to buy one, this badass Boxster body kit might just be what you need.
Earlier this year we wrote about the ongoing handy work of Northern Ireland builder Vale Automotive. The company was in the process of designing a kit after the Porsche 911 GT1 Straßenversion, the roadgoing version of the purpose-built Le Mans racer. It essentially turns the Boxster from a fun roadster into a fixed-roof hypercar-looking coupe. That project is now complete, and the results are fabulous.
The kit is designed for the 986 Boxster, built from 1996 to 2004. The 986 was chosen as an affordable mid-engine platform. While it’s much loved in the sportscar community, it’s also a model that isn’t typically considered too precious to modify into something potent and ridiculous.
Once fitted, the kit makes the Boxster a full two feet wider than stock. The only parts left untouched are the doors and the car’s greenhouse. Every other panel gets modified to create the GT1 look. There are huge functional side intakes as you’d expect, along with the wild pumped fenders ready to house fat rubber at all four corners.
There’s also a decently large rear wing and a diffuser for the proper race-ready look. It wouldn’t be a Le Mans-inspired design without a roof scoop, either, and one is present and accounted for here.
Overall, the finished product is more of a modern reimagining of the GT1, rather than an authentic recreation. That’s largely thanks to details like the Porsche Macan tail lights at the rear and the modern headlights up front. The design doesn’t suffer for it, by any means. It’s a compelling, cutting-edge look, largely thanks to those excellent Porsche LED lighting elements. With that said, you’ll have to source the lights on your own, along with the donor car and wheels.
If you want your Boxster to drive like a GT1, though, that’s on you, as Vale Automotive only supplies the body kit. The original Straßenversion weighed just 2,535 pounds and featured a twin-turbocharged flat-six good for 536 hp. In contrast, the most powerful Boxster had just 254 hp and a curb weight of 2,910 lbs. Given the added weight of the body kit, you’d need to find a way to secure over 620 horsepower to match the power-to-weight ratio, to say nothing of the handling. Give it your best shot, either way.
Vale Automotive is now taking orders for the kit on a first-come, first-serve basis. It comes at a price of £10,999 ($11,511) with a £2000 ($2,302) deposit required. If you secure one and pull off a clean build, you’re sure to have a solid attraction at your local Cars & Coffee. Just consider throwing a turbo or two in the engine bay so you’ve got some performance to back up the looks.
Got a tip? Let the author know: lewin@thedrive.com