There are a dizzying array of restomod Porsche 911s out there and it's often hard to differentiate one company's work from another. That is not the case with Lanzante's Porsche 930 TAG Turbo and Magnus Walker recently had the opportunity to experience the car firsthand.
Lanzante first presented the 930 TAG Turbo in 2019, with 11 cars ever to be made, and in mid-2023, delivered the number 8 example to ex-Formula 1 driver Stefan Johansson. That car, powered by one of the 1.5-liter V6 TAG Turbo engines that Porsche built for McLaren in the 1980s, was driven by Walker. Making Johansson's car particularly special is the fact that it has the engine from the MP4/3 that he personally drove during the 1987 Austrian Grand Prix.
Since leaving motorsport, Johansson has transitioned into an artist and has his own art studio in California. The car was commissioned through O'Gara Coach and the racer gave it a very special paint scheme combining elements of dark blue, three different shades of green, red, and yellow.
As you can probably imagine, driving a classic Porsche 930 911 powered by a Formula 1 engine is an extraordinary experience. While the engine has been detuned from roughly 750 hp in F1 spec to 503 hp in the Porsche, it still has plenty of punch, aided by the fact the car only weighs 2,248 lbs (1,019 kg). Coupled with the engine is a six-speed manual transmission driving the rear wheels. The car also has a propensity to spit flames, making it all the more exciting.
Lanzante made many changes to the 1.5-liter V6 to make it better suited to use on the street. For example, it has smaller turbochargers, there is a revised crankcase, and the boost pressure has been decreased by 25%.
Is there a cooler 911 restomod out there than Lanzante's masterpiece? If there is, we still haven't heard of it.
