theon design restores porsche 964 carrera as ‘R’ car with carbon fiber throughout the vehicle
from every body panel, including the doors, to the interiors, the flagship car employs carbon fiber to make the model as lightweight as possible.
prefer designboom on googleTheon R comes to life using restored porsche 964 carrera car
It’s a carbon fiber fest for Theon Design and the donor Porsche 964 Carrera it restores to bring its flagship car, Theon R, to life. The studio uses the material throughout the vehicle, from every body panel, including the doors, to the interiors, to make their flagship model lightweight. The approach is similar to the way Porsche has designed their road cars. The carbon fiber the studio uses is F1-grade, and the total weight of Theon R sits at under 1,000 kilos.
Theon Design first strips back the donated Porsche 964 Carrera to its bare metal before it starts the restoration. They strengthen the shell of the car using seam welding, and they also bond the carbon tubs to the chassis to create a robust torso for the vehicle without adding additional weight. Carbon fiber also appears as the front splitter, rear diffuser, and ‘whale tail’ rear wing of Theon R, and under the vehicle, the studio plants an enclosed carbon ‘flat floor’ for the aero performance of the car.
carbon fiber parts throughout the exterior and interior
To add to the weight saving scheme, Theon Design opts for magnesium and carbon fibre wheels, giving the restored Porsche 964 Carrera car a modern facelift. These tires are also inspired by the design of the Porsche 911 S/T model, and the design team furthers the design by placing a carbon outer ‘barrel’ with a metallic centerpiece. Even the brakes are carbon fiber mixed with ceramic to reduce the overall mass of the flagship car. Theon Design says that bespoke body colors are available, and the standard displayed is finished in Signal Orange, which contrasts the PORSCHE dark ghost stripes found along the sills and matching engine lid accents.
Inside Theon R, the restored Porsche 964 Carrera comes with composite materials throughout, with single piece seats and touch points covered in leather; everything else is made of carbon fiber. A flexible customization is on the table because Theon Design can adjust R and tune it for track use. For now, drivers can take it for a spin around a twisty tarmac, or some mountain roads, and even canyons. When the drivers ask for the design team to redial back the dampers, the flagship car can then become a cruiser suitable for long journeys.
From porsche 964 carrera to theon R with air-cooled engine
Theon Design fits the restored Porsche 964 Carrera with a 4.0-liter air-cooled flat six engine, which is a signature to the studio. It has a 24-valve, dual overhead cam cylinder head with four valves per cylinder, letting the engine rev over 9,000 rpm and produce over 500 horsepower (bhp). Theon R also uses a drive-by-wire throttle system, making it throttle responsive almost instantly.
The exhaust is set up in a way that the flagship car can generate the sound similar to the 1970s RSR race car, and its engine is capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in three seconds, reaching 100 mph in around 6.5 seconds. The studio says the setting may be comparable to the in-gear acceleration found in McLaren and Ferrari supercars these days. So far, Theon R is also set for 24 units, and the studio collaborates with each customer to build the vehicle, which can take up to 18 months for the construction and restoration to finish.
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