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Zero to 2.7 million in ten minutes. No, not the acceleration figures for a NASA space probe, but the time taken by a unique Porsche to sell for a massive amount of money.
It's a 1990s 993-edition Porsche 911 Turbo S, but it's no ordinary one. Porsche, almost two years ago, discovered that it had an unused 993 Turbo bodyshell (the 993 was the last air-cooled 911 built by the Porsche factory), and decided that it should build up an as-new car, to show off the capabilities of the Porsche Classic department. Think of this car, then, as being rather like one of those 'Reborn' Land Rovers, but much, much, much faster.
Called Project Gold (hence the colour), this 993 has been built with an attention to detail far and above that which it would have received when it was originally in production. Its 3.6-litre twin-turbo engine has been entirely built from new, using original parts, and has found an extra 42hp along the way, making a total of 450hp. Torque is also up, to 585Nm.
The distinctive Golden Yellow Metallic paint was applied using the latest Porsche factory techniques (so, again, much better than a period 993 would have had) and features two coats of clear lacquer.
Other smaller mods were made, such as a special tint for the exterior lighting, and some small tweaks to the interior. By the end, the car was so special that it gets its own unique chassis number - 001/001.
Project Gold, which technically can't be registered for road use, was sold at the Porsche Experience Centre Atlanta as part of the auction house RM Sotheby's "The Porsche 70th Anniversary Auction 2018."
After just ten minutes, and 37 bids, the magic €2.7 million figure was reached, and the money raised from the sale will go to the Ferry Porsche Foundation. Founded this year, in Porsche's 70th anniversary, the foundation supports projects relating to science, research and education, as well as training and development, promotes cultural and environmental initiatives and helps people who are affected by social hardship.