STINGER 912 R

Stinger 912 R

Matt Mariani on designing the 912 R that Porsche never made.

"I was driving with my 12-year-old son one Saturday in the Philadelphia suburbs, and I decided to show him where his great, great, great grandparents lived. This banged up 912 without paint was in a driveway on the other side of the street," explains Matt Mariani of the wild creation that you see before you. Dubbed the 'Stinger' 912R, it is now a far cry from project car status, complete with 911R-inspired racing energy and covered in myriad detailing.

“I almost installed a flat-six, but then I decided I'd rather keep it a flat-four. I decided I'd rather explain what it was rather than what it wasn't. I focused on lightness, stripping out fifty pounds of undercoat from the tub and installing a custom lightweight interior. The seats we made weighed 13 pounds each, and we focused on unsprung weight by making custom offset GT steel-aluminium alloy wheels. I riveted forged aluminium barrels to the original steel wheel centres - it worked out five pounds lighter per wheel.

I simply rebuilt everything, and the motor is now a 1720cc high-compression motor. Even with 11:1 compression ratios, you can drive it like you stole it all day. And being so light, it handles incredibly.”

The project represented a major milestone for Matt, as the very first project to leave his newly-founded workshop, The R Institute. Soon after its completion, it left the stable for good, travelling across the US to Palm Springs, where it now resides with its new owner, Brandon McCurley. “I wanted something special, and I assumed this was a build he'd keep for himself," Brandon explains.

“Whatever I bought, I was buying it to drive it. This was not to look at."

“Whatever I bought, I was buying it to drive it. This was not to look at. I was instantly intrigued by his creativity and the thoughtfulness in every detail - the intention in it all. The balance, lightness, and the engine are all perfect to me. Matt's passion comes through in the details, and it's a reflection of where he was at the time - and where I am as a driver and enthusiast."