Everything seemed right that day. The weather was bright. Visibility was impeccable. The driver was in good shape. The Turbo Mule prototype, a Porsche 911 modified by Gunther Werks, went out on the Laguna Seca track and came back in pieces. Now, the team is working day in and day out to get it back on track.
The Gunther Werks performance shop kept offering updates on the development of the Turbo Mule prototype every step of the way. They showed photos of the car at the Laguna Seca racetrack and informed followers on every stage of the testing session. But one day, they had to give the bad news.
The modded Porsche returned to the pits on the flatbed of a truck with the roof caved in and windows shattered, as shown in a Reddit post. Those who saw it looking like it had just got out of the crusher feared for the worst. However, the man behind the wheel, who was reportedly long-time Porsche factory driver and brand ambassador Patrick Long, was all right.
The author of the Reddit post, though, says that the roll cage of the modified Porsche did not work. The vehicle, which is the prototype of a future road-going car, did not feature a roll cage.
Fortunately, at the time of the crash, the driver was wearing full FIA racing gear, which included a fire suit, helmet, and a HANS device, despite the fact that he was driving the prototype of a future street-legal car. So, going to the track properly equipped must have saved his life.
Photo: Gunther Werks | Instagram
The renowned performance shop announced that he miraculously sustained no injury. He was checked by an off-site medical professional and was cleared. Considering the way that car was contorted, Long must feel like the luckiest man alive. He posted on Instagram to inform everyone that he was enjoying a much-needed break with the family.
The team did not mention the exact area of the track where the Porsche crashed. However, people on forums have been debating the incident. "I had a friend's friend who was there, said that he lost the brakes completely going into the Corkscrew," Dave_Car_Guy wrote on VWvortex, a forum for the Volkswagen enthusiasts.
The Gunther Werks team is working around the clock to repair the prototype
The prototype previews the production version, the Gunther Werks Turbo, which should start deliveries later this year. So, there is really no time to waste. The California-based Gunther Werks squad is making sure that there will be no delays.
They took to Instagram to tell the story of the crash at WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca during a two-day session on Tuesday, March 19, and Wednesday, March 20, 2024. The second day of testing was cut short.
Photo: Gunther Werks | Instagram
They pushed the limits of the Turbo Mule as they always do. Everything seemed to be going just right. However, the driver lost control of the modded Porsche, went off track, and rolled over. Gunther Werks informs that the development prototype suffered a considerable amount of damage. However, the car is repairable, and they are working on it.
They had not yet fitted the vehicle with the carbon fiber roof panel specifically designed for it. It was not equipped with a roll cage either, because customer commissions, which are road-going cars, are not equipped with one.
A chassis stiffening bar had been installed in the rear area of the cabin, in the company of a harness bar with harnesses and an FIA-rated seat used for the tests carried out at Laguna Seca.
In the Instagram post, Gunther Werks pointed out that safety was as paramount as performance. And considering that the driver walked away unharmed, there is no doubt about it.
Photo: Gunther Werks | Instagram
The team is now working to retrieve all data, going through all the findings, and trying to understand how and why the incident happened. They will use all the insights to make sure that the production version will not be at risk.
Extra oomph and plenty of carbon fiber
The Gunther Werks-modded Porsche features a 911.933 body shell, but it comes with a full carbon fiber body and other lightweight mechanical solutions that make it faster, more agile, and easier to handle.
The modified air-cooled twin-turbocharged flat-six 4.0-liter engine now churns out over 750 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque. So, pulling a car that tips the scales at only 2,680 pounds (1,216 kilograms) is like a walk in the park. Or a run at high speed on the racetrack.
"Cars are repairable, and lessons are valuable," the Gunther Werks team wrote with dignity on Instagram. But repairing that prototype is surely not going to be a walk in the park. The production version reportedly costs around $1 million, according to a feature published by Road & Track in February.
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