With this year's Monterey Car Week canceled due to the global pandemic, the Petersen Automotive Museum is hosting its own virtual Petersen Car Week to replace it. Between August 12 and 15, the Petersen Automotive Museum will host 25 hours of automotive content in a series of videos on YouTube. In the first video, renowned Gunther Werks presented its latest reimagining of the iconic 993-generation Porsche 911. Dubbed the 400r Mexico Blue, this stunning restomod is essentially the 993 911 GT3 Porsche refused to build.

A sister brand to Vorsteiner, Gunther Werks wanted to combine the analog driving experience of classic Porsches with the performance of the modern-day 911 GT3. But whereas Singer specializes in 964-generation Porsche restomods, Gunther Werks focuses on the 993-generation 911, the last of the air-cooled 911s.

To make the modern-day Porsche 993 911 GT3 as light as possible, the bumpers, hood, fenders, roof, rear quarters and ducktail spoiler are all made of carbon fiber. This particular commission features a striking hood stripe with an exposed carbon weave. There are also design cues inspired by several iconic models from Porsche's illustrious history. At the front, the bumper is inspired by the Carrera GT, while the wide fenders are inspired by the 993 GT2 Evo. Dominating the rear is a ducktail spoiler based on the Carrera RS, while the rear bumper takes its cues from the 996 GT3.

Compared to the regular 993, the 400r Mexico Blue is around three inches wider at each corner. Widening the track has improved the handling significantly, as Gunther Werks claims this eliminates the 993's tendency to understeer.

To modernize the 993, LED headlights have also been fitted and the taillights come from the current 911 Carrera 4S incorporating a full-width light bar.

Powering the 400r Mexico Blue is the car's original 3.6-liter flat-six bored out to displace 4.0 liters. It's still naturally aspirated and air-cooled, but Gunther Werks has added custom pistons, rods, individual throttle bodies, and a 997 GT3 intake plenum. A dual-map ECU also enabled Gunther Werks to add a sport button that increases the output from 420 hp to 435 hp and opens up the exhaust valve to make the flat-six sound more ferocious.

With a weight of 2,600 pounds, the car has a power to weight ratio of 352 hp per ton - that's more than a modern Porsche 911 GT3 RS. According to Gunther Werks, a prototype 400R set a lap record for air-cooled Porsche 911s at Laguna Seca with a time of one minute and 33.10 seconds, which is a second faster than a GT3 RS.

Complementing the stunning exterior is a bespoke interior featuring full carbon bucket seats, a carbon dashboard and center console, an aluminum shifter that's positioned higher for easier access, and custom gauges. The rev-limiter has also increased from 7,200 rpm to 7,800 rpm.

Only 25 examples of Gunther Werks' reimagined Porsche 993 are being built. It isn't known how much the customer paid for this commission, but the 400R starts at a whopping $525,000.