HIGH-END HOODIE

Old 911s never die. They become wall art. At least some of them do according to After the Race, a Belgian duo that transforms parts of period 911 Porsches into wall art. Among the multiple options are genuine G-series 911 bonnets painted and patina’ed to capture both the livery and the life-well-lived of a period endurance-racing Porsche. The works are hand made, not printed stickers, with riveted backplates signed by the artist. You can choose from a range of liveries via online order form, following which the commission is delivered within four weeks. The genuine G-series hoods weigh in at 15kg, but you can also opt for a repro’ polyester alternative that clocks in at just 5kg. Prices are 4911 euros for the original metal hoods and 2911 euros for the plastic repros or about £4350 and £2750 in old money from aftertherace.be.

It’s sometimes easy to forget how it all began with a mere 130hp from a diminutive 2.0-litre flat six. Top speed? Only just on the far side of 130mph. Zero to 60mph in over eight seconds. Some 50-odd years hence, the 911 has morphed into a 700hp, 211mph monster. Zero to 60mph? So little time, it hardly matters. Of course, the latest GT2 RS is a sold-out special, not a main-series model. But a 911 it undoubtedly is with its rear-engine architecture and signature sloping-roof silhouette. Hell, even the base-model 370hp Carrera is an almost unfathomable quantum leap over the 1963 original. And yet much of the DNA undeniably remains. To help you ponder the implications of all that, why not pick up a copy of this suitably beefy 1:18 scale model of the new GT2 RS in Weissach Package trim for £287 from porsche.com. Plump of arch and broad of tail, the 1974 911 RSR was once the kind of widebody wonder that only existed on racetracks. Today, Porsche offers umpteen different widebody styles from a mere 4WD Carrera to the monstrous GT2 RS, the latter now so fast the poor old period racer wouldn’t see which way it went. Still, there’s a certain romance and purist appeal that no amount of modern turbocharged ponies can capture. Unlike this 1:43 scale Spark model in resin. It’s a fully liveried homage to the 1974 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the number 60 911 RSR, helmed by the Striebig, Chateau and Kirschoffer trio. Just 54 of these 3.0-litre endurance warriors were built and they now trade hands for millions. But you can have this model, available now from Grand Prix models at grandprixmodels.com, for just £53.95.