LIMITED RETRO LIGHTWEIGHT
The brainchild of the team at Essex-based marque specialists Paul Stephens, the limited edition Le Mans Classic Clubsport has been revealed and offers a very different take on the high-end air-cooled 911 proposition, with ultra-lightweight construction among the new car ʼs highlights.
Paul Stephens starts with an original 911 (eg, Carrera 3.2), which is fully restored ahead of conversion. The Le Mans Classic Clubsport features a lightweight de-seamed roof panel with sunroof delete, lightweight composite bumpers and engine cover, an aluminium bonnet, improved soundproofing and lightweight external mirrors.
Engine-wise, the cars feature a 300bhp 3.4 litre flat six with new crossshaftless ITB injection system with GT3 RS plenum, a programmable ECU mapped in-house, Rs-spec camshafts, a lightened crankshaft, lightweight conrods and a lightweight flywheel mated with a G50 gearbox and limited-slip differential. In its heaviest ʻTouringʼ format, the Le Mans Classic Clubsport weighs only 1075kg, while the optional Lightweight specification reduces that to 970kg, giving a 0– 60mph time of just 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 175mph.
Getting the weight below 1000kg involved fitting Lexan rear windows, manual front windows, dispensing with central locking and the use of nontilting lightweight seat frames. Even the glove box door has been removed and the car is fitted with just a single sun visor. Regarding trim, full leather St-style touring seats are trimmed in black leather with unique Le Mans Classic houndstooth inserts in green, black and white, a detail carried over to the fully trimmed and hand stitched leather interior panels, houndstooth door pockets with green boucle floor mats and aluminium footplates.
Conceived in collaboration with event organiser Peter Auto, the car was launched at this year ʼs Le Mans Classic, ahead of delivery at the Le Mans Classic in 2020. Each owner will be invited to parade their car and partake in the famous Le Mans start ritual in front of the Le Mans Classic crowds in 2020. ʻTo have teamed up with Peter Auto in naming this unique Le Mans Classic Clubsport is an honour,ʼ says Paul Stephens. ʻThe passion of the event, from the organisers through to the enthusiasts attending, reflects our own devotion to the finest classic cars, and to be able to dedicate a bespoke version of our Clubsport model feels like an ideal match.ʼ
Whether optioned in Touring or Lightweight specification, just 10 of these hand-finished and numbered examples will be released in honour of the 10 Classic Le Mans events thus far. Pricing is set to be approximately £250,000 depending on detailed specification. For more information or to register your interest, log onto www.paul-stephens.com