Sharkwerks 997s
Two of Porsche’s GT 997s have been brilliantly reborn in 4.1-litre spec – and they could well be the finest Neunelfers on the planet
Our favourite Norcal tuners are famous for their 4.1-litre conversions… we revisit a pair of brilliant 997 GTS
Engine displacement is everything in the US. The home of the Hemi is also the land where big V8s are shoehorned into just about everything, whether it’s for the school run or the race track. Bigger is supposedly better when it comes to cars, this a heavily enriched ideology ingrained into many aspects of general US society.
However, in the world of Porsche, superior engine size has never formed part of the agenda. While Lamborghini’s first car in 1963 was the 3.5-litre, V12 350GT, for example, Porsche’s original 911 had a measly 2.0-litre flat six. Lamborghini still uses the V12 in its Aventador today, while Audi’s R8 is powered by a 5.0-litre V10, and Ferrari’s V8 and V12 powerplants are considered legendary among the wider car enthusiast population. Despite this, the plucky 911 sports car has continued to battle successfully against its bigger-engined rivals on circuit, sticking fiercely to its winning recipe of a robust flat six and an exquisite chassis.
It is this approach which Alex Ross, owner of Californian Porsche tuners Sharkwerks, has always found favour with. British born, his extracurricular indulgence in Lotus is therefore forgivable, but the overachieving 911 has always been the primary source of his motoring aspirations. This, fused with a hint of that ‘bigger is better’ American way, is what has given us the Sharkwerks 4.1.
Long-time readers of Total 911 will already know of the prowess of the one-of-four Gulf-inspired Rennsport in our pictures, which we first featured in early 2015. Acquired in 2011 before being ‘run in’ with a 2,600-mile jaunt across the USA, Ross
and the Sharkwerks team found tuning potential in its 3.8-litre Mezger engine, this becoming the trailblazer for its pioneering 4.1-litre programme. It all started before Porsche had even released its own 997 GT3 RS 4.0 – we told you the States does it bigger and better.
The fruits of more than five years of development includes a partnership with EVOMS to produce a race-spec, lightweight billet 80.44mm crank, CNC machined from billet 4340 high-alloy steel and tested to more than 9,500rpm, as well as a 104.5mm bore piston and cylinder set. The cylinders use steel liners and the pistons are Teflon-coated with anti-wear skirts and titanium wrist pins, saving 20 grams per piston and wrist pin combo against factory. In terms of top end, Sharkwerks’ engine has ‘Hammerhead’ Shark-spec headwork along with race-style valve guides for longevity and cam adjuster strengthening, with everything balanced and blueprinted. A custom multi-indexed rotary-style oil pump is used, and the camshafts are Sharkwerks/evoms spec.
The engine case has been race-prepped with, among other things, improved oiling techniques according to Sharkwerks’ own wizardry. This is all partnered to EVOMSIT ECU tuning; an RS 4.0-litre clutch pack, though Ross says the original factory setup does work; a choice of Sharkwerks lightweight street or track exhaust, and a host of chassis upgrades including Brembo GT brakes, Bilstein Clubsport double adjustable coilovers, RSS rear adjustable links, bump steer kit, thrust arm bushings and lower control arms, plus some aerodynamic adjustments.
During extensive R&D Sharkwerks ran into inevitable physical limitations for the OEM Porsche parts. Many of these eventually showed up in the months and years that followed the release of Porsche’s 4.0 RS in technical service bulletins and recalls. The build also involved significant investment from Sharkwerks itself, with chief engineer extraordinaire James Hendry having to fabricate his own tooling to make the install possible – hence why the builds can only be carried out at either Sharkwerks or EVOMS.
The result of Sharkwerks’ efforts is a staggering 540hp, up nearly 100hp from stock 3.8-litre spec, and 542Nm torque on 93-octane fuel. Even better, Sharkwerks says its revamping work also helps lengthen the life of the Mezger six. For example, the lightweight design forged tool steel conrods – for 80.44mm stroke – were designed together with EVOMS for longevity and strength, both companies shying away from titanium. There is a slight weight penalty, but Ross says the additional weight of the rod is minimal in comparison to the overall weight saved from the rotating mass in other areas: “Titanium stretches and is best kept to 40 to 60-hour rebuild race cars. In 3.6 to 3.8 stock form they have lasted a good while, but beyond that…”
Needless to say, it’s a positively intoxicating experience behind the wheel. In fact, it’s so good that the last time we drove it we declared it the best Porsche 911 on the planet. We’ve since tested some tantalising Porsche metal in this magazine, both new and old, including the 911 R, GT3 Touring, 991.2 GT3 RS and 991 GT2 RS. All outstanding peers of performance in their own right, none have left us as mesmerised as Sharkwerks’ 4.1-litre GT3 RS. Make no mistake: this ‘Bluefin’, as Ross calls it, is still the undisputed best in Total 911’s book.
However, the white 997.1 GT3 sitting next to it today represents what is arguably an even greater engineering feat. That’s because it too is now resplendent in near-identical 4.1-litre specification, though in being a 3.6-litre GT3 to begin with has simply had more ground to make up to the majesty of its RS brother.
It too has been on our pages before, in 2015, albeit in Sharkwerks’ 3.9-litre specification where the car completed a successful 75,000 miles before upgrading to 4.1 litres. The three-and-a-half years which have passed feel like a lifetime ago, for the
997.1 is mechanically unrecognisable from its former self after using the blueprint of that Gulf-coloured Rennsport. The GT3 obviously differs in its chassis dimensions, its body and track widths being narrower than the Gen2 GT3 RS, and a different intake system and intake manifold means it’s down on power by around 25hp, but its aero is more extreme, making use of a Cup wing and adjustable struts at the back, while a Cup spoiler better helps the flow of air at the front of the car.
It’s owned by Ralph Jackson, who worked for
Vasek Polak as a teenager in the 1950s and 1960s. Jackson has Porsche on the brain and 100-octane petrol pumping through his veins, and also counts the 800hp GT2 built by Sharkwerks in his extensive Porsche ownership history. However, Jackson doesn’t suffer fools gladly – he’s only interested if it’s pukka and, having helped put many development miles on the 997.2 GT3 RS 4.1, he knew exactly what he was in for when the opportunity arose to own the first 997.1 GT3 4.1 conversion. That he’s put 15,000 miles on the clock in the seven months since its conversion is some testament to what he thinks of its results. However, we’re itching to have a go ourselves on these fabulous roads carving up the northern California coast.
We hop in ‘Bluefin’ first to reacquaint ourselves with its charm which, once it’s fully up to temperature, doesn’t take long at all. The exhaust note is first to arouse our senses: it’s still got that full-bodied, 997.2 GT3 RS howl, yet it’s been upped a note or two. Impressively there’s no drone at low revs, but an application of the throttle pedal unleashes a fierce resonance that ascends into pure banshee as the RS 4.1 screams to 8,800rpm. From Porsche only the note from the rear of the 991.2
GT3 comes reasonably close in terms of its theatre, but even that feels stifled compared to Sharkwerks’ combative system.
Without question, though, the jewel in the
4.1’s crown is that brilliantly reworked flat six. Its ability to rev so freely and so willingly – and for so long – is simply astonishing. The sum of all those lightweight, upgraded components is a Mezger on steroids. It’s hard to pick a weak spot, so extensive is its powerband. It begins with throttle response: pick-up, from as little as 2,500rpm, has previously been likened to that of a Carrera GT, and we’re not
4,150cc 13.1:1
515hp @ 7,950rpm 542Nm @ 5,300rpm Six-speed manual gearbox
Independent; RSS inner monoballs and adjustable thrust arm bushings; Bilstein Clubsport coilovers; anti-roll bar Independent; RSS/ Sharkwerks rear adjustable links; RSS/ Sharkwerks bump steer/toe steer kit and lock-out plates; Bilstein Clubsport coilovers; anti-roll bar
9x19-inch Fifteen52 Apex RSR forged threepiece; Michelin Cup 2 245/35/19
12x19-inch Fifteen52 Apex RSR forged threepiece; Michelin Cup 2 305/30/19
4,445mm 1,808mm 1,365kg