Ron Lang Ashland, Oregon

@ronlangsport

One common theme in the 911 world is the question of whether or not to modify the car. We each have a different vision of how we want our 911 to look and perform – is there a logical way to approach this question?

In my experience over the last 25 years of 911 ownership, the best answer I’ve got to this mod/no-mod question is that there is no perfect answer. I suppose that if maintaining the value of your 911 investment is paramount, leaving the car bone stock is best. I’ve tried the ‘keep it original’ approach with several 911s and I’ve not been disappointed – the cars are so good and so well engineered that most of my dreams have been fulfilled by an original unmodified car.

Then there is the theme of ‘tasteful mods’. Of course the definition of

‘tasteful’ is up to the definer and no two enthusiasts have the exact same view. For me, tasteful means subtle and elegant.

For example, on the 34,000-mile 1997 993 Turbo, I think it looks pretty much

100 per cent original, but then I realise that I’ve done a fair bit of modding on it. Mechanically it has a lightened flywheel which enhances every shift up and down the ‘box, and I always enjoy the chatter of the gears in neutral. I then had the turbos rebuilt with compressor wheels crafted from billet. The wheels spin up faster, resulting in more boost sooner with very noticeable performance improvement. I also had a short shifter installed and enjoy that every time I drive the car.

And yes, there are the tasteful (?) suspension mods. Bilstein PSS10 coilovers all around, the 993 Turbo then lowered to get that ‘just right’ stance and thin wheel spacers installed to get the tyres pushed out to just inside the fender lips.

I’ve had my 2017 991.2 Carrera 4S for over five years and driven over 13,000 miles, I truly love this car. I ordered it to my spec and got all the goodies I wanted from new, from the Granite blue metallic paint to the seven-speed manual box, to the ceramic brakes and the Burmester sound upgrade. But did I leave it 100 per cent original – well, almost. The ECU was reprogrammed by GIAC, a well-regarded tuning firm in the USA. Did I need more power? Absolutely not. But this three-litre twin turbo is now a stealth hot rod with close to 500hp and 595Nm of torque. It’s a jet, so fast and so confidence-inspiring on its otherwise stock suspension. So it has just one tasteful mod and I’m leaving it at that, at least for now.

To mod or not to mod, apparently the temptation to personalise the car runs strong with me. How about you?