The Driver’s Seat: Henry Catchpole on the Reen Concept RSGT

In this episode of The Driver’s Seat, Henry Catchpole gets behind the unique wheel of a prototype Porsche 911 restomod. This is the Reen Concept RSGT, which blends the best of an old-school, air-cooled RS with the best of a water-cooled, new-school GT. It does so with four little switches on a custom Momo Prototipo steering wheel and a 997 GT3 engine in the rear. Yes, a water-cooled, Mezger flat-six in a 964 body. 

This is essentially one man’s vision, which he hopes others will share. That man is Philip Hoffmann, who is not only a doppelgänger for Christopher Reeves but a multi-talented force of nature. During the day, he is a surgeon, replacing hips and knees. In his spare time, he’s re-engineered (that’s where Reen comes from) a 964 to his own specifications, with KW suspension, new Brembo brakes, a Tillett bucket seat, and custom power steering.

The heart of the Reen Concept, however, is controlled by the electronics that allow the driver to independently tune the exhaust, engine mapping, gearshift blip, and traction control via the four switches on the steering wheel. The engine mapping is really the core of this, and it’s amazing the change it can affect in the car—turning it from a relatively demure Carrera one minute to a brat RSR the next, and all without touching the suspension.

This is why the 997 GT3 engine, with its electronics and VarioCam, needed to be used. Obviously, fitting a water-cooled engine wasn’t the work of a moment, but for future cars Hoffmann won’t need to because, with a little help from some friends (one of whom helped to develop the McLaren F1’s S70/2 V-12), he has now engineered an air-cooled version of the Mezger . . .

Hoffmann’s hope is that other restomod companies might want to buy the patented Reen Concept electronics system. He would also love to see the electronics and engine used as a package by other Porsche restomod companies, but in collaboration with Muniq Design there are plans afoot for some complete cars of their own, as you’ll see in the video.