Some Porsche stay with you long after you’ve handed over the keys.

This is one of them.

Around seven years ago, we were commissioned by a British client who wanted something rather special. A unique Porsche 911, beautifully engineered, wonderfully usable and with performance to match.

At the time, there was a growing fashion for taking perfectly good 964s and turning them into backdates. Long bonnets, early-style bumpers and the appearance of a 911 from the early 1970s.

And I can understand the attraction. A beautifully executed backdate can be a wonderful thing.

But we wanted to do something different.

We thought the 964 was already a beautiful shape. Why disguise it as something else?

Our idea was to celebrate what Porsche had created, enhance it, and build a car that might just have come from the factory itself.

Not a replica of an earlier 911. Not a car shouting about how extensively it had been modified.

Something more subtle, more cohesive, and ultimately more satisfying.

Starting With the Right Car

We began with a very good Porsche 964 Carrera 4 Cabriolet.

The four-wheel-drive chassis gave us an excellent foundation, and the open-top body brought another dimension to the project.

But this wasn’t simply a matter of adding more power and a few cosmetic details.

We wanted the whole car to work together.

The engine, chassis, brakes, bodywork, interior and even the way the car sounded and felt at cruising speeds all had to complement one another.

The objective wasn’t to create the fastest 964.

It was to create one of the nicest.

Supercharged, but Not Stressed

The decision to supercharge the engine was central to the character we wanted.

We weren’t looking for a highly strung, high-revving race engine. We wanted generous, accessible performance, delivered without fuss.

The sort of performance that makes a car feel effortlessly strong, rather than demanding that you work it hard to find the best of it.

And that’s exactly what we achieved.

There’s a wonderful sense of strength to the engine, but it’s progressive, smooth and entirely in keeping with the character of the car.

You don’t have to wring its neck to enjoy it.

You simply squeeze the throttle and go.

It’s a rather grown-up way of making a 911 very quick.

The Chassis Had to Be Just as Good

Of course, adding performance is the easy part.

Making sure the rest of the car can use it properly is where the real work begins.

During the build, we strengthened the chassis to reduce flex and improve the overall sense of rigidity.

We fitted the substantial brakes from the 993 Turbo, giving the car stopping performance to match its increased ability.

We also paid attention to refinement, improving the soundproofing and making the car a more comfortable place to spend time.

And then there was the chassis itself.

What I remember most vividly from driving this car is just how well everything works together.

The body control is excellent. The performance is strong without being intimidating. And the traction available from the Carrera 4’s four-wheel-drive system means you can actually use that performance with confidence.

There’s a balance to it that is difficult to describe until you’ve driven it.

Nothing feels excessive. Nothing feels out of place.

And that, to my mind, is the mark of a properly developed car.

The Beauty Is in the Detail

Now we come to one of my favourite parts of this particular 964.

The appearance.

We chose Gulf Blue for the bodywork, complemented by carefully considered Gulf Orange detailing.

It’s a wonderful combination, but the colour is only part of the story.

Look a little closer.

The rear wheel arches are very slightly wider, complemented by a wider rear track. Enough to give the car a more purposeful stance, but not so much that it loses the elegance of the original shape.

The electrically operated rear spoiler was enhanced and incorporates a high-level brake light.

We fitted the cleaner door handles from the 993, along with the smoother outline of the later car’s convertible hood.

Individually, these are relatively small changes.

Together, they make a remarkable difference.

The shape is cleaner, the proportions feel just right, and the car has a presence that is difficult to put your finger on.

You know it’s different.

But unless you know your Porsche very well, you might not immediately understand why.

And that was precisely the intention.

Something Porsche Could Have Built

Inside, we applied exactly the same thinking.

Beautifully executed upholstery in soft leather, luxurious bespoke carpeting and an upgraded sound system.

Everything was finished to an exacting standard.

But again, restraint was important.

We wanted to retain the Porsche design language. The familiar architecture, the instruments, the driving position and the wonderful simplicity of the original interior.

It needed to feel like a Porsche, not somebody else’s interpretation of one.

Our guiding thought throughout the build was that this should be a car Porsche themselves could conceivably have built.

Perhaps a special commission, or an imagined factory development of the 964.

A car where every change has a reason.

And where the finished result is greater than the sum of its parts.

One of the Most Memorable 911s I’ve Driven

Over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to drive an extraordinary variety of Porsche.

Some are memorable for their performance.

Others for their rarity, their beauty or their history.

But occasionally you encounter a car that seems to get almost everything right.

This supercharged 964 is one of those.

The more time you spend looking around it, the more detail you discover.

And then you get behind the wheel.

The quality of the build, the strength of the engine, the body control, the traction and the refinement all come together.

It feels special almost immediately.

Not because it’s trying to impress you with one particular characteristic, but because everything feels so beautifully resolved.

It’s cohesive.

And I think that’s a word worth dwelling on.

You can spend a great deal of money modifying a Porsche and end up with a collection of expensive parts.

Creating a car that feels as though it was always meant to be that way is quite another matter.

Ahead of the Trend?

Perhaps we were.

At a time when so many people were looking backwards, we chose to develop the 964 on its own terms.

To preserve its identity, improve its abilities and give it a character all of its own.

Looking at the car today, I wouldn’t change the philosophy one bit.

It’s still one of the finest and most memorable 911s we’ve built.

And fortunately, we made a road test video, so you can see and hear a little of what makes it so special.

Watch the road test and see what you think.

If you’re considering improving or personalising your own Porsche, whether it’s a modest upgrade or something rather more ambitious, we’re always happy to talk through the possibilities at Williams Crawford Special Works.

And if you’ve fallen for this particular 964, there’s another reason to get in touch.

It could be yours.

Give Andy, Beth or Andrew a call. We’d be delighted to tell you more.