Located in the Emilia-Romagna in the northern region of the country, Italy’s Motor Valley is famous for being home to some of the world’s most elite automotive brands, from Ferrari to Lamborghini to Maserati to Pagani to — not to mention Ducati. And while it’s not as well known, the UK has its own Motor Valley in the Thames Valley, in Oxfordshire and the West Midlands — a region that’s home to a host of firms, as well as eight Formula 1 teams.

One of the newer outfits to set up shop in England’s Motor Valley is fledgling firm Theon Design Ltd, which has been making a name for itself since 2016 with its series of ever-more-elaborate and ever-more-high-performance Porsche 964 restomods — the latest of which to break cover is known simply as the Theon R.

The Basics

The Theon R is a cutting-edge, high-performance restomod that uses a 964-gen Porsche 911 as its basis — though not much remains of the donor. The entire thing is constructed around a carbon tub that’s been bonded to a seam-welded chassis — a framework that weighs very little yet still provides incredible rigidity. The whole thing tips the scales at around 2,200lbs — which is less than the minimum weight required for Miatas in NB1 and NB2 class racing.

The Bodywork

Though the Theon R is still insanely recognizable as being a 964-gen 911, it’s been bestowed with a series of major tweaks to give it a more modern aesthetic — and more modern aerodynamics I presume. The fenders have been cut and fitted with dramatic flares at all four corners — think a slightly tamer version of RWB’s bolt-on fenders. Rounding out the bodywork is a supplementary aero kit in the form of a front splitter, side skirts, a rear diffuser, and a whaletail rear wing. The entire suite of bodywork and aero bits are all crafted from F1-grade carbon fiber.

Under The Hood

Riding on eight-arm magnesium Minilite-style wheels, the Theon R is kicked along by a classic naturally-aspirated, air-cooled 4.0-liter flat-six that’s been fitted with a lightweight Inconel exhaust system with center-exiting mufflers. Bolted to the engine is a short-throw six-speed manual paired with a Wavetrac limited slip diff.

Power & Performance

With 500hp and over 295ft-lbs of torque on tap and roughly 2,200-pound weight, the Theon R is able to clock 0-60mph runs in 3 seconds flat and each 100mph from a standstill in 6.5. This ultimately means that this 964 restomod’s performance capabilities are nearly identical to Porsche’s latest 911 GT3 RS.

What Makes It Special

The 964 was a poster car that many now-adults grew up staring at on their walls, and as such is held in extremely high regard by today’s generation of automotive and motorsport enthusiasts. As such, it’s hard not to appreciate how Theon Design has managed to improve the 964 in just about every way imaginable, hugely bolstering its performance, shedding a ton of weight, and modernizing its appearance without fundamentally altering its core character or DNA. The level of bespoke details present are also astounding, as every inch of the donor has been painstakingly pored over and reworked — a lengthy and involved process that results in the restomod’s roughly seven-figure price tag.

Pricing & Availability

Limited to only two-dozen units worldwide, Theon Design Ltd’s Theon R is available now on a made-to-order basis, with pricing starting from £790,000 (~ 950.000,00€).

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