22 Top six modified 911s: CSRCSRSPECIALISTS IN INVIGORATING THE 996 AND 997 CARRERASWith Brewstergreen, light-goldHRE wheels andan interior that’sbeen trimmedbeautifully in acombination ofgreen leatherand houndstooth cloth, RPM Technik’s 28th CSRbuild looks sensational, the understated, refinedchanges completely at odds with the Snakebitemoniker that’s been given to it. That name mightconjure up an awful concoction drunk by students, orat least suggests something unpleasant, but the CSRhere is anything but.Built from a Gen1 997 Carrera S, RPM has built itfor a customer, showcasing the best of its individualoptions within its CSR build series. You can forgetthat name, then – this is a very rational, considered911, which enhances and improves, breathing newlife into an old favourite. The base car was enjoyedtoo – there are over 100,000 miles on the odometer –though RPM Technik’s fastidious, bare metal re-buildmakes it feel like you could knock a zero off that inthis car, if not two.We’re familiar with people personalising,enhancing, back- or forward-dating their air-cooledcars, but as yet, the water-cooled arena is one that’slargely ignored. RPM’s CSRs fill that void, givingowners the opportunity to modify their 996 or 997to create the car they want. More often than not,the brief is similar to that of this car, that being amore engaging, visceral 911 that retains the Carrera’susability while pushing it closer to the focus of theGT department’s models. Don’t think of it as a halfwayhouse though or a compromise car, instead itvery comfortably creates its own niche.Philosophically, you could put it between a 997Carrera GTS and a GT3, retaining the GTS’s coreCarrera attributes of daily usability yet gainingsome of the GT3’s focus. It’s a compelling offering,particularly if you want to actually drive your car.Buy a GTS or GT3 and you’ll likely park it up inyour garage for occasional use, with one eye on itsfuture value. The CSR usurps that by virtue of beinga car you’ll have built to your specifications andrequirements – it’s personal to you, and while there’llcertainly be someone willing to take it off your handsshould you ever tire of it, the value here is in theownership, and use.I’d like the customer who specified this car,and so it seems would a lot of other people. Whilewe’re shooting it, I’m frequently approached bypeople asking about it, the universal comment being‘beautiful’ – the CSR attracting more attention, andthe right kind, than anything else I’ve driven inrecent memory. That might seem contradictory, asin specification it’s a demonstration of restraint, butthat’s evidently a huge part of its appeal. Yes, thereare some more overtly sporting bumpers, front andrear, punctured with vents and intakes, a ducktailspoiler and those glorious, light-gold HRE alloywheels, but collectively it pulls off a convincingwhole, and one that looks factory rather than screamsmodified. That’s an impressive balance to get right,and one that’s undoubtedly helped here by theBrewster green paintwork.If the visual maturity defines the look outside, it’sabsolutely driven home when you get inside it. I’d goas far as saying it’s the nicest 997 interior I’ve ever satin. Green leather, black Alcantara with contrastinglight-gold stitching and houndstooth fabric mixbeautifully in the cabin. It is a classic look, finished toa standard that, like the exterior, looks like it’s comefrom the factory.
BELOW Each full CSR build isnumbered, and has to be craftedin-house at RPM Technik23
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