Roy Banse stands next to the vintage 993 Turbo he spent two years and $550,000 customizing.LUCAS SCARFONE @SCARFONEPHOTO/The Globe and Mail
Roy Banse, a neighbour across the street from me in Toronto, has parked a series of particular Porsche sports cars in his driveway over the years. They suggest not so much a collector as a keen driver, a track-day addict falling down a rabbit hole of increasingly expensive and esoteric Porsches. Most people have no idea how deep or expensive that rabbit hole gets, so let me show you.
When I moved into the neighbourhood three years ago, a silver 911 GT3 Touring sat in Banse’s driveway. After that came a rare 718 Spyder RS. Then, one summer day in 2024, a vintage 1997 911 Turbo showed up. Porsche purists know it as the 993 Turbo, one of the last and most desirable air-cooled 911s. For Banse – founder of architectural and interior design firm Fluid Living Studio – it was just the starting point. Using his design expertise, he spent two years and roughly $550,000 – including the initial cost of the car – customizing this 993 Turbo with a new interior, bodywork, suspension and powertrain.
This car is only the first of what Banse hopes will be many custom builds under the banner of his new Toronto-based Porsche 911 restomod company, Supergeil Auto Sport. He has already fielded an offer for it from a prospective buyer who didn’t balk at the $1-million asking price.
“He asked me how much and I said, ‘It’d be at least a million bucks’,” Banse said. “He goes, ‘Can I buy it today?’”
The customized interior features seats trimmed in shades of blue wool.LUCAS SCARFONE @SCARFONEPHOTO/The Globe and Mail
The customization includes new bodywork, suspension and powertrain.LUCAS SCARFONE @SCARFONEPHOTO/The Globe and Mail
Other friends and acquaintances are also interested in commissioning a one-off Supergeil restomod of their own.
In other words, Banse is not alone in his Porsche obsession. There’s a whole community of likeminded Porsche-heads out there willing to spend six or seven figures on a one-off custom sports car from this German brand that inspires cult-like devotion.
Porsche knows it, and takes full advantage.
In 2021, the German automaker revived its Sonderwunsch (special wishes) program, which makes custom one-off cars for deep-pocketed clients. The first modern Sonderwunsch build was a 993-generation 911 Speedster, commissioned by Luca Trazzi, an Italian architect and Porsche collector.
Porsche unveiled its newest Sonderwunsch masterpiece via a virtual presentation from the company’s factory near Stuttgart, Germany on Friday. Dubbed the Flachbau (slant nose) RS, the road-legal car is based on a 2018 GT2 RS, but wrapped in new carbon bodywork, hidden LED headlights and track-focused aerodynamic upgrades. The anonymous buyey requested “even greater performance and a Flachbau look, combined with a rear wing à la 911 GT3 R rennsport, please.” Porsche granted that wish, for a price.
The road-legal Porsche Flachbau (slant nose) RS is based on a 2018 GT2 RS, but wrapped in new carbon bodywork.Courtesy of manufacturer
The Flachbau (slant nose) RS is the newest Sonderwunsch masterpiece that Porsched revealed on August 14, 2026.Courtesy of manufacturer
Claas Hoops, head of Sonderwunsch, wouldn’t reveal how much the Flachbau RS cost, only that a bespoke commission commands anywhere from two million to 15 million euros and requires roughly four years to complete. That includes a 150,000-euro initial payment for the concept phase, in which customers work with Porsche’s designers to shape their car.
“Just imagine: you, as a customer, would be able to dream your car and then have your dream realized by the Sonderwunsch department,” Hoops said.
Only a handful of other automotive brands – Ferrari and Rolls-Royce spring to mind – offer similar services.
Despite the extremely high price tag for a Sonderwunsch build, there is a waiting list. Hoops said it is “more than one year and less than five years.”
The new Porsche Flachbau RS has track-focused aerodynamic upgrades.Courtesy of manufacturer
It’s a similar story at many of the high-profile independent Porsche tuners and restomod shops – such as Singer Vehicle Design, Gunther Werks and RUF – that have grown over the last two decades.
As business boomed, Singer expanded to a new, 115,000-square-foot facility in Torrance, Calif., and doubled the size of its British operations. Still, customers wait years for their cars, which can cost upwards of $3-million. Singer’s clients include former F1 champion Jenson Button and Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti.
The fact that Singer’s latest project was a collaboration with Louis Vuitton on a pair of reimagined classic 911s shows how the line between high-end cars and luxury fashion is disappearing.
This Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer is one of two built in collaboration with Louis Vuitton.Courtesy of manufacturer
The interior of a Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer. It is one of two built in collaboration with Louis VuittonCourtesy of manufacturer
Singer was, of course, one of the inspirations behind Banse doing his own restomod and starting Supergeil – German slang he picked up while working in Germany that translates as “super cool” or “super awesome.”
It was there, during a previous career as an investment banker in the 1990s, that he fell in love with the Porsche 911. His job at a bank in Munich came with a company car. Most of his colleagues chose BMWs, but he wanted the then-new 993-generation Porsche 911. “If I had spare time, I’d be out driving it. I loved that car,” Banse said.
He’s always had an affinity for German cars. “Ferraris? I like them, but they’re not my love.” The 911 is.
Bravely, Banse handed over the keys to his car – the first Supergeil build, his custom 993 Turbo. The dainty door opened with that vintage 911 “clack” to reveal a better-than-new cabin featuring seats trimmed in shades of blue wool.
“The same way we design houses is the way I would think about designing the interior of the car,” Banse said. “We do a lot of custom furniture, so we know a lot of suppliers.”
The blue wool comes from Maharam, a textile company with a showroom in Toronto.
“I literally went in there with a photograph of Nick Heidfeld’s seats in his Porsche 959 Sport, and I said, ‘I need these colours. I need this wool’,” Banse said. Maharam found it.
The 911 was customized under Banse’s new Toronto-based Porsche 911 restomod company, Supergeil Auto Sport.LUCAS SCARFONE @SCARFONEPHOTO/The Globe and Mail
The engine cost about $150,000 to $200,000 to rebuild is a 3.8-litre twin-turbo motor with 550 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 553 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm.LUCAS SCARFONE @SCARFONEPHOTO/The Globe and Mail
The suspension alone cost around $50,000, and the engine was another $150,000 to $200,000, Banse estimates. It was built by Oakville, Ont., specialists Mantis Autosport, which created a monster: a 3.8-litre twin-turbo motor with 550 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 553 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm.
From the driver’s seat, it feels as if the car weighs nothing. Throttle inputs translate immediately into fearsome acceleration, made all the more visceral by the lack of modern sound deadening, and by the engine’s vibrations coming through the chassis. My sneakers are too fat for the tiny pedals, but the clutch and six-speed manual are nevertheless easy and light to operate. The round gear knob moves with rare precision. Despite initial fears of a go-kart-stiff ride – given the car’s ground-hugging stance – the suspension is surprisingly compliant and beautifully damped on bad Toronto roads. It is every bit as raw and thrilling as one would imagine, but also cohesive and luxuriously finished.
After a brief drive, I find myself at risk of falling down into the expensive-custom-Porsche rabbit hole along with Banse, and so decide to circle around and hand back the keys.