Techart GTstreet R gets Monochrome makeover

If Porsche's 50th anniversary 911 Turbo was too tame, how about one with 810hp?

By Matt Bird / Sunday, 22 September 2024 / Loading comments

Loath though we are to say it, with less than 100 days until Christmas there’s not very long left of the 911 Turbo’s 50th anniversary year. Porsche has launched its own special edition - the 911 Turbo 50 Years, appropriately enough - but for those who need something a little more extreme, Techart has a special edition GTstreet R conversion for the big birthday as well. Welcome to the Monochrome. Or the MONOCHROME, as Techart would prefer, but that seems a bit shouty.

As might be expected, black dominates inside and out this 217mph 911. While, as always, there are a wealth of options to make the Monochrome of your dreams (see the car with the optional ducktail and gold), all will begin with the black paint, matching 21/22-inch wheels and monster rear wing. Even Techart’s new bonnet crest can’t escape the blackout. Neither can the interior, of course. Techart calls it a ‘Manufactory Interior’, complete with even more carbon than Porsche will sell you, reupholstered seats, a new steering wheel and ‘traditional heritage fabrics’.

As the Monochrome is based on a GTstreet R, there’s much more to this 911 Turbo than black paint and carbon fibre. Thankfully. Up to 810hp is possible, the 3.7-litre flat six helped along with Techart’s new turbos, intake tweaks and a rework of the ECU. There’s 700lb ft as well, so when Techart speaks of a ‘declaration of war unleashed at the push of a button’, they’re not exaggerating (much). A standard Turbo S is already capable of humbling supposedly much more exotic performance cars, so another 150hp and 110lb ft won’t harm that rep one bit at all.

Though now a little harder to make out, a Techart Monochrome will come with the same extensive array of aero bits as the ‘normal’ GTstreet R. Extensive road, track and wind tunnel testing by Techart has resulted in the carbon bodykit seen here, which is said to generate four times more downforce on the rear axle and reduce front end lift by 45 per cent compared to a stock car. That’s not at some ludicrous, unreachable speed, either, but just 87mph.

The benefits would easily be felt on a track day, then, or in high speed autobahn cruising. So not just for show, then, though expect plenty of supercar spotters to be ogling the wild rear wing. The Monochrome retains the active aero parts of a Turbo S, as well as the PCCB brakes.

Techart says it will make just 20 Monochromes, making it really rare even by its standards - there were more than four times as many (87) GTstreet Rs made. An exact cost hasn’t been announced, though given conversions began at €100,000 back when the 992 was new, it’s clearly not going to be a small investment. Even launched as far back as 2020, you’ll do well to find a 650hp donor Turbo S coupe for less than £130,000. However, there is hope for those after a Techart Turbo to mark this significant year: this manual 997 had £60,000 spent at the Höfingen HQ back in the day for 660hp, yet has covered just 8k since. All for the cost of a Monochrome conversion…