Month: December 2024

The 993 series marked the last production Porsche 911s powered by the marque’s historic air-cooled boxer flat-six, which are beloved by nearly all gearheads and, therefore, extremely collectible. They’re so coveted that even models with aftermarket customizations can resell for seven figures…so long as they’re fabricated by Gunther Werks. The Huntington Beach, California-based firm doesn’t just remake but “remaster” the heralded sports cars by upgrading them inside and out.

The one seen here, on-offer from RM Sotheby’s, is one of just 25 993 Carrera-based coupes built by Gunther Werks—the outfit has also done limited runs based on the 993 911 Turbo and the Speedster layouts. While taking great care not to disrupt the model’s iconic core form, Gunther works refitted the donor car with swaths of carbon fiber panels and a custom suspension comprising JRZ adjustable coil-overs with remote reservoirs, custom rear control arms, uprated anti-rollbars, lightweight uprights, and a front strut brace.

Though purists claim the stock engine verges on perfection, the 3.6-liter flat six-cylinder also gets the Remastered treatment by Rothsport Road and Race in Sherwood, Oregon. The company pumps up displacement substantially to 4.0 liters and installs race-spec equipment, including two-stage MoTec engine management, individual throttle bodies, and a custom intake design based 996-series Porsche 911 GT3’s. Rothsport’s handiwork results in a drastically boosted output clocking in at 435 horsepower and 312 pound-feet of torque, up from the 270 hp and 243 pound-feet of torque generated 3.6-liter unit. Gunther Werks also goes to work on the interiors, outfitting 80 percent themselves and replacing the other 20 percent with modern Porsche equipment.

Though this 1995 Porsche 911 Remastered by Gunther Werks debuted quite recently at the 2022 Quail: A Motorsports Gathering to wide acclaim, it’s aged like fine wine. RM Sotheby’s expects the car to sell for between $900,000 to $1.1 million, a big uptick compared to the original $778,888 commission cost. Alongside this pristine Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing, it’s one of just a handful of vehicles that could go for over $1 million at the auction house’s upcoming Arizona sale on January 24, 2025.

The Year of the Snake deserves a watch befitting the charm and elegance of the snake itself, does it not? Luxury watchmaker Longines certainly thinks so, nodding to the Lunar New Year with a striking new Conquest Heritage special-edition timepiece.

The year of the snake also carries with it hopes for a bright future, one fittingly symbolized by the exclusive timepiece, one bearing a custom caseback designed by Chinese artist Wu Jian’an. Limited to an even more fitting 2,025 pieces, the dial’s fiery red design at once evokes passion and elegance.

In stunningly intricate fashion, the caseback itself reinterprets a story (“Stealing the Immortal Herb”) from the famous Chinese tale “The Legend of the White Snake,” nodding to East Asian heritage while also proudly displaying the “Conquest” moniker in script font.

Of the caseback, the nearly two-century old watchmaker said Jian’an’s reinterpretation “conveys wishes for harmony and prosperity, while also reflecting Longines’ commitment to blending tradition with innovation.” As for the watch itself and its functional yet refined specs, the watchmaker said the 40mm stainless steel timepiece nods to 1950s vintage styles while at the same time “incorporating traditional East Asian elements.”

The Conquest Heritage ticks along thanks to the Longines L888.5 caliber movement within, featuring a mechanical self-winding mechanism and a 72-hour power reserve. The Conquest collection at large dates back to 1954, “evoking a spirit of daring and creativity.”

A handsome textured black leather strap contrasts fashionably with the vivid red dial of this special-edition watch, a classically cool style that brings with it “a touch of sophistication and elegance” for the occasion at hand. For an agreeable $3,150, it seems there might be no better way to toast good fortune in the year ahead than with this stylish new watch.

Jack Daniel’s is offering up a new edition of its Distillery Series line of “experimental whiskeys” with a Tennessee straight rye finished in High Toast Maple Barrels. Distillery Series Selection No. 14 begins with Jack Daniel’s traditional grain bill of 70 percent rye, 12 percent malted barley and 18 percent corn and is charcoal mellowed before entering into a new, charred American white oak barrel, according to the whiskey brand.

Once fully matured, the newfangled rye was entered into a second high-toast, no-char maple barrel for an additional three years. Initially released in 2022 as part of the Distillery Series, the whiskey was finished in a high-toast maple barrel for an additional 20 months from that original release. 

The brand’s latest limited-edition whiskey “has an aroma of tobacco and clove” and “rich flavors of rye combined with notes of dried fruit, chocolate and caramel to build on a sweet maple finish, softening the peppery rye spice,” according to a Jack Daniel’s statement announcing the release.

Selected by Whiskey Taster Clint Bailey, Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series Tennessee Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in High Toast Maple Barrels is bottled at 107-proof (53.5 percent ABV) in 375-ml bottles. It’s available exclusively at the White Rabbit Bottle Shop at the Jack Daniel’s Distillery, with a suggested retail price of $43.99. There will only be 3,300 bottles offered, making it the most limited Distillery Series release yet.