This supercharged 993 RSR tribute draws upon US tuning culture to create a truly unique 911
Scottsdale, Arizona is the unlikely epicentre of America’s car culture. For 50 years it’s hosted the weeklong Barrett-Jackson Auto Show, which regularly sees around 1,700 classic cars up for auction. The city’s many Cars & Coffee meets also spill over with tyre-smokin’ US muscle and brand new supercars, yet Gregor Mina’s 26-year-old 911 still turns hundreds of heads. Indeed, with a supercharged engine built by Scottsdale’s own Patrick Motorsports, this tribute to a 993 RSR is something of a local hero.
Gregor has made Arizona his home, but his accent swiftly betrays that he isn’t so local. The 44-yearold marketing consultant hails from Edinburgh, Scotland, and most of his memories of growing up there involve cars. “My dad always bought What Car? magazine and I would memorise all the facts and figures in the back, then talk about them incessantly,” he says with a smile.
Years later, it was Gregor’s dad who ignited his passion for Porsche after buying a first-generation (986) Boxster. “I think those cars are perennially underappreciated,” he opines. “I can still remember driving that Boxster. Its handling felt so precise, with superb steering feel – and great build quality, too.” This Damascene moment would prompt Gregor to buy his first 911, but not before he’d sampled almost everything else…
Yes, Gregor (@thewidowmaker77 on Instagram) has one of the most eclectic car histories of anyone we’ve met. His first car was a Volkswagen Golf Mk2, followed by Mk1 and Mk2 versions of the Golf GTI. He then worked his way through a Lotus Elise and Exige, Alfa Romeo Brera and 145 Ti, Audi TT and Volvo V70 R. After moving to the US, he embraced the homegrown culture with a string of fast SUVs and muscle cars, including a Mercedes-AMG GL63 and a Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack. Now, with the 993, Gregor has finally found a car he plans to keep forever.
Back to Porsche, then, and that first 911. It was a 997 Carrera and it wasn’t exactly love at first drive. “I liked it, but I prefer cars that look and feel a bit different,” explains Gregor. He briefly weighed up buying a 991, then decided his next Porsche would be air-cooled – and likely modified, too.
After spotting the 993 on US auction website Bring A Trailer, Gregor was determined not to be outbid. Finished in factory Basalt black, the car had been upgraded by the (now-defunct) RUF Auto Centre in Dallas, Texas, and had “pretty much every RUF option ticked”. These included 19-inch alloy wheels, bigger brakes, lowered suspension and various interior upgrades, along with a Porsche 993 RS Clubsport Aerokit. The original 272hp Carrera engine, though, was essentially untouched. “It was a bit of a sheep in wolf ’s clothing,�
