Factory restoration of a Porsche 911 2.5 S/T

The 911 2.5 S/T was discovered on a playground in the US. The car, which raced at Le Mans, was in a critical condition: rusty, bent out of shape, wonky – and definitely not road worthy. On the straightening bench, the body is checked and restored to its original shape. Special metal plates are affixed to each of the axis points on the body, and are pulled using a hydraulic dozer and a steel chain until the body is back in shape.

Next, the experts reconstruct the body step by step. This painstaking process is done purely by hand and takes over 1000 hours – and with the help of original Porsche body jigs. These sheet metal tools help the restorers work precisely and keep to the correct dimensions. For the 911 2.5 S/T many body parts needed to be custom fabricated on original Porsche drawings.

After a Cathodic dip painting for corrosion protection, the body – including the underbody, engine compartment, the trunk and the interior – are painted with primer. This is then followed by factory painting by hand. After a curing period of about eight weeks, final assembly can begin.

The car is a rarity: only 24 of this racing car, based on the 911 2.4 S Coupé, were built. The 911 2.5 S was a works-modified version of the standard 911 2.4 S Coupé designed for use on racing circuits and modified in accordance with international sporting regulations. Racing, in particular the Le Mans 24 Hours race, is of great significance to Porsche. Over 800 Porsche vehicles have taken part since the first race took place in 1951, with 103 of them taking a class victory and 17 overall victories making Porsche the most successful brand by far.