The Man Of Le Mans

Bisimoto builds a 911 to honor Steve Mcqueen and benefit boy’s republic.

- Aaron Bonk

There’s no better way to polarize yourself from Porsche purists than to backdate a perfectly good and rapidly appreciating 911 SC. Bisi Ezerioha—founder and chief engineer at Porsche tuning firm Bisimoto—didn’t construct the car he calls Project 911 BR to satisfy Porsche purists. And if we’re being honest, Ezerioha’s iteration, the latest in a string of 911s the company’s been turning out over the past few years, doesn’t even follow the rules of a proper backdate.

That’s because, according to Ezerioha, the car—a joint effort between Bisimoto and McKenna Porsche—is just as much an homage to the 911’s early years as it is a tribute to legendary film actor Steve McQueen. “It’s something McQueen might’ve driven today,” he says about the project that includes touches like the late actor’s racing number—48—that’s been emblazoned about, most notably on the center caps of the semi-period-correct, Fuchs-inspired wheels by way of celebrated maker fifteen 52.

For everything that dates Bisimoto’s most current exploit, there’s a sophisticated piece of electronics that delivers it into the 21st century. As with so many air-cooled builds these days, the 3.0L engine has been tossed not in favor of anything era-specific but instead for a 964’s 3.6L. Unlike most of those straightforward swaps, this engine uses a 996 GT3 intake manifold feeding individual Jenvey throttle bodies that have been situated atop the cylinder heads. To make the tuning of the custom assemblage possible, an AEM Electronics computer is in command of the entire operation. All of this is good for north of 300 hp and is exactly what McKenna Porsche service manager Mel Mayuga had in mind when he commissioned Bisimoto to take on the build.