What makes the Porsche 911 so iconic? Is it the looks? The drivetrain? The handling?
It’s all of that and more. For me, it’s the unmistakable sound, the timeless styling, the motorsport pedigree, and the shape that’s endured for over 60 years. But, if I had to step back and view the 911 from the eyes of a non-Porsche enthusiast, none of those points would fully explain its iconic status.
No, what truly makes the 911 legendary to the masses is its versatility – the perfect blend of sportiness, practicality, speed, and comfort. It’s just as at home carting groceries as it is carving through canyons.
That’s why my previous article on a 993 Cup 3.8 RSR might have had a slightly biased title. An RSR race car may be the ultimate object of desire, but it’s a far cry from what the Porsche sports car stands for.
Billy Hilton’s 1995 911 Carrera 2, on the other hand, is the distilled essence of Porsche’s sports coupé – with some serious attitude to boot.
Having grown up around 1990s car culture, it was inevitable that Billy’s desire for a ’90s performance icon would one day need satisfying. But when the time came, it wasn’t as straightforward as it is for most Porsche enthusiasts.
“I can’t pretend it was always the plan to buy an air-cooled 911,” Billy recalls. “My ‘realistic’ dream car from my younger years was an Escort Cosworth, but the 993 really started to grow on me in 2018/19. The 964 was becoming very popular and expensive, and I think my memories of the 993 aligned better as I was old enough to remember them new. The same can’t be said for 964s”
Billy’s sights were initially set on a Speed Yellow 993, but when the seller backed out on the deal at the last minute, he ended up with the black C2 you see today. It wasn’t perfect when Billy first laid eyes on it, though.
“The owner hadn’t looked after it,” Billy explains. “It was sat outside under an indoor car cover, and nature was taking its toll. I realised I was going to need to spend a fair bit more getting it back to its former glory.”
Undeterred, Billy took a closer look at the car, and after a test drive, he noticed several details that hadn’t been mentioned in the ad – namely aftermarket side skirts and non-OEM badges dotted around the car.
“Then there was the test drive…” Billy recalls. “It drove and sounded so much more aggressive than the other 993s I had viewed. The attention the car got was wild; it felt special.”
What Billy had found was a black-on-black, manual Carrera 2, delivered new to Porsche Mayfair in 1995 with the registration ‘1T’. Upon delivery, it was immediately sent to Gemballa in Germany for a full performance makeover – side skirts, front bumper, suspension, exhaust, and badges – with most pieces coming from Gemballa’s 993 Le Mans package.
Billy’s favourite Gemballa touches? “All of the body parts are carbon fibre, the side skirts are cut into the rear quarter panels. The receipts from that period are wild, too.”
It’s clear from these photos that Billy didn’t simply buy the 993 and leave it at that. He took an already iconic sports car with period-correct coolness and turned it into his ultimate ’90s performance machine.
…And as much as it pains me to flatter him – since Billy is a good friend of mine – his approach to building this Carrera is pretty much perfect in my eyes.
A significant drop in ride height, thanks to KW V3 coilover suspension with custom springs, means that the 18×9 and 18×11-inch BBS LMs sit perfectly under the Carrera’s narrow body lines. Behind the wheels are ‘Big Red’ 993 Turbo front brake callipers, a must-have upgrade for any serious ’90s Porsche.
But don’t think of this car as ‘just’ a stanced 911, though – it can truly handle, even at this ride height. In the quest for a perfect underside, every rubber bush has been replaced with a polyurethane equivalent, and all control arms and wishbones are fresh OEM items.
After a spirited (if brief) drive, I can confirm that Billy’s 993 grips extremely well and handles rough road surfaces with surprising compliance. The secret? A combination of Carrera RS top mounts, Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres, and a Wavetrac limited-slip differential.
Every aspect of the driver’s experience has been upgraded for maximum response and feel. Recaro Pole Position fixed-back seats are paired with a CAE shifter and a Momo steering wheel attached to a brand-new Porsche steering rack. Behind the seats sits a DAS half-cage, and since our shoot, Billy has added a set of screen-printed Gemballa gauges. Lightweight Carrera RS glass completes the look, showcasing the nerdy lengths Billy has gone to with his build.
The engine remains largely stock, but Billy has taken steps to improve its responsiveness and squeeze out more power without major upgrades. The Carrera exhales through a Cargraphic exhaust with a cat-bypass and is tuned by Chip Wizards to produce 314hp. A Carrera RS lightweight flywheel makes this one rev-happy flat-six, while an RS clutch ensures reliable gear shifts.
Porsche enthusiasts may notice that some of the original Gemballa touches have been swapped out – and I’m glad they were. As period-correct as some parts have been, the GT2 front bumper extension looks far better than the Le Mans version ever did, especially when paired with the RS brake ducts, ‘shaved’ side repeaters, and headlight washers.
‘Restomod’ headlights are a pet hate of mine these days, with so many brands trying to modernise a car’s look instead of simply improving the lighting. But the Morimoto headlights on Billy’s 993 look fantastic –as long as the LED outer ring is turned off, as they are here.
“After getting it home and back to a useable, drivable car, I soon realised it was going to need paint and a lot of time to get it to where I wanted it,” Billy admits. Fortunately, Billy’s been a figure in the UK car scene for longer than he’ll care to admit, and with that have come the connections needed to get build where it needed to be.
“Kyle Tubbs at Str8 Paint needs a name drop, thanks to the paint job and almost every rubber seal, trim and consumable that he replaced. The PPF was applied by Alex Wright at Vivid Vinyl,” Billy says. (Alex is also a friend, and the owner of my favourite Mk1 Golf ever built) “Richard Payne at Milestone71 and the team at Wrightune also played a huge role.”
Billy’s Carrera is a rare breed – a car that ticks so many boxes, blending performance, style, driving pleasure, and personality. Billy spends his days designing ultra-high-end audio-visual setups in some of London’s most spectacular homes, and it’s clear that the same meticulous attention to detail translates into his automotive builds.
I’m grateful that Billy passed on other feature opportunities so that I could bring you the exclusive on this incredible Porsche 911.
Mario Christou
Instagram: mcwpn, mariochristou.world
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