997 Porsche 911 Has McLaren F1-Style Center Seat
Customized 2008 911 Carrera S has one less seat, but makes up for it with interior layout similar to that of legendary McLaren F1.
The Porsche 911 is one of the most familiar and distinctive automobiles on the planet. One of the quickest ways to make it stand out even more is to throw on some new wheels and tires or have it wrapped in a retina-searing bright color. But one performance shop went deeper than that and made this 2008 911 Carrera S one of the most eye-catching Porsches on the planet by giving it a new seat – right in the middle of the cabin.
We found this unusual build, aka “Centro 911,” on Bring a Trailer, where the top bid is currently $22,300.
It started life as a Carrara White 2008 Porsche 911 Carrera S. The original buyer loaded it up with the Aerokit, a set of black 19-inch Sport Design wheels, the Porsche Active Suspension Management setup and the Sport Chrono Package.
At some point in the last 12 years, one of this 911’s previous owners upgraded the 3.8-liter flat-six’s intake system and swapped out the original exhaust for a “track-spec full titanium exhaust system,” according to Bring a Trailer.
Those options and mods make for a nicely spec’ed 911, but there are plenty of those out there. One owner decided to make it look truly unique by taking it to Trinity Motorsports Group in Lima, Ohio for a dose of McLaren F1 style. They ripped out the original dashboard and replaced it with a custom piece made out of carbon fiber and leather that accommodates the Sport Chrono timer. Trinity kept the factory center stack, but had to shift it over to the right and manufacture a custom console to house it and the shifter for the six-speed manual gearbox.
The lone front seat is a deeply bolstered racing bucket with a red harness that coordinates with the Guards Red rear seat belts. To make entering and exiting the cabin easier, the seat is able to slide over toward the driver-side door. A radar detector, short shifter and a new head unit with Bluetooth connectivity and a backup camera are some of this custom creation’s less obvious enhancements.
Several years ago, Porsche Club of America National President Manny Alban got an up-close look at a Centro 911 coupe. As Trinity Motorsports Group’s Nigel Tuckey explains below, he and his team faced two main challenges: extending the shifter to get it into the middle of the cockpit and adding a clutch pedal. They not only overcame both of those obstacles, but they did it relatively quickly. An earlier Centro 911 cabriolet was a 14-month build; the coupe only took seven weeks.
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Photos: Bring a Trailer
