Customization has been a part of Porsche ownership since the beginning. Of all marques, the heads in Stuttgart have traditionally offered one of the highest levels of customization for factory cars. Beyond these options, Porsche owners are known to love modifying their cars, and Michael Lenzi has the sickness as bad as any of us. He has spent the past three years customizing, refining and covering over 25k miles in the 993 you see here.
Michael didn’t hold back on the first round of modifications, stripping the entire interior to bare metal including the always-daunting task of removing the factory sound deadening and glue. Then the transit of parts began, with the majority of interior panels heading out to Bob at Classic 9 in Michigan. Many would call this the ‘build phase’ and relegate the car to project status, but Michael kept driving the car, stripped interior and all.
Inspired by Porsche and VW interiors of the 70’s Michael chose a blue theme for the interior, so Classic 9 sourced US Navy Blue Tartan material all the way from Scotland. A roll bar was powder coated to match and installed to protect the occupants during Michael’s future track excursions. The door cards and seats were recovered with the Tartan and while he was at it Michael converted to RS style door cards featuring the legendary pull straps in place of handles and installed a Lightweight RS carpet kit.
Carrying the outlaw look to the dash, Michael had the factory dash board reskinned in Alcantara and added one of our Rennline Lower Dash Deletes to eliminate the bulky knee pads, shedding weight and cleaning up the look of the cabin in one swoop. Our Radio Delete Panel was modified by Michael’s friend Scott Hight to relocate the switches under the dash, further cleaning up the look of the dash. A Rennline shift knob tops the factory lever and he installed one of our billet E-Brake Handles to match.
Steering wheel with custom stitching and Rennline quick release
Next up was a billet aluminum Rennline Steering Wheel Quick Disconnects to aid ease of entry and exit of the vehicle. With the rest of the project nearing completion, Michael turned focus to his footwork. A set of our Full Race Track Mats and our Solid Floorboards were powder coated to match the blue theme and installed to give the footwells an all-business look, and a set of our Rennline Rubber Grip Pedals in black were paired with Heel/Toe Throttle Extensions for more precise downshifts.
As they say, projects are never done, but as of now Michael is at least doing more driving than modifying. He reports that the car feels downright luxurious compared to its stripped-out-self, and as such the miles have been racking up. He has built this car for him, and as he proudly states “The car is a driver and it has the scars to prove it.” That is what we love to see- an owner with passion and a love for the drive.
