Specialty File
We got used. And now it's the proverbial morning after. Yet somehow we don't care that Roock North America used us—and our usual testing procedure—to lend credibility to its modified $207,355 Porsche 911 Turbo, the Roock RST 650.
"We've been tuning and developing Porsche engines for years and feel like we've achieved impressive power levels," said Roock's project manager, Neil Orton. "It was time for the acid test, so we called you."
Flattery aside, Roock's Porsche-tuning business has been running under the radar for years, attracting customers via word-of-mouth and from those aware of the firm's previous endeavors in sports-car racing.
Racing was another switch for the company started 20 years ago by Fabian Roock as a family-owned Porsche repair shop in Leverkusen, Germany. In 1990, after some customers asked him to prepare their Porsches for the track, Roock moved into racing full time, chalking up numerous victories, including a class win in 1996 at the big daddy of sports-car competitions, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In 1999, Roock decided to compete in the American Le Mans Series and opened a satellite shop next to Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia. In 2001, the U.S. facility switched from prepping race cars to building tuned Porsche street cars and last year moved to its current location in Roswell, northwest of Atlanta.
Roock claims its $53,450 engine redo bumps the 911 Turbo's horsepower from 415 to 650. Practically every engine part, other than the block, has been modified or simply changed outright. The goal, as always, was more airflow, and Roock says they developed the engine for more power without simply turning up the boost knob. Maximum boost is up, from 11.6 psi to 17.0, but that's hardly enough to increase horsepower by more than 50 percent. The cylinder heads are the better-breathing units from the 911 GT3, and the camshafts, the titanium connecting rods, and the pistons are all-new. Torque is up, too, to 620 pound-feet at 4960 rpm, 205 more than a stock 911 Turbo.
A stronger clutch is included with the engine mods. A beefed-up transmission—optional, but highly recommended—adds another $5000 to the bottom line, and the 911 Turbo's four-wheel-drive system remains stock. The brakes, never a Porsche weak point, were also replaced with an $11,000 setup that includes 15-inch rotors and eight-piston calipers up front with 14-inch rotors and four-piston calipers in the rear.
And it wouldn't be a tuner car without the usual pile-on of parts, including 19-inch aluminum wheels with Michelin tires that are the same width as the rubber on the Porsche 911 GT2. Inside, you'll find a metal-tube safety hoop mounted behind the front seats, a red starter button, aluminum pedals, and a pair of fantastically comfortable and supportive GT2 seats.
The grand total of parts and labor is $86,890. Add to that a stock $120,465 Porsche 911 Turbo, and we're talking serious supercar coin. But even C/D's jaded gearheads were flat-out impressed with the RST's thrust.
