As any avid enthusiast knows bringing a car back from the dead, more often then not, is a much larger task than originally foreseen.  Replacement parts can be hard to locate, expensive and in some cases obsolete. The age old saying “looking for love in all the wrong places” has never been more true for Porsche aficionado, Cyrus Eslami, some might even call this his destiny. Cyrus’ love for Porsche, the 911 in particular, began as a young boy. He would study them in school, go to dealerships whenever possible, and seeing them in person would star strike him. From the beginning, Cyrus made a promise to himself to do whatever it took to one day get one he could call his own.  After a lot of digging and research, he fell particularly in love with the GT variants (GT3, GT3 RS, GT2, GT2 RS). The 996’s being his favorite, and he began an extensive hunt to find one.

A little background: the MKI GT3’s (1999-2001 model years) were not imported to the united states due to DOT regulations as they did not meet safety and emissions standards. Lightweight, optional air conditioning, stiffer suspension (30mm lower than the standard model), and most notably the power plant, which was a derivative of the Le Mans winning engine developed for the 911 GT1.

However, Cyrus’ journey begins in a swampy front yard of a Florida home. After months of looking with no luck he found a Canadian spec GT3 rotting away due to neglect. Legend has it, a wealthy doctor had initially brought it over and soon after passed away. The car was then owned by someone who did not care for it and eventually left it to sit in a yard nearby a swampy area in Florida.  Not running, missing a lot of parts inside and out, wheels cracked, and the paint was in awful shape. Shortly after its discovery a deal was made with the man whose property it was on and it was trailered up to New Jersey to begin a full on overhaul on it. When we asked Cyrus what his first thoughts were he said “This would be the biggest project I had ever taken on; but the car arrived, and so it began.”

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Questions & Answers: 

AP: What is your name?

CE: Cyrus Eslami.

AP: What is it you drive?

CE: 2001 Porsche 996 GT3.

AP: Why the GT3?

CE: This breed of automobile exhibits capabilities from devouring the road and setting lap times, to precision and performance incomparable to everyday cars, and seamless comfort and amenities many of us would not expect to find in an everyday car. I have taken some of the greatest Porsches, and pushed them to their absolute limits. The funny thing is, these are everyday cars.

AP: Awesome! Is there anything or anyone that inspired this build?

CE: My inspiration for this project, aside from my love for 911’s, was Magnus Walker. His roots leading to where he is in life today is proof that you can do anything in life that you want. He exemplifies the perfect image of a self made, genuine, modest, and successful individual in today’s society. If you aren’t familiar with Magnus and his work, I highly encourage you to look him up.

AP: Walk us through the build process if you wouldn’t mind.

CE: Well, first, I tackled the general imperfections- wiring, rotting, cosmetics, throwing away and restoring the interior/exterior components. Luckily there was not much bodywork that needed to be tended to. This part included swapping the headlights and taillights for new ones, as they were practically fish tanks with the amount of water in them, throwing away the cracked wheels, and dumping any and all components that I would be replacing. And of course its new matte white paint job.

AP: I had a fish tank once. (*laugh)

CE: (*laugh)

AP: How was the motor? Running or driveable?

CE: No sir. After sending it to a machine shop, I began by tearing it apart to get it running, well sort of at least. When it was stabilized, and the suspension/underbody components were all replaced, and electrical systems & ECU issues were fixed/replaced, I threw on a set of wheels & tires I found on Craigslist for $200 and began running it to see just how much work I would be doing on this iconic Porsche.

AP: Sounds like you were determined!

CE: Very! I’ve been an avid Porsche fan and have visited the plant & museum in Stuttgart. Every tidbit of Porsche’s craftsmanship is notable; from the innovative weight reduction concepts implemented, such as the door handle delete for the strap on the RS models, to the differentiating unchanged factor of the rear engine placement. I find Porsche’s to be one of the most impeccable cars in existence yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

AP: What went into the motor? Stock replacement, or is this build more of a “project” then a “restoration”?

CE: Think of it as a project (which it is), not an original restoration (*laugh).

AP: What did you do to get it where it is today?

CE: So I tore the bad boy apart, and here’s what went down:

-Competition Intake

-IPD Plenum

-Forged Pistons

-Agency Power exhaust

-Agency Power sport headers

-Cat x-pipe

-CSF third radiator as well as replaced the 2 side radiators

-Techart Vario coilovers

-VR ECU tune

-Motorsport diff plates

-High energy ignition coils

-OEM RUF platinum spark plugs

-Titanium exhaust valves

-Lightweight power pulley

-EVOMS fuel rails

-Carillo connecting rods

-Eibach F&R sway bar kit

-Techart strut bar

-CM TX850 twin disc clutch/aluminum flywheel

-Numeric racing short throw

-HRE C20 forged 3-piece wheels: 19×8.5 front, 19×11.5 rear

I have to point out that the above does not reflect the TLC and the massive labor of love I put into this car, especially working out of a single bay garage: that is what makes this car an accomplishment. There are many more various components that were replaced and fixed as well. This car went from being worth next to nothing, to being worth next to something.

AP: I must say I’m very impressed, most Porsche owners do not work on their own cars to begin with, let alone out of a single bay garage on their back. You sir are a BADASS!

CE: (*laughs) Thank you (*laughs). I was determined and the end result is what you see.

AP: “Any last words?” (*laughs)

CE: Though I believe Porsche “purists” to be the worst type of automotive enthusiasts, I cannot blame them for their choice of admiration for the 911. Simply put, my love for Porsche’s is unfathomable. I believe that I was born with it in my blood. There has been nothing more fascinating to me than the craftsmanship and ingenuity of these masterpieces on the road. To me, they are bred for devouring the pavement. They exhibit true driving passion begging to be pushed to the limits.

This breed of automobile exhibits capabilities from devouring the road and setting lap times, to precision and performance incomparable to everyday cars, and seamless comfort and amenities many of us would not expect to find in an everyday car. I have taken some of the greatest Porsches, and pushed them to their absolute limits. The funny thing is, these are everyday cars.

AP: Before we go, I have ask, and I know you said it is  a GT3, but is it a REAL GT3? You’ve ben catching alot of sh*t from everyone because of a few things, mind elaborating?

CE: Yep it’s an original Canadian spec GT3. But the brakes assembly “wheel hubs, various bushings, control arms, brakes & lines, suspension side members, subframe mounts & crossmembers, K-frame, rear diagonal brace…i could go on for days)” and some other parts (strut towers, stabilizer bars, head shields, radiator hose, and breathers) are just Carrera parts. Identical fit, I went aftermarket with the stabilizer bars and whatever I could, but the brakes would’ve cost me $10k to do an original gt3 setup, it needed lines, calipers, hubs, rotors, you name it. (*laughs)

 We all know cars shouldn’t sit for years on end, especially in a swamp. But all in all its my prized possession, never thought I could do a build like this and it’s an original GT3 but with a bit of alterations. (*laughs). Oh and GT3 brake sensor wiring is stupid as $h!t. I don’t know how it even works, so I stuck to C2 and C4 sensors which is a full out Porsche setup. (*laughs)

AP: “Any last words?” (*laughs)

CE: Though I believe Porsche “purists” to be the worst type of automotive enthusiasts, I cannot blame them for their choice of admiration for the 911. Simply put, my love for Porsche’s is unfathomable. I believe that I was born with it in my blood. There has been nothing more fascinating to me than the craftsmanship and ingenuity of these masterpieces on the road. To me, they are bred for devouring the pavement. They exhibit true driving passion begging to be pushed to the limits.

AP: Wow! Im really impressed, great job and thanks for filling us all in our your story.

CE: No problem. Taylor your the man! And thank you (Agency Power) for offering quality parts for the Porsche market without having to spend the same amount of money on the parts as I did on the Porsche itself. #APARMY

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Photography:

            

to be continued…