Porsche 964 with a GT3 engine? Driving the REEN Concept RSGT | Henry Catchpole - The Driver’s Seat

In this stunning episode of The Driver’s Seat, Henry Catchpole gets behind the unique wheel of a prototype Porsche 911 restomod. This is the REEN Concept RSGT that blends the best of old-school air-cooled RS with the best of water-cooled new-school GT. It does so with four little switches on a custom Momo Prototipo and a 997 GT3 engine in the rear. Yes, a water-cooled Mezger flat-six in a 964 body. This is essentially one man’s vision that he hopes others will share. That man is Philip Hoffmann, who is not only a doppelgänger for Christopher Reeves, but also a multi-talented force of nature. His day job is as a surgeon, replacing hips and knees but, in his spare time, he’s re-engineered (that’s where REEN comes from) a 964 to his own specifications, with KW suspension, new Brembo brakes, a Tillett bucket seat and custom power steering. The heart of the REEN Concept, however, are the electronics that allow the driver to independently tune the exhaust, engine mapping, gearshift blip and traction control via the four switches on the steering wheel. The engine mapping is really the core of this and it’s amazing the the change it can affect in the car - turning it from relatively demure Carrera one minute to a brat RSR the next. And all without touching the suspension. This is why the 997 GT3 engine with its electronics and Variocam needed to be used. Obviously fitting a water-cooled engine wasn’t the work of a moment but for future cars Hoffmann won’t need to because, with a little help from some friends (one of whom helped to develop the McLaren F1’s S70/2 V12!), he has now engineered an air-cooled version of the Mezger… Hoffmann’s hope is that other Restomod companies might want to buy the patented REEN Concept electronics system. He would also love to see the electronics and engine used as a package by other Porsche restomod companies, but in collaboration with Muniq Design there are plans afoot for some complete cars of their own as you can see in the film. We hope you enjoy this latest episode - thank you for watching. If you’d like to support the Hagerty YouTube channel then do give this film a thumbs up and check out the Hagerty Driver’s Club by clinking on this link: https://www.hagerty.com/drivers-club/ #henrycatchpole #thedriversseat #neverstopdriving Subscribe to our channel and turn on notifications! http://bit.ly/HagertyYouTube Visit our website for an insurance quote, to join Hagerty Drivers Club, and for daily automotive news, cars stories, reviews, and opinion: https://www.hagerty.com Stay up to date by signing up for our email newsletters here: https://www.hagerty.com/media/newsletter/ Follow us on social media: Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/Hagerty Instagram | https://instagram.com/Hagerty Twitter | https://twitter.com/Hagerty If you love cars, you belong with us. Hagerty Drivers Club is the world’s largest community for automotive enthusiasts. Members enjoy valuable automotive discounts, exclusive events and experiences, roadside service created specifically for collector vehicles, and a subscription to the bimonthly Hagerty Drivers Club magazine. Join Hagerty Drivers Club here: https://www.hagerty.com/drivers-club Like what you see? Watch our other series including: Redline Rebuilds | Time-lapse engine rebuilds from start to finish http://bit.ly/RedlineRebuild Barn Find Hunter | Tom Cotter searches the country for abandoned cars http://bit.ly/BarnFIndHunter Jason Cammisa on the Icons | The definitive car review https://bit.ly/JasonCammisaICONS Revelations | Untold Stories About Automotive Legends with Jason Cammisa https://bit.ly/JasonCammisaRevelations The Driver's Seat with Henry Catchpole https://bit.ly/HenryCatchpole Contact us: Suggestions and feedback - videoquestions@hagerty.com Press inquiries - press@hagerty.com Partnership requests - partnerships@hagerty.com

Added 13 Apr 2026