Update: A statement from Gunther Werks regarding the accident has been added to the story.
A modified Porsche 911 from California resto-modder Gunther Werks crashed heavily at Laguna Seca during testing last week. A user in the r/Porsche Subreddit posted a picture of the damaged car, a development mule for the company's new Turbo model, a 750-horsepower 993, on a flatbed. On Instagram, Gunther Werks confirmed the "incident" and that the driver is "okay."
Motor1 reached out to Gunther Werks for more information, and the company provided this statement:
Gunther Werks has continued to test the Turbo Mule development prototype ahead of production, which is slated to begin delivery later in 2024. Development testing at racetrack poses inherent risk, and unfortunately our development prototype was involved in an on-track incident at WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca during a two-day session on March 19th and 20th, 2024.
While testing, our team put the Turbo Mule through strenuous challenges as part of this program. Fortunately everyone escaped without any injury, the driver received clearance by the trackside safety team, and no other vehicles were involved. The driver was checked by an off-site medical professional and cleared. Despite this being a street car for the limited purpose of development, the driver was wearing full FIA racing gear, including a fire suit, helmet, and a HANS device for the entirety of testing.
In the interest of full transparency, we can confirm that the car experienced a considerable amount of damage. Specifically, the Turbo Mule’s roof was impacted due to a rollover. It is important to note that the development prototype was not yet fitted with Gunther Werks’ carbon fiber roof panel that customer cars receive; nor was it equipped with a roll cage, as we do not fit them to customer commissions, with the emphasis on the cars being road-going and not race cars. A chassis stiffening bar was installed in the rear cabin, in addition to a harness bar with harnesses and an FIA-rated seat used during the test. The car was also fitted with a fire suppression system.
At Gunther Werks, safety is just as paramount as performance. Rest assured that we are actively retrieving all data, thoroughly reviewing the findings with our team, and understanding how and why the incident occurred to ensure the production version is safe as possible and performs as expected.
Gunther Werks is a family and the most important thing to us is that our driver sustained no injury. We are proud of our team and their dedication. We appreciate all of our fans and motoring enthusiasts for their continued support and understanding.
Gunther Werks „incident“ at Laguna Seca
byu/Formal_Historian_109 inPorsche
On Instagram, the company said "Unfortunately, the second day of testing was cut short when the GW Mule went off-track and sustained incident damage. Goals were achieved, times were set, cars are repairable, and lessons are valuable."
"We are grateful everyone is okay and look forward to getting back to HQ to apply everything we learned this week for the next track day soon."
The Reddit user claims that it was Patrick Long, a longtime Porsche factory driver and brand ambassador, driving. We asked Gunther Werks to confirm whether this is the case, but, Long did post on an Instagram story that he is enjoying "[a] much needed R+R break with the family. All is well." Long is known to do development work with the company, driving one of its cars at a Laguna Seca Corkscrew hillclimb event.
While the Gunther Werks Turbo uses a 993 body shell, most of the panels are made from carbon fiber. A Road & Track story notes that the car costs around $1 million.
Photo: Gunther Werks
