PORSCHE FLACHBAU RS: A MODERN TRIBUTE TO THE MOBY DICK LEGACY

On 14 August 2026, Porsche revealed the story behind an extraordinary factory one-off: the Flachbau RS, a bespoke interpretation of the 911 GT2 RS created through the marque’s Sonderwunsch programme in collaboration with Manthey. Developed for a Porsche enthusiast, the road-legal collector’s car was conceived around a precise brief — greater performance, the unmistakable low-slung character of a Flachbau and a rear wing inspired by the 911 GT3 R rennsport.

Its visual reference is the Porsche 935/78 Le Mans racer, better known as ‘Moby Dick’. Finished in Grand Prix White with black and exposed-carbon detailing, the new car draws on one of Porsche’s most distinctive racing silhouettes while retaining the engineering discipline expected of a modern road-going Porsche. The project was unveiled publicly during Monterey Car Week 2026.

The connection between Porsche and the Flachbau form stretches back several decades. In the 1980s, Porsche offered a special version of the 911 Turbo Type 930 with redesigned front wings and pop-up headlights, drawing inspiration from the 935 racing cars. Between 1982 and 1989, 948 examples of this factory-developed slantnose version were sold. Today, Flachbau models remain among the less common variants in the history of the 911.

The new Flachbau RS takes that historical vocabulary considerably further. The project began with an almost new 2018 911 GT2 RS with Weissach Package. Rather than simply adding cosmetic elements, Porsche undertook a substantial engineering and design programme involving specialists from Sonderwunsch, Style Porsche, Weissach development, Porsche Motorsport and Manthey. The work continued for almost three years.

The result is a car that retains the GT2 RS powertrain while receiving a substantially revised exterior, aerodynamic package and interior. Porsche also subjected the modified components to extensive validation, including digital simulations, structural analysis, computational fluid dynamics, wind-tunnel work and real-world testing.

At the front, the traditional round headlamps have given way to an unusual three-tier LED arrangement. Separate elements for high beam, low beam and daytime running lights are positioned vertically, creating a particularly narrow lighting signature. The redesigned front wings sit lower than those of the standard GT2 RS and incorporate slatted outlets designed to vent the wheel arches and reduce internal air pressure.

The front bumper has also been reworked, while Manthey aerodynamic elements and the front splitter contribute to the car’s overall aerodynamic package. The rear continues the theme with a dramatic wing mounted on S-shaped supports. Inspired by the 911 GT3 R rennsport, the wing is approximately five centimetres higher than its counterpart on the GT2 RS with Manthey Kit and can be manually fixed in three positions.

In its high-downforce setting, the Flachbau RS generates 554 kilograms of rear-axle downforce at 340 km/h, according to Porsche. The wing’s adjustment mechanism and position markings are also protected by patent.

Weight reduction was another important part of the transformation. Despite starting with a 911 GT2 RS equipped with the already weight-conscious Weissach Package, Porsche removed a further 31.6 kilograms. The changes extend deep into the cabin.

The front portion of the interior retains its red Alcantara, black leather and exposed-carbon character, while the area behind the seats has been stripped back considerably. The Porsche Communication Management system and audio equipment were removed, as were much of the sound insulation and floor coverings. Some wiring has been deliberately left visible beneath protective sheathing, reinforcing the functional atmosphere of the cabin.

The carbon-fibre bucket seats carry ‘Flachbau RS’ embroidery on their headrests, accompanied by a stylised outline of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. A gold-coloured Sonderwunsch plaque on the dashboard identifies the car as a Factory One-Off 2026 | Flachbau RS. Even equipment required for road use, including the warning triangle and towing eye, has been relocated into a removable emergency box to support the car’s lightweight focus during track use.

The exterior colour palette is equally deliberate. Grand Prix White, a Porsche colour introduced for the 911 in 1974, provides the principal finish. Black and exposed carbon-fibre elements create contrast across the bonnet and roof, while the U-shaped graphic at the front references the visual language of the Martini-liveried 935/78.

Porsche developed the particular white shade for this one-off using a historic Grand Prix White 911 from the company’s collection as its reference. The rear-wheel aero discs are also finished in white, while the brake callipers are black. The combination is restrained enough to preserve the purity of the bodywork while making the racing connection unmistakable.

The design was led by Grant Larson, now retired from Porsche. His involvement adds another layer to the project’s lineage: Larson was also responsible for the modern Porsche 935 presented in 2018 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the marque’s sports-car history. The Flachbau RS therefore connects two interpretations of the 935, separated by decades but linked through the same designer.

Its development was not confined to the drawing board. Porsche built three test vehicles to validate the new components and conducted testing at facilities including lighting and wind tunnels, the Mendig airfield and the Weissach development centre. The car also completed 50 laps of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, while endurance testing placed loads on the rear wing equivalent to approximately 150,000 kilometres of customer use.

That testing reflects the central challenge of the project: creating a dramatically altered body without compromising road legality, safety or the engineering integrity of the underlying 911 GT2 RS. The Flachbau RS is not a new production model, but a single factory-built interpretation created through Porsche’s individualisation programme.

Porsche itself began as an engineering office founded by Ferdinand Porsche in Stuttgart in 1931, at Kronenstrasse 24. From those beginnings, the company developed a heritage closely associated with engineering-led automotive design and motorsport. The Sonderwunsch philosophy extends that heritage into individual commissions, allowing particularly ambitious customer ideas to be developed within the manufacturer’s own engineering and design environment.

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The Flachbau RS ultimately occupies an unusual place in contemporary Porsche design. It looks backwards without being a replica, and it uses a historic silhouette as the starting point for a thoroughly modern engineering exercise. In that sense, the car illustrates what can happen when heritage is treated not as something to preserve unchanged, but as a source of ideas that can be technically re-examined.

The result is deliberately singular: one car, one customer commission and one interpretation of a shape that has remained deeply embedded in Porsche’s motorsport history. The Flachbau RS does not attempt to recreate ‘Moby Dick’. Instead, it carries a fragment of that racing memory into a new mechanical and aerodynamic context — a fitting role for a factory one-off whose defining quality is its refusal to be repeated.