Is this (Mandalorian inspired) creation the way to build the world’s best-ever home 911 Turbo restoration?

Tamrin Hamzah has revived a Porsche 930 from the comfort of his own home garage, with stunning results. 

 As you know, with Classic Retrofit having more than ten years’ experience in the automotive industry, we're deeply entrenched in classic car world, working with some of the biggest brands in this field. However, the customers we deal with directly are equally  important to us, with some responsible for creating incredible builds. 

Tamrin is an example of this: when the Malaysian-based architect contacted us regarding our CDI unit and (later) our electric A/C unit, we became privy to – and inspired by – his Porsche 911 (930) Turbo build. The A/C install is up there in terms of ANYTHING we have seen (ahead of some exalted Porsche builders in fact) and sets the tone for the rest of the car you see before you, named ‘930 GT’.

Rebuilt from the ground up, it’s one of the most in-depth and jaw-dropping personal projects we’ve ever seen – so much so, we had to share it with you.

Tamrin’s Porsche passion started many years ago, with his ownership journey taking in a 996 Turbo alongside a healthy smattering of blue-chip 997 GT products. His penchant for restoration began with a 993 Turbo purchased from his former employer, who then offered Tamrin this 1985 930 in 2017. “The 930 was in a bad way,” Tamrin recalls.

“The inside was horrible, with a notable smell of fungus, and the bodywork was less than presentable. I originally wanted to restore it to factory condition, as I had done with the 993.”

Tamrin enlisted the help of a specialist, which did not go well: after three years wait, there was still no build. The company had lost a lot of original parts Tamrin had given them, and the car itself was just a rolling chassis. It forced our affable DIY enthusiast to convince them to allow him access during nights to get the car back together enough to tow the car home in 2020 and, in his own words, “Really study how a car goes together, so I could see this project through myself.”

Tamrin set about fabricating parts which were no longer available, such as the 930’s wiring harness. And this is where the magic really started, as Tamrin tell us: “I wanted to address the balance of the 930, which earned it the nickname ‘Widow maker’.” Heat exchangers were deleted (no need for them in Malaysia’s hot and humid climate) with the headers from RarlyL8 and a custom exhaust specifically for this car, and the 930 3.3’s famous ‘tea tray’ decklid (excluding the rubber lip) was fashioned from carbon fibre – alongside a host of componentry under it – including the fan shroud, alternator shroud and reshaped airbox, all of which are one-piece pure carbon items.

In fact, carbon fibre features throughout this build, and all of it made at home, with Tamrin confessing to having made ‘stuff’ out of carbon fibre for more than 20 years.

It’s all part of a sizeable weight reduction on this Olive green 930, down from a factory quoted 1,350kg to 1,180kg. “The engineering of the Classic Retrofit electric AC really helped with the weight goal,” Tamrin tells us through his customary big grin.

The air conditioning system has been adapted specifically for the Malaysian climate, with all heating removed entirely. Also worth noting is that Tamrin is one of few people in the world from a high heat climate running a single condenser (mounted at the rear of the car in the wheel arch), a decision ultimately forced by the choice of wheel size. 18” wheels were selected because of the lack of 17” options locally and the larger overall size precludes the use of a front mounted condenser.

Tamrin has made this work using a trick carbon fibre under body duct that mounts off the fuel pump bracket, which directs air through a hose directly into the condenser. On the condenser itself, there is a custom shroud that mounts on the opposite side to the Classic Retrofit fan and housing. All of this was engineered diligently using existing mount points with no need for permanent modifications.

Likewise, a Classic Retrofit fuse panel is present on ‘Grogu Turbo’ (named by Tamrin and his family after the character from The Mandalorian!), though it’s been modified to ensure there are no blank holes for relay holders, which instead house custom designed and 3d printed holders for spare fuses and relays neatly under the 930’s frunk. Even better, it looks stock – an example of the pure genius and extra thought which has gone into Tamrin’s incredible build.

Running 390hp at the wheels with 1.0 bar of boost, there are a ton of ‘easter eggs’ all over this 930 – unfortunately far too many to list here. A handful of examples we particularly like, though, include the gold mesh on that carbon decklid which match Tamrin’s 18-inch and bespoke-design Aurum coloured wheels; the inner headlight bezels (from LA-based 9Eleven Headlights) finished in Bronze to look like Grogu’s eyes; plus a reprofiling of the Turbo’s front fog lights which have been designed and made from scratch to service the Classic Retrofit front mounted condenser, oil cooler and / or ducting to brakes.

Inside the 930, highlights include easy-to-use illuminated buttons in place of the cumbersome factory AC slider, now offering further modernity such as oil fan override, AC speed, and a central door lock nestled into a classy walnut trim. Factory switches have been relocated and hidden in the front glove box which, obviously, is full carbon, including its hinges. We also noticed the deletion of a traditional handbrake in favour of a discreet electric parking brake for this 41-year-old air-cooled classic.

And that’s just what you can see: tweaks you might struggle to immediately appreciate include all plumbing throughout the car being optimised to ensure the smallest amount of hosing used throughout (without any kinks), as well as the fuel, oil and brake lines which were self-made and polished by hand. We hope you’re starting to appreciate; this is no ordinary home build.

So how many hours have gone into this inspirational project? “It’s impossible to answer,” Tamrin muses.

"I’ve worked 9pm-1am on this car most nights in my garage since 2020. I’m also of the ‘measure twice, cut once’ school of thought, so I like to ensure my research beforehand is thorough.”

Tamrin has fully committed to the build between being a father and working his day job, with car parts polished in the shower, and moulds made on his kitchen top to keep the project progressing. Tamrin’s dedication is unquestioned, and his work is clearly admired well beyond the four walls of his garage, too: we note followers on his Instagram page (alongside ourselves) include Mr Porsche Motorsport himself, Andreas Preuninger. 

His favourite part of it all though isn’t the fabricating, the customising, or even the driving of this special Porsche Turbo. It’s the friends made along the way:

“I’ve made many great friendships all over the world during the making of this car. Jack and Matt at Classic Retrofit are great examples of that.”

Well, Tamrin, we’ve also learned a lot from you and are grateful you chose us and our innovative products to help take your exemplary 930 Grogu Turbo to the next level.

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