Tuning Porsche Panamera Stingray GTR

On August 29th, the Moscow International Automobile Salon 2012 kicks off and it is scheduled to run through September 9th. For this upcoming show, TOPCAR has put together an entrant in the form of a 2012 Porsche Panamera customized to the gills. This Tuning Porsche Panamera Stingray GTR is actually the 9th edition of 25 upcoming Stingray GTR models.

We are not necessarily huge fans of the Panamera and even less of fans when it comes to customized models. So many companies tend to go way overboard restyling the Panamera and they actually end up taking away the little character that this Porsche sedan actually has.

TOP CAR has taken to this Panamera from top to bottom, decking out its interior, exterior, engine, and even the brakes in an attempt to not just make it look better, but run with the best of them. Can TOP CAR really pull off the nearly impossible by handing us a well-designed Panamera with accents where they need to be, or did they just roll out another Panamera hack-job like we usually see?

One place where Porsche really dropped the ball on the Panamera’s styling was the front end. It’s boring and looks too family-car-ish for us. TOP CAR ripped the front fascia off of the Panamera and installed a wide-open fascia with three massive carbon-fiber louvers filling in the gaping void and a carbon-fiber lower lip. The side air vents in the gaping mouth have the same three louvers, but large LED-style turn signals above the top louver.

The only tacky thing that’s really obvious is the inclusion of simulated vents on the far sides of the front fascia – we could live without those.

Also ripped off of the factory Panamera is its lightly styled hood. The replacement carbon-fiber hood on the Stingray GTR has ridges near the center of the hood, similar to that found on the factor Panamera, but these are more exaggerated and have heat-extraction vent cut into them. The extractors not only help cool the engine compartment, but also give the Panamera a little more of an aggressive appearance.

Running down the side of the Panamera Stingray GTR is more good stuff. The factory heat extractor remains from the stack Panamera, but TOP CAR threw an awesome carbon-fiber insert to add a little more flair to it. TOP CAR also tossed a set of carbon-fiber side-view mirror covers – we wish they were full mirrors, but covers will do. Carbon-fiber side skirts run down the bottom of the car, between the front and rear wheels and matches up perfectly to the carbon-fiber front lip. The side is all topped off with the wide-body sections on the front fenders and the rear quarter panels, giving the soft Panamera a more stout stance.

Onto the typically round and unexciting rump of the Panamera. TOP CAR was even able to salvage this section, using just minor touches here and there. The first thing you’ll notice are two large carbon-fiber pieces: a spoiler and a lower diffuser. The diffuser has two outlets that allow the custom exhaust tip hang out of. To make room for this diffuser, TOP CAR removed the Panamera’s rear bumper cover and replaced it with a custom unit that has a cutout for the diffuser and a pair of heat extractors on each side. TOP CAR also tossed a set of tinted taillight assemblies on the back end to set it all off.

TOP CAR has also draped the entire body of this car – sans the carbon-fiber pieces – with an specially developed shade of orange, making sure everybody sees you as you cruise by. On each corner you have a silver ADV.1 wheel with a body-colored outer lip, rounding out the entire exterior.

The seats are decked out in diamond-stuffed Nappa leather with off-white piping along the sides and stitching, giving you a wonderful place to place your derriere. The headrests boast an embroidered TOP CAR logo, so you never forget who created this beauty. In place of the typical wood accents, TOP CAR has added in knurled wood inserts, including: steering wheel, radio bezel, center console, scuff panels, gear shifter and bezel, door panel inserts, seat-control bezels, and passenger and driver’s side dash inserts. The passenger’s side dashboard insert boasts a special decal indicating that this is the Stingray GTR 9/10 built by TOP CAR.

An almost unnoticed but important addition is a veneer cover over the steering wheel posts. That is just one of those details that if it wasn’t there, the interior wouldn’t look nearly as good. Nice touch.

The remainder of the interior looks to be relatively stock, which we like. Too often people go crazy customizing interiors and go way over the top. TOP CAR just added enough to make it more luxurious and backed away from it. Awesome job.

Under the hood there lays the 4.8-liter V-8 engine that produces 500 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque from the factory. With the addition of an aftermarket exhaust system, an aftermarket intake system and an aftermarket ECU, TOP CAR was able to get this Porsche up to 600 horsepower, which is 50 ponies more than the Turbo S model comes with. With the extra power and torque, we anticipate the 2012 Panamera Stingray GTR hitting 60 mph in the 3.2- to 3.4-second range. Not too shabby for a fat-ass family sedan, eh? TOP CAR scrapped the Porsche’s factory braking system in favor of a Brembo system. It’s not that the Panamera has bad braking numbers – 112 feet from 60 mph – its just that Brembo make high-quality stuff.

The exact model that you see here is for sale in Russia, but TOP CAR didn’t provide us with a price. We are fairly certain it will just go to the highest bidder. You can buy this vehicle from outside of Russia, but the price will nearly double, thanks to taxes and shipping fees. TOP CAR will, however, special build any American or European Panamera to these exact specifications,.

The only hard prices listed cover the body work, not the interior or engine work, and it runs between €41,315 ($51,652 at current exchange rates) and €47,765 ($59,715 at current exchange rates). You would have to buy a Panamera first, then pay TOP CAR this additional fee to contract them to do the work. It’s a tall price to pay, but the end results speak for themselves.

We absolutely love this build. It’s not too often that a Panamera really grabs our attention, but this one certainly fits that bill. Yeah, it’s a little pricey, but the final product is clean, gorgeous and actually looks like it belongs in with the other supercars of the world and not like a roided-up station wagon. Good job, TOP CAR.

Interior Panamera Stingray GTR