Real Steel's Nats-conquering Porsche 911 SC

It’s no secret that Meguiar’s MotorEx is the place to check out some of the most amazing new builds. But even with our expectations set so high, we were stunned to see the covers lifted off this beautiful Porsche 911 SC built by high-end custom car specialists, Real Steel.

Since its big reveal at Meguiar’s MotorEx in early 2022, the car has copped flak from a vocal minority of ‘true-blue die-hards’ that claim the car “isn’t a real street machine.” We suggest kicking that mentality to the curb because when street machining legend Owen Webb raves about the quality of a build, your ears prick up and you listen to every word he has to say.

There isn’t an elite street machine build in the last thirty years that’s escaped Webby’s scrutiny, and he really doesn’t mince his words when he talks about what Real Steel has brought to the show scene. He’s gone on record in saying that in fact, the work on this Porsche is some of the very best he has ever seen in his 35-plus years at the forefront of the street machining scene.

Who are we to argue?

The nut and bolt restoration term is thrown around pretty loosely these days and is often used in place of a more accurate description of the depth of a resto’ project but stick with us when we say that there truly isn’t a part left unfettled on Levi’s 911.

There are elements of this car that have been finished to top-shelf show standards that will never, ever see the light of day again – parts they could have easily just slapped together, covered with trim and forgotten. But then Real Steel, and the car’s owner would know they weren’t perfect. And that’s not good enough. Astonishing.

There’s a stack of stuff on this car that could be easily missed if, like us, you’re used to looking at 911s and thinking, ‘nice Porsche’, and moving on. But Porka-philes might notice elements like the SC’s rear wing. Sure, it looks like it could be a factory part, but in reality, it’s machined in-house from a single 80kg aluminium billet.

The rims got the same treatment and are a one-of-a-kind set of three-piece wheels machined in-house at Real Steel. The front bar is another custom piece, clay-modelled off an original RSR bumper, which has been further shaped and smoothed to suit the owner’s tastes.

The original three-litre engine has been bored out to three and a half, with a set of beefier sticks and some PMO 48mm carbs to match. Let’s just say the thing made a pretty good noise when we were standing next to it at Summernats 35.

There’s a stack of custom aluminium parts throughout, and many of them are hidden under some of the gorgeous body and interior work. Little custom billet brackets designed in CAD have been machined up just to neaten up some of the electrical components, even if it’s been covered up later in the build process. It’s no wonder the build took over seven years to complete.

The car wasn’t built to be hidden away, and the stone guarding under the wheel arches and satin finish underneath is proof the first hint we had that the owner intends to drive it. By the time you’re reading this the car will have already seen a mixture of street duties and track days – a rare thing for a show-stopper like this.

From the limited aggressive driving we saw on Sunday at Summernats 35 in the hunt for Grand Champion honours, let’s just say it does it pretty well - nothing else even came close in the driving events.

At the end of the day, we understand some of the whining. We get that it’s the first time a German car has won the show. It’s something totally left of field that most never saw coming. We’re Holden and Ford fans just as much as anyone out there, and we love our American muscle too, but to deny planning, execution, driving credentials and the quality of the finished product is laughable.

Is it really such a tragedy that a street driven, elite built, modified car won the show? We think not. Either way, it’s great to see more people enjoying our sport just as it was to see long-term supporters of the show and the street machine scene go away inspired to build something left of centre to compete at the biggest car festival in the country.

The negative remarks we’ve read about this car for achieving so highly is lazy gatekeeping and jealousy. It competes under the same rules as everyone else, and we can’t remember the last time we saw a street machine drive out the front gates of EPIC on its way home with the Chic Henry Sword on board.

We had a mad chat with the co-owner of Real Steel Group about the build at MotorEx. Check it out below!