Porsche Meets SsangYong

SsangYong and Porsche. Two brands that have operated in vastly differing spheres for their entire existences and have no right to be mentioned in the same breath, brought together by a dear friend of RACE, Deon Cooper.

This wild creation combines a unique slice of New Zealand Motorsport history with Stuttgart’s finest and despite its rough exterior, it’s full of Bosch Motorsport’s high-end electronics, turning it into a 24 Hours of Lemons weapon.

Underneath the 997 Carrera Cup exterior lies the chassis and running gear of another one make series, the SsangYong Actyon Racing Series. The Actyon Racing Series saw SsangYong’s flagship Ute do battle around New Zealand from 2014 to the early 2020s, providing lots of thrills and spills.

Deon had been racing Actyon’s in the Lemons series since 2020, with the idea to combine the Actyon and Porsche coming when his son spotted the rusting shell at a wrecker.

The Porsche body is not the only German element of this project, with the Actyon’s 2.3 litre straight four originating from Mercedes-Benz, which in its race trim produces around 240 horsepower. This engine sits in the front of the Porsche body, further adding to the sacrilege of the car.

Despite the patchwork exterior, the technology under the skin is anything but. RACE has brought high-end motorsport electronics to the project, with lead technician, Jason, fitting the car with a Bosch Motorsport DDU 11 display, Bosch Motorsport PBX 90 power distribution and a Bosch Motorsport M5 ABS kit.

The DDU Display is a favourite of Deon’s, who cites the dash’s clarity and ability to run diagnostics and telemetry as an advantage when participating in endurance racing, whilst the Motorsport ABS enables him to brake deeper and harder than his opponents, saving him time, tyres and money by preventing lockup induced flat spots.

Whether it’s a tarmac rally beast, or a Frankenstein Lemons creation, RACE can support your project with the highest quality Bosch Motorsport products. Contact us today!