It’s no secret by now that Monterey Car Week is the biggest car show in North America, at least in terms of prestige. While supercar manufacturers used to be content to show off their new machines in Detroit and Los Angeles, they’re increasingly using Car Week to give the public what they want. This year, all the big supercar brands need to bring their best to the table, because one small British company may have outdone them all. This is the amazing Tuthill GT One and I just can’t stop staring at it.

If you built some of the craziest Porsches in the world, including an 11,000rpm monster called the 911K, and you were an experienced rally driver, wouldn’t you also want to bring back the golden era of GT1 racing cars? I certainly would, although to be fair, not everyone is familiar with some of the wildest cars to ever race at Le Mans.

In the ’90s, the GT1 class was made up of wild, low-volume, homologated, low-downforce frontier prototypes that were meant to be some of the fastest closed-wheel cars the world had ever seen. Cars like the McLaren F1 GTR, Porsche 911 GT1, and Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR. That’s exactly the spirit that Tuthill captures with a modern, built-from-scratch reinterpretation of the 1997 Porsche 911 GT1, and I swear, it’s truly spectacular.

Let’s start with the body. There were only two 911 GT1 road cars built with round headlights, so Tuthill built on that look by taking inspiration and then making everything sharper. The shoulders, the lighting, the vents in the side panels, the ducktail, everything was just beefed up by about 20 percent and it’s fabulous. Oh, and yes, that’s the mystery car spotted at LAX a few days ago. It was worth the wait, don’t you think?

Under the tailgate is a four-litre flat-six engine, either naturally aspirated or turbocharged. The former should rev to the moon and produce more than 500bhp. The latter more than 600bhp. As for the transmission, customers also have the choice of a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic or a proper manual, so a lucky few can choose whether they want ultimate performance, ultimate engagement or something in between.

Regardless of which drivetrain configuration is chosen, all Tuthill GT One models feature double wishbone suspension at all four corners, carbon-ceramic brakes, an FIA-derived rollover protection system, and a body made almost entirely of carbon fiber. As a result, Tuthill touts a curb weight of just 2,645 pounds. That’s 190 pounds less than a Subaru BRZ, but with the power of a brand-new Porsche 911 GT3. That should go like hell, right?

Inside, the Tuthill GT One is simply stunning. We’re talking supple looking leathers, seats that look like a cross between an Eames and a Recaro, a steering wheel that rises to the level of pure jewelry, and an instrument panel reminiscent of old Porsche 911s but with a modern digital screen in the middle. You could easily spend days getting lost in all the details, such is the level of visual craftsmanship.

More intriguing than the powertrain, curb weight, or suspension promises, however, is the fact that unlike true GT1 cars, many of which were barely road-worthy, thinly disguised race cars, the Tuthill GT One is designed primarily for fun to drive. A high-downforce package for track use “could be developed,” but that’s not the point of this car. The Tuthill GT One exists to make 22 people’s dreams come true on public roads. From where I’m standing, I have a strong feeling Tuthill will sell every single one of them.

(Image credit: Tuthill Porsche)

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