The Los Angeles METS: An Ocean-Hopping, Tsukuba-Attacking, Narrow-Body Porsche 911 Turbo

From an early age, speed has been a central fascination for me, drawing me to a career in aviation and obsession with GT motorsports.

My journey began following Japanese JGTC, Formula 1, and later, the American Le Mans Series and NASCAR. The thrill of high-speed running seized me and has never let go. Living in Japan for nearly a decade further deepened this passion.

As a dedicated car enthusiast, tuning and racing my Nissan Skyline BNR32 GT-R on Japanese circuits wasn’t just a hobby, it was an education that revealed the true demands of pushing a machine to its limits. It requires intense focus, inventive ingenuity and – perhaps – a healthy dose of audacity.

What is it about speed that captures our imagination? Perhaps it’s not the velocity itself, but the singular focus it demands – a machine built for the sole, thrilling purpose of finding and living at its absolute limit.

In the world of Japanese car culture, this philosophy is embodied by the Idlers Games, a legendary series where endurance and sprint racing push man and machine to the breaking point. The series, a proving ground since the late 1990s, hosts fierce battles across various classes.

One of its more spotlighted categories is the Porsche Cup, where Japan’s most respected air-cooled tuners – such as Promodet, M’s Machine, Uzi Racing, The Check Shop and RWB fight for track supremacy, but sometimes it’s the underdogs you need to keep an eye on.

From a humble workshop next to an airfield just outside Tokyo, the father and son team at METS Speed carved their own legacy. This small but formidable shop specializes exclusively in air-cooled Porsche 911s and water-cooled 944s, eschewing broader fame for a deeper, more intimate passion.

They built this particular 911 – my Porsche 911, to be exact – not for show, but to do one thing with uncompromising dedication: to race at the very edge of performance in wheel-to-wheel battles on Japan’s most famous circuits; the technical precision of Tsukuba, the legendary speeds of Fuji Speedway and the challenging lines of Twin Ring Motegi. For the Mets Speed team, the track was their laboratory, and the car was their thesis.

The car’s story is one of transformation, beginning life as a straightforward California-delivered 911 before being imported to Japan in 1992. It was there, in the meticulous world of Japanese tuning, that it began its evolution.

METS Speed began with the beating heart of the machine, swapping in a potent 930 Turbo 3.3-litre engine. But they didn’t stop there. They heavily ported the OEM 3.3-liter head, installed race valve train components and mated a Carrera 3.2L intake manifold; a clever move designed to maximize airflow and optimize the engine’s breathing.

Further performance enhancements include aggressive 964 sport cams, a custom HKS intercooler, Z32 MAF, and K27 turbo. Recently Dyno’d by RMC, it put down a very violent 400 horsepower to the rear wheels. Testament to how deep the drivers of Idlers take it, a custom Set Labo front bumper-mounted oil cooler was installed, supplementing the factory unit, all mated to the much sought after G50 transmission.

Every aspect of the vehicle was fine-tuned for track performance through years of R&D. The chassis was overhauled with a coilover conversion featuring custom-tuned suspension at all four corners, allowing for precise handling.

Porsche 993 Turbo ‘Big Red’ brakes provide ample stopping power and resistance against fade in the most unforgiving conditions, while RUF-style front and rear bumpers improve aerodynamics and add a period-correct, aggressive aesthetic. The car’s aura is completed by a set of classic Enkei NT03RR wheels, a nod to the deep history of Japanese motorsports.