Dario Franchitti and his Porsche 911 hot rodDario Franchitti Porsche 911 hot rod
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Excellence Cover Shoot: Porsche Turbo RSR

This Champion Motorsports Porsche Turbo RSR is going to be hard to beat for the title of best car that I’ve shot. It is arguably the fastest all-around AND most beautifully crafted street-legal car in the world. Beauty is subjective, but being the fastest is objective… and I can attest to the fact that this car is FAST! I like to call myself a speed freak, but even I had to check my manly regions to see if they were still there after a few hot laps in the passenger seat. Riding shotgun with Jared Cullop in a 600hp car that goes 0-60 in 2.6 seconds and corners like it has velcro for tires is a life-changing experience. It’s not all about the power; the suspension, aerodynamics, transmission, and power must all work in unison… and the team at Champion pieced this car together so well Captain Planet would be jealous.

The photoshoot was an absolute dream come true. We had a full day of shooting and driving at Virginia International Raceway… This “raceway” doubles as a resort mind you, with top notch dining, lodging, spas, karting, and golfing. As fun as that all sounds, I had to keep my eyes glued to the back of my camera. A full day of morning fog, beautiful skies, a magnificent car, people, and a few new camera techniques produced this:

Champion Porsche 911 Turbo RSR

Champion Porsche 911 Turbo RSR

Champion Porsche 911 Turbo RSR

Champion Porsche 911 Turbo RSR

Champion Porsche 911 Turbo RSR

Champion Porsche 911 Turbo RSR

Champion Porsche 911 Turbo RSR

Champion Porsche 911 Turbo RSR

Champion Porsche 911 Turbo RSR

Champion Porsche 911 Turbo RSR

Champion Porsche 911 Turbo RSR

Champion Porsche 911 Turbo RSR

Champion Porsche 911 Turbo RSR

Champion Porsche 911 Turbo RSR

Champion Porsche 911 Turbo RSR

Champion Porsche 911 Turbo RSR

Champion Porsche 911 Turbo RSR

Champion Porsche 911 Turbo RSR

Champion Porsche 911 Turbo RSR

A little behind the scenes iPhone action included. The fog gave off a huge beautiful softbox effect, but lacked any directional lighting, so I used the flashes to make some artificial light direction. That combined with some photoshop magic I had the look I was going for. The front angle image was photographed with the cover mind, but obviously a different image was chosen. No complaining here, they both look great!

I love my assistants, so my first thanks goes to Kyle McManus for the extra hand. The team at Champion Motorsports is a true class act. They had the RSR humming like never before, as if building the world’s sexiest and fastest street-legal car was a walk in the park. Obvious thanks to the staff at VIR, for making the coolest hotel rooms with a view ever. And last but not least, the editor Pete who hooked me up with the shoot! Woohoo!

Champion Motorsport just released this beautiful homage video of the same 911 Turbo RSR at a local airstrip. This car is fast becoming one of the most iconic 997’s in the world. It’s impossible to find a bad angle on this car.