9ff is a German car tuning company based in Dortmund that built its legendary reputation by transforming stock Porsches into extreme, street-legal racing machines. Founded in 2001 by Jan Fatthauer, an automotive engineering graduate with extensive industry experience, the company quickly became a prominent name in high-performance automotive circles.
The tuning firm achieved numerous milestone speed records throughout its operational history, most notably when the 9ff GT9 reached a staggering 407 km/h to become the fastest street-legal car in the world. Alongside complete custom builds like the Speed9, the company offered individual performance kits and upgraded twin-turbocharger programs for models like the Porsche GT3.
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SubscribeDespite its engineering triumphs and multiple world records set at tracks like Nardo and Papenburg, the business faced severe financial headwinds. A broader market shift toward unmodified factory vehicles, combined with intense industry pressure, led the original company to file for bankruptcy in September 2013.
Demonstrating resilience in the high-performance sector, a new entity named 9ff Engineering GmbH was established in October 2013 to carry forward the brand's legacy. Today, the company remains a fascinating chapter in the history of German automotive engineering and extreme car tuning.
Breaking Records and Redefining Porsche Performance
The journey of pushing speed limits began in May 2004 when a 9ff T6 reached 372 km/h on the Nardo Ring, setting an early benchmark for the firm. Subsequent creations like the 9ff V400 and the TRC-85 continued to shatter expectations by delivering unprecedented velocities for street-legal convertibles.
Innovation extended beyond traditional fuel sources when the company introduced alternative-fuel high-performance cars. The 9ff CT78, based on the Porsche Cayman, captured the top-speed record for bioethanol-powered vehicles by hitting 347 km/h in October 2008.
Engineering prowess reached new heights with the introduction of the GTurbo program, which upgraded twin-turbocharged Porsche GT3 and GT3RS models up to 1,000 horsepower. These enhanced vehicles could accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in a blistering 2.9 seconds.
Although the original corporate structure dissolved amid market changes in 2013 alongside other specialty manufacturers, the impact of Jan Fatthauer's vision endures within the global tuning community.