The Sports Car Project



Dear Aunty Jane

I might have been a silly boy. You see, the other day I bought a Porsche 944 for a bargain.

project car

The engine is in pieces and is mostly in the boot but that doesn’t scare me. The interior needs a full refresh. The bodywork, while rust free, needs restoration. Suspension, brakes and steering are all unknown quantities at this point but in our shop. All can be made as good as new.



However, when the quote for R130 000 in engine parts arrived, it caused me to sit down and have a nice think about it. As my good friend Clinton said, the parts are biblically expensive! Owning a classic sports car you are too scared to give horns, is hardly the stuff of dreams.

150hp (111Kw) is no longer really enough for a sports car

Times have moved on since 1983 and 150hp (111Kw) is no longer really enough for a sports car is it. It certainly doesn’t get my heart rate up. Squeezing more power out of the Porsche engine just makes it more likely to break, further heightening the anxiety factor plus  I hear the early gearboxes are fragile and a clutch repair kit is R30k- more than I paid for the entire car.

And so here I sit, pondering what to do. A kit is available to drop an LS3 V8 into the front but american power in a Porsche just doesn’t seem right. My heart says to discard the Porsche engine, fit an 07k VW/Audi turbocharged engine (keep it in the family)  in front and an 01X 6 Audi speed transaxle in the back. 350hp should be enough to be fun. Fresh boots, paint and a new interior and for (far) less than the price of a Golf GTi, we have a Porsche that is both a pleasure to drive hard with out being terrifying. The thought of a 5 Cylinder Quattro-esque engine fizzing and snarling away up front appeals much more than a rumbling V8- what do you think? 

powerful balanced classic

As I intend to sell the finished car, we want to be certain that a buyer will want to buy it and so my question Aunty Jane is: do I go the restomod route on this Porsche and make it into the car it could be: a powerful balanced classic sports car that is beautiful to drive, or keep it the car it was meant to be 41 years ago but rather underwhelming by todays standards?

Please tell me to follow my heart.

Your sincerely

Craig Harper

Boost brothers https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/classic-cars/a33957715/vw-five-cylinder-powered-porsche-944-dyno-video/