Ace-Garageguy Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 One of the better looking 914 conversions, from Beach Boys Racing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 (edited) Another design I did for a client. Was to have been a 904-influenced 914 kit car. Project terminated twice due to financial disagreements, taken to another shop, bodged by hackers, never finished. Note my sig and date on the pencil sketch. I did the first design work on this thing in the early '90s, was booted from the project in favor of somebody who worked cheaper...but didn't have a clue as to HOW to do it. I was brought back in years later after the proportions had been changed and spoiled, the "kit" turned out to be virtually unbuildable, parts wouldn't come out of the molds (no draft angle or correctly designed sections), side-to-side symmetry was WAY off, etc. Photos show the car at the basement shop under my last house, in the process of returning it to my original design. NOTE: All my assertions are verifiable. I have the original design sketches and drawings, plus the originals and negatives of the photos shown. I also have the police report filed when the car was stolen from my shop by someone acting for the client, video tapes, and a full set of splash molds. Not my best work, but warping a 904 on to 914 proportions ain't easy. Edited July 30, 2018 by Ace-Garageguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Kron Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 In the beginning there was Jeff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afx Posted July 30, 2018 Author Share Posted July 30, 2018 1 hour ago, Ace-Garageguy said: LS power is becoming a popular swap into the mid-engined Caymans and Boxters as well. Makes a great car. But this is sacrilege. Sacrilege indeed! I posted the GMG car only to show what's out there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 4 minutes ago, Bernard Kron said: In the beginning there was Jeff... I seem to recall the car still exists, though the man, sadly, does not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afx Posted July 30, 2018 Author Share Posted July 30, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Ace-Garageguy said: Back in the late '60s or early '70s, the hot rod mags featured two Porsche projects that always stuck in my mind. One was an early 911 Speedster, built WAY before it occurred to the factory. Silver car with big racing stripes. I remember the builder said he went through several cut-down windshields before he figured out how to do it without breaking. The other was a Toronado-powered 911 coupe. Engine in the back seat, used the Toro gearbox and diff too. Had a fake leather-upholstered "fitted luggage" fiberglass engine cover. I know the 911 Speedster you're talking about, I remember it having American Racing wheels. Have a photo of it one of my Porsche books just haven't been able to find which book! Edit - Found it! Edited July 30, 2018 by afx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 7 minutes ago, afx said: I know the 911 Speedster you're talking about, I remember it having American Racing wheels. Have a photo of it one of my Porsche books just haven't been able to find which book! Edit - Found it! Cool. Great looking car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Nemanic Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 I remember the 911 speedster from Road & Track magazine in the 1970s. It had a 356 Speedster deck molded on and the windshield frame was made from two speedster frames. Unthinkable now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Kron Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 (edited) 13 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said: I seem to recall the car still exists, though the man, sadly, does not. Yes. After changing hands and paint jobs several times it landed up in Atlanta Georgia in 1971. The owner since then put it up for sale at the end of 2017, asking $765K. It had been thoroughly restored and refreshed several times in between, shown at Amelia Island in 2009 and last repainted under Dean Jeffrie's supervision in 2011. Here's a link to the sale page, Jeffries Kustom Karrera For Sale 2017 and below a picture from that page: Edited July 30, 2018 by Bernard Kron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porschercr Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 "Sacrilege indeed!" I agree, though I posted about ls2 944/951 just to show what people can and will do. http://www.speedhunters.com/2018/07/spoiler-alert-900hp-turbocharged-ls2-porsche/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afx Posted July 30, 2018 Author Share Posted July 30, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, porschercr said: "Sacrilege indeed!" I agree, though I posted about ls2 944/951 just to show what people can and will do. http://www.speedhunters.com/2018/07/spoiler-alert-900hp-turbocharged-ls2-porsche/ Didn't realize this was under the hood. Edited July 30, 2018 by afx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 (edited) 9 minutes ago, afx said: Didn't realize this was what was under the hood... Probably makes a pretty decent car. The LS shouldn't be much heavier than the 944 engine, is semi-bulletproof...and neatly sidesteps the 944 engine's servicing nightmares. Edited July 30, 2018 by Ace-Garageguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afx Posted July 30, 2018 Author Share Posted July 30, 2018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porschercr Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 (edited) 54 minutes ago, afx said: Didn't realize this was under the hood. 48 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said: Probably makes a pretty decent car. The LS shouldn't be much heavier than the 944 engine, is semi-bulletproof...and neatly sidesteps the 944 engine's servicing nightmares. As a former, 924 & 944 owner. I'm not a fan. That being said. Ace-Garageguy, you are correct, especially "and neatly sidesteps the 944 engine's servicing nightmares." Edited July 30, 2018 by porschercr added information Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 3 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said: Back in the late '60s or early '70s, the hot rod mags featured two Porsche projects that always stuck in my mind. One was an early 911 Speedster, built WAY before it occurred to the factory. Silver car with big racing stripes. I remember the builder said he went through several cut-down windshields before he figured out how to do it without breaking. The other was a Toronado-powered 911 coupe. Engine in the back seat, used the Toro gearbox and diff too. Had a fake leather-upholstered "fitted luggage" fiberglass engine cover. I don't remember/never saw those, but I do remember a Rod & Custom that had a 911 with a SBC hanging off the back. The whole thing worked amazingly well (allegedly) as regards handling, reliability, durability, gas mileage, etc. (Power, it goes without saying.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 Is turning a 944Turbo into a naturally aspirated considered hot rodding it? LoL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iBorg Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 5 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said: Obviously nobody is going to hack up a REAL multi-million dollar 550 (I would, but I'm a nutcase), so this is based on a repop. 911 power, DeDion rear suspension. I absolutely love this car. When I was younger this would be my ideal of a daily driver. Now I feel like I need AC and cruise. Still it would be a blast to own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintagerpm Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 (edited) On 7/30/2018 at 12:13 PM, Vince Nemanic said: I remember the 911 speedster from Road & Track magazine in the 1970s. It had a 356 Speedster deck molded on and the windshield frame was made from two speedster frames. Unthinkable now! II remember that car and article. Liked it so much I made a model of it. Well sort of. I didn't use a speedster rear end, I just modified the rear of the 911 a bit. Still looked the part. Sadly, that model is long gone. Edited July 31, 2018 by vintagerpm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scalper Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 Targa turned into convertible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afx Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 The Targa is not my favorite body style but do like the Singer version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
64Comet404 Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 6 hours ago, porschercr said: As a former, 924 & 944 owner. I'm not a fan. That being said. Ace-Garageguy, you are correct, especially "and neatly sidesteps the 944 engine's servicing nightmares." Amen to that. I loved the ride and handling of my 944, but head gasket and water pump replacement on a semi-regular basis gets old rather fast. Mind you, I drove a late-model C6 Corvette recently, and the handling, though heavier, reminded me of the feel of my old 944. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lordmodelbuilder Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 Always liked Rod Simpson's 1966 912 Porchev. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afx Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 (edited) 9 hours ago, Lordmodelbuilder said: Always liked Rod Simpson's 1966 912 Porchev. Never seen this car before. Some interesting things here. Love the wheels. Edited July 31, 2018 by afx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afx Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 (edited) The factory made a few hot rods of it’s own, the 911 ST being one of them. Considering Porsche's racing pedigree, it was no surprise that the 911 was immediately successful on the racing track. The German manufacturer were also keen to develop a proper competition version but throughout the 1960s struggled to find a configuration that would be competitive in international events and also meet homologation requirements. Instead of offering complete racing cars, Porsche generally only sold conversion kits for customers to convert road cars. Ahead of the 1970 season, the latest package was known internally as the ST and was created specifically for road rallies, where the 911 Rs and T/Rs had proven very successful in 1969. A regulation revision for 1970 allowed the track to be widened, which enabled Porsche to fit considerably wider wheels and tyres. Considerable weight was stripped from the 911 by using thinner gauge steel for the roof and part of the floorpan. Depending on the customer's wishes and budget, the ST could also be equipped with aluminium doors, plexiglass windows and a choice of fuel tank sizes. The stripped down chassis was powered by a modified version of the 2.2-litre flat six available in the road cars. As only the bore was allowed to be increased, the competition engine displaced 2.3 litres, which was well short of the 2.5-litre limit for the class the 911 ST 2.3 was due to compete in. Equipped with a pair of triple-choke Webers and high compression pistons, the engine produced in excess of 230 bhp. While some cars were fitted with the standard 911 gearbox, some also boasted the sturdier Type 915, five-speed gearbox. In its lightest configuration, the 911 ST 2.3 tipped the scales at just 840 kg (1852 lbs). It is understood that Porsche produced three dozen 911s to ST specification, using the lightweight shell. Each was built to custom order, so no two were exactly alike. They were also raced extensively and for several seasons, and many were upgraded to ST 2.5 specification, using a further enlarged version of the flat six engine. Porsche also fielded these cars in important events, like the Monte Carlo Rally, which the very first ST immediately won at its January, 1970 debut. It was the start of a hugely successful season, which saw Porsche crowned International Rally Championship. Porsche 911s would also dominate the GT class at international events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Encouraged by the success of the 911 ST, Porsche finally committed to a series production competition version of the 911; the Carrera RSR of 1973, and the rest is history. Little known today, the ST was hugely successful both in road races and rallies during the early 1970s. Edited July 31, 2018 by afx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bainford Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 (edited) Early Panamera, anyone? Thank Troutman & Barnes. Edited July 31, 2018 by Bainford Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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