This Pontiac V8-Swapped Porsche 911 is a Blasphemous Creation of Possible Genius
Photo: Cars & Bids
Depending on when you read this, you can either buy or just missed the opportunity to buy a 2002 Porsche 911 with an engine-swap from a Pontiac G8 GT. It’s currently listed on Cars and Bids, and, at the time of writing, is priced at a surprisingly reasonable $19,000. Not bad for a 911 if you don’t mind taking on the risk of buying someone else’s project.
But on its face, it’s still such an unexpected swap. I mean, I could see a scenario where someone was drunkenly scrolling Copart, saw a 996 that needed an engine, also saw a totaled G8 GT, and decided combining the two would be the most brilliant thing in the world. And yet, if you told someone you bought a V8-swapped 911, I also can’t imagine many people would ask if it had a Pontiac engine in it.
Photo: Cars & Bids
Dig a little deeper into the seller’s reasoning, though, and it all starts to make sense. According to them, an LS2 wouldn’t work easily with the tachometer, an LS3 would cost significantly more, and an L92 would need parts replaced. Plus, the L76 came with an appropriate intake manifold and accessories.
And even though it’s a V8, the seller says the engine is 40-ish pounds lighter than the flat-six it replaces. Gotta love a world where swapping in a V8 adds lightness. In theory, it shouldn’t mess with the balance, either.
Photo: Cars & Bids
The result is a 996 that the seller claims makes about 400 hp, does zero-to-60 in the mid-four-second range, and runs the quarter-mile in the mid-12s. Not bad at all.
Arguably, the biggest downside other than that minor “buying someone else’s project” thing is that cruise control doesn’t work. But air-conditioning does, and the seller included a video of them autocrossing it.
The biggest upside, though, is that you get to tell your friends you have a Porsche 911 with an engine from a Pontiac. I say that’s more than worth not having cruise control. At the very least it’s a cool build that’s more than worth checking out. And good luck to whoever wins the auction. Hopefully, it’s as enjoyable to own and reliable as you hope it will be.
Photo: Cars & Bids
