RE: Porsche 911 V8 Cabrio (996) | The Brave Pill

[I 8 a 4RE]

richthebike said:

ver.
I'm not sure I'd post pictures of the car being thrapped around Spa if I was trying to sell, although that may reassure somebody that it actually works.

... and Zolder!

[samoht]

Great brave pill ! 500hp, naturally aspirated, 4wd, good balance in a fairly compact, not-too-heavy car. Potentially awesome! Having said that, I agree about the gearbox concerns and it's hard to value - a coupe would seem more fitting for this conversion.

[dollyboy]

This was for sale via ebay auction recently, only bid up to £15k, which confirms the asking price is rather optimistic, but perhaps someone will think otherwise and stump up the cash.

[ogrodz]

Price aside, in my opinion this is the solution for all 996's (turbo aside) and 997.1's and of course cayman and boxster variants with the same engine problems.

The LS3 engine is lighter and better than the flat 6 it replaces, which to Porsche's shame is fundamentally flawed. The connection kit supplied by Renegade Hybrids allows almost a straight swap - after you have swallowed the brave pill of course - resulting in a "bullet proof" engine, powering one of the best handling cars.

The trick, I think, is to find a low mileage 4wd manual 996 or 997 with serious bore scoring. From there its a simple case of taking the old engine out and putting a new one in....!!!

[rodericb]

I liked the bit where it said the Chev has twice the power, weighs less and takes up less space.

[DBRacingGod]

[LordHaveMurci]

Was it Steve Rance who said the engine may be lighter but it had a higher CoG which aversely affected handling?

Not for me but at least it was only a C4 cab sacrificed & not a C2 coupe

[Evilex]

Be nicer if a 928 v8 accidentally fell into it.
Keep it in the family, so to speak...

[Spuff_Monkey]

Could be wrong, although the engine is marginally lighter the V8 engine's configuration and relocation of it's weight sits higher up than the flat 6 which can upset the balance/centre of balance. Though probably barely noticeably most of the time.

[GTiWILL]

dollyboy said:

This was for sale via ebay auction recently, only bid up to £15k, which confirms the asking price is rather optimistic, but perhaps someone will think otherwise and stump up the cash.

That’s funny, if I’d have been asked how much it was before really knowing, it would have said £15,000.

It’s definitely a no from me. I’d rather buy a really nice example with good provenance that has had all the necessary checks for bore scoring, IMS etc and then enjoy it for what it is.

[samoht]

Spuff_Monkey said:

Could be wrong, although the engine is marginally lighter the V8 engine's configuration and relocation of it's weight sits higher up than the flat 6 which can upset the balance/centre of balance. Though probably barely noticeably most of the time.

Would it be worse than carrying a passenger, though? Or putting a 30kg suitcase across the back seat?

The V8 being pushrod means it doesn't have to have as much structure high-up to support quad-cams, so it also has a fairly low height and c.g. I honestly doubt the difference in c.g. height would be significant.

[lotuslover69]

Bound to have issues with something like this and most garages wont go near it when it does break down.

[unsprung]

rodericb said:

I liked the bit where it said the Chev has twice the power, weighs less and takes up less space.

+1

things are not always what they seem, what with the German reputation for excellence in engineering

PH article said:

525hp output of the crate engine... means it has nearly twice the output of the original car, indeed more than a 996 GT2... it's actually lighter than the flat-six it replaces, and the engine occupies less space.

[LordHaveMurci]

samoht said:

Spuff_Monkey said:

Could be wrong, although the engine is marginally lighter the V8 engine's configuration and relocation of it's weight sits higher up than the flat 6 which can upset the balance/centre of balance. Though probably barely noticeably most of the time.

Would it be worse than carrying a passenger, though? Or putting a 30kg suitcase across the back seat?

The V8 being pushrod means it doesn't have to have as much structure high-up to support quad-cams, so it also has a fairly low height and c.g. I honestly doubt the difference in c.g. height would be significant.

As per my post above, a member who has owned, driven & raced many 911’s said the CG does make a big difference.

Think about where the engine is in a 911 & how much engineering has gone into minimising the negatives of that layout over the years.

Then come along & change the balance...

[timrud]

If it was up for 6-7k maybe it'd be worth a punt

[Tim16V]

I thought 'The Pill' was more about a manufacturer's individual - or range - of cars, the issues revealed and the benefit of hindsight in many respects.

Selecting, or 'picking on' an individual's project seems against the spirit of it, especially when you haven't even seen it or spoken to them about it as far as I know.

[djohnson]

Not exactly the same thing but I had a 2002 996 C4S, must have been 15 or so years ago now. Was a lovely car when it was going however even back then when it was a fairly new car with the full Porsche warranty behind it was a real pain in terms of reliability and big issues. Had the whole engine out and stripped several times by Porsche and a load of other issues also. It had the upside that I got to try many different Porsche’s since I was in courtesy cars for so many weeks and months. Buy one now as a relatively old car likely without the warranty? Shudder, that’d take more than a brave pill...

[unclemark123]

It's my car guys.

To clarify a few points:

All the COG comments - believe me, it's been pushed to the limit on track - there is bu**er all difference before and after handling wise. This engine runs the AC compressor (heavy) and alternator (heavy) much lower than the flat 6. ~The crank remains in the same place as the flat 6, the majority of the weight.

Every bug/flaw has been ironed out - it really is turn key, ready to go.

All the comments that its worth 15k - PMSL, you may think it's worth 15k, but go build one or find another. Do you really think you can buy a 525hp 911 for 15k!!! This car cost 19.5k 2 years ago with the stock engine in it. It has low mileage and is in great condition.

It's quite entertaining just how 'marmite' my car is. There seems to be no middle ground. It does bug me how people seem to 'know' more about my own car than me.

Any questions, please fire away. I note there are quite a few inaccuracies in the PH article. And it's a stock bumper, with RS vents cut into it.
Mark.

[unclemark123]

lotuslover69 said:

Bound to have issues with something like this and most garages wont go near it when it does break down.

Complete and utter tosh

[unsprung]

unclemark123 said:

It's my car guys.

To clarify a few points:

All the COG comments - believe me, it's been pushed to the limit on track - there is bu**er all difference before and after handling wise. This engine runs the AC compressor (heavy) and alternator (heavy) much lower than the flat 6. ~The crank remains in the same place as the flat 6, the majority of the weight.

Every bug/flaw has been ironed out - it really is turn key, ready to go.

All the comments that its worth 15k - PMSL, you may think it's worth 15k, but go build one or find another. Do you really think you can buy a 525hp 911 for 15k!!! This car cost 19.5k 2 years ago with the stock engine in it. It has low mileage and is in great condition.

It's quite entertaining just how 'marmite' my car is. There seems to be no middle ground. It does bug me how people seem to 'know' more about my own car than me.

Any questions, please fire away. I note there are quite a few inaccuracies in the PH article. And it's a stock bumper, with RS vents cut into it.
Mark.

Outstanding. A bespoke high-performance machine.

PH user "Yacht Broker" is probably on to something, further above, when he comments the conservative character of the market. But that just makes the sale more of a fun puzzle; the right buyer, somebody who appreciates this particular car, will show up.

It'll be a pleasure to see any updates from you, here.