Weekend Edition – A Porsche 944 with the heart of a Chevy

Jim Brennan

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Welcome to the Sunday Edition of Hooniverse Weekends, as I continue with the tips that our fans keep sending in to the editorial offices. (Makes us sound bigger than we are, right?) Anyway, this tip is from Leo (Thanks Man!) about a Porsche with an LS2 in place of the original 4-Cylinder. Lustworthy or not… only you can answer the question.

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According to the listing:

Over 25k spent on conversion. New ls2 block .Everything for the conversion was bought new including motor accessories. Car is fast and ready for the road or track. Car was originally built for Jeff Gordon at Hendrick Motorsports and you will not find a finer example of a 944.

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The Jeff Gordon claim is highly suspect, but there is no denying that this car seem to be rather well done. Of course, with any Mongrel, there will be a whole host of reliability issues, and the resale of these types of cars is iffy at best, so factor the $15,000 asking price into your desirability equation, knowing all too well that this would be only the start of a very expensive hobby. See the listing here and tell me what you think.

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Jim Brennan

Jim Brennan

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25 responses to “Weekend Edition – A Porsche 944 with the heart of a Chevy”

  1. joshwebster84 Avatar
    joshwebster84

    This is theoretically awesome.

    Reply
  2. smalleyxb122 Avatar
    smalleyxb122

    As if the rear seats weren't useless enough, they are now completely inaccessible. Why not remove them? This car seems to be a list of compromises. I love the idea, but the execution is either too far, or not far enough. I'd love the car if it were a stock-ish 944 with an LS2, or if it were an all-out track monster, but this in-between car isn't for me.

    Reply
    1. dukeisduke Avatar
      dukeisduke

      Leave the graphics off, and put the black mirrors back on.

      Reply
      1. joshwebster84 Avatar
        joshwebster84

        I don't even understand the idea behind the red mirrors. This is like all the ghetto "customs" where any easily-removed parts are rattle-canned some "accent color". It could almost have a mural of the car in some exotic location airbrushed onto the hood.

        Reply
        1. racer139 Avatar
          racer139

          This is exactly why I dont think Jeff Gordon would even look at this car. Its More Ricky Bobby than Jeff Gordon.

          Reply
          1. joshwebster84 Avatar
            joshwebster84

            Nailed it.

    2. joshwebster84 Avatar
      joshwebster84

      Agreed. I'd gut the rest of the interior and lose the 911 wheels for some 15s.

      Reply
    3. curlypaul924 Avatar
      curlypaul924

      It's possible the roll cage can be unbolted to provide access to the rear seats.

      Reply
  3. dukeisduke Avatar
    dukeisduke

    If the car is that great, why is it on CL? And what is the significance of "681"? Also, I'd want documentation proving it was built by Rick Hendrick, and the connection to Jeff Gordon.

    Reply
  4. Rust-MyEnemy Avatar
    Rust-MyEnemy

    I'm afraid I don't like it. As aforementioned it seems rather hafhearted and straigh tout of the Redneck Recipe book for car modifying. The graphics are horrid, the late wheels look out of place (non-Porsche items would look better and fit with the mutant nature of the beast, and the cooling holes in the nose look unevenly spaced.
    All this said, a 944 with a 928 motor swap might be nice, e.g a 944 with two halves of A 928 engine….

    Reply
  5. MVEilenstein Avatar
    MVEilenstein

    I call BS on the Jeff Gordon connection. As much as I dislike Gordon, there's no way he would build a car like this, with its poor attention to detail.

    Reply
  6. nanoop Avatar
    nanoop

    I wonder what the line of thought is for a swap: if you're disappointed by your 944 because of engine failure (usually related closely to erratic maintenance), why don't you sink 5x the car's value into it and convert it to something reliable? I'd rather sink the car's value for a regular overhaul and see where that's going.

    Reply
  7. Dr. Fine Avatar
    Dr. Fine

    While I'm not big on high maintenance cars, half the reason of owning a Porsche, jag or Packard is the engine. I was excited to see a 1959 Packard fastback for sale cheap at a car show, but found the glorious and bullet proof straight 8 had been replaced with a Chevy sb.

    Reply
    1. Dr. Fine Avatar
      Dr. Fine

      Not '59, 1950!

      Reply
    2. nanoop Avatar
      nanoop

      The basic 944 engine isn't high maintenance: four cylinders, 8 valves, no magic. But they are SOME maintenance, and this is something the typical fourth owner tends to neglect: "Why should I change the timing belt, it's running smoothly right now! "
      Turbos, and these crazy 16V are something else, though.

      Reply
  8. CherokeeOwner Avatar
    CherokeeOwner

    It's a Porsche without a Porsche engine. However, it is a Porsche with an easily-repairable engine.
    Color me intrigued. $15,000 is a little too much, though. $10K is a little more reasonable.

    Reply
  9. Sjalabais Avatar
    Sjalabais

    These cars were never particularly beautiful and I know that if I'd ever want a Porsche, I'd want a German one. Or, as others have pointed out, I wouldn't spoil the surprise with decals etc.
    But, as a matter of fact, the only Porsche that has a somewhat usable wagonesque form would in effect catapult me out of the social webbing of my village – and I'd understand everyone who shakes their head and laughs.
    Imho, a two seater gains from being vintage, light and quick. Like a Lotus Elite. Certainly a matter of taste, but that's my 2 ct.

    Reply
  10. joshwebster84 Avatar
    joshwebster84

    Why even put this on the street and worry about maintenance? It would be a fantastic track day beater.

    Reply
  11. njhoon Avatar
    njhoon

    I could build one cheaper and it would be to my taste. I like it but not this one it just isn't my style.

    Reply
  12. BlackIce_GTS Avatar
    BlackIce_GTS

    On top of everything else, all the (directional) wheels are right-sided.
    Or right-sided? Of the stock cars with these wheels showing up in image search, they seem to be evenly split for direction preference.
    The left-side wheels look wrong, anyway.

    Reply
  13. Day Old Bread Avatar
    Day Old Bread

    Talk about your basic 10 lbs. of smeg in a 5 lb. bag. Wonder what the weight distribution numbers are ? If the rear seats are taken out I figure the thing would probably stand on its nose. Look up "understeer" in the dictionary and there's a photo of this dog. This porker needs a flea collar.

    Reply
    1. craigsu Avatar
      craigsu

      The weight distribution numbers are quite good, actually, and this is considered a very good swap for the 944. Check out the following:
      http://renegadehybrids.com/
      I'd do it in a heartbeat if I had the funds. I love Porsches, especially the non-rear-engined ones, but I'm no Porsche purist. The father of one of my friends growing up owned the local Porsche dealership so I got to experience all the new Porsches on a regular basis from 1972-1979.

      Reply
  14. JayP2112 Avatar
    JayP2112

    I know next to nothing about LS engines. Is this one an aluminum block? Does this car use the 944 transaxle?
    A SBC in a 944 is no loss. The 944 chassis was always better than the engine.
    If all the normal 944 crap is attended to- rear hatch delaminating, interior isn't split 50 different ways, I'd pay about what a clean 944 would cost. And take it to HPDEs and laugh all the way around the track.

    Reply
  15. Peter Tanshanomi Avatar
    Peter Tanshanomi

    I'm sure you had cool fun in your garage, bro, so good for you. But what you ended up with has absolutely no reason to exist. I wouldn't pay anything over throw-away beater prices for it, because that's precisely what this is…regardless of what you spent on it.
    And to say this is a Hendrick creation insults Hendrick, and us for thinking we'd believe it.

    Reply
  16. racer139 Avatar
    racer139

    Like I said in an earlier post this car is not a top quality build. But if the engine is a aluminum ls and not a truck engine, and depending on build spec it could be a good deal at say 9500 bones. Id fix the spped holes and the crappy paint and decals get rid of the red gawd awefull interior and add a set of dials. At probably $15 to $17k you could have a real street terror on your hands.

    Reply