This is not the first time that we have dealt here with “engine swaps”, or engine swaps, in which in the engine compartment of a car we find something that simply shouldn't be there. Whether it's a 2JZ-GTE, a Toyota Supra inline six in a Rolls-Royce, a V8 Ferrari in a Toyota GT86, or the blaring F20C of the Honda S2000 in a discreet Mercedes-Benz C-Class — all of them impressive and to some, heretical.
But what we bring you today is, without a doubt, the ultimate heresy. This one Porsche 911 , in canary yellow, is powered not by the revered six-cylinder boxer, but by a V8(!) — a big, very American “good old vee eight”. By rubbing salt into the wound, it is a General Motors LS6 , which equipped the Chevrolet Corvette (C5) Z06.
The owner of this fusion between the most iconic of European sports and the heart of one of the most iconic North American sports is Mr Bob Radke. Also a professional in the tuning world himself, he bought, for very little money, this Porsche 911 S from 1975. In place of the six-cylinder boxer there was only one empty space — no wonder it cost him so little.
Fill the void, the american way…
The void had to be filled, but Radke wasn't looking for the 175 hp (slightly less in the US) 2.7-liter boxer six-cylinder original 911 S. The result is what's in sight, and even then, it's not all you had to do was put a huge V8 in the back of the 911 — this too received some “dust”.
The GM LS6 is a 5.7 l V8 delivering, in the Corvette Z06, about 411 hp and 542 Nm. Despite being more than double what the 911 S originally delivered, Bob Radke, through Westech Performance, modified the engine — the stroke has been extended, new intake and exhaust manifolds, new inverted cooling system, new injectors and larger fuel lines —, causing the total capacity to rise to 6.3 l, as well as the power and torque numbers to rise significantly up to 611 hp and 736 Nm.
Does it fit?
Fitting this monster to the rear of the Porsche 911 S was surprisingly easier than you might think. The V8 “small block” or small block — ironic name, no? — from GM is a push rod with just two valves per cylinder. This means that the camshaft, which controls the valves, is not located in the cylinder head, above the cylinder bank, but between the two V-bends of the engine. This results in an extremely compact V8, shorter and narrower than other V8s, and also lighter.
Bob Radke turned to Renegade Hybrids, which specializes in putting V8s into Porsches, to accomplish the task—yes, this is not unique. There are more 911 out there with Corvette V8s, see the Renegade Hybrids website.
Incredibly, the V8 not only fit, without the need to structurally adapt the 911's rear section, they managed to take advantage of the original support points — reverting this 911 S to its original configuration in the future, with a six-cylinder boxer, will not be a headache.
But what about the weight? A V8 shouldn't do anything with the 911's delicate weight distribution. But oddly enough, this 911 S V8 is slightly lighter (14 kg) than the original 911 S 2.7, and with the favored weight distribution “1 a 2%,” according to Radke.
The gearbox comes from a Porsche 930 — the first 911 Turbo — which means just four speeds; the axle shafts were reinforced and the wheels are from BW Motorsport, wrapped in Toyo Proxes R1R tyres.
Heresy or not, the truth is, this 911 roars like a Corvette, and the sound emanating from it is intoxicating. According to Hagerty, the video's author, reports that, since filming, this 911 S V8 has already received some changes — it was lowered and received new front bushings, able to make better use of more than 600 hp of pure American muscle.