blown 944

I know this is kind of a silly question, but I was thinking the other night about how much potential is in these cars. I remember back before anyone knee much about the Supra (pre fast and furious) and then the potential became widely known. Obviously we are not going to have the instant recognition, but I wonder if we are in the verge of creating the next very underrated supercar?

Looking at how many people are doing 3.0 liter engines and how many will be following suit it got me to wondering. The other thing that made me think of this is that now there are options available to most anyone to have up to 600 hp tuning.

I'm fairly positive that even with my limited budget I will eventually have a 16v 3.0, 968 trans and the car will run in the 10's. All while remaining a DD. IMO that is close enough for me to consider it close to supra status.

I realize I'm sounding like a youngster here. I have just completely renewed my interest in my car lately. I suppose I have a bit if infatuation with the Supra b/c that is what I sold my Nova race car to get ($$ ended up going to the house, but that's another story)

Your thoughts about how far up the ladder these cars are capable of being?

Also, I remember a short time ago a pretty BA 968 putting the hurt on a few well respected vehicles (another reason for my thoughts in this)

333pg333

Yes and no Sid. I agree with Rob in that the part$ will always keep us separate from this type of potential and therefore the number of people that modify our cars vs the Jap scene is microscopic. There are just too few people and vendors out there for us (and that's paying respect to the ones we are lucky enough to have now), that to achieve even 50% of the power levels of the upper Supras is very rare. However, I have yet to see too many of them on a racetrack and the ones that you do see or hear about are not as fast as a half decently modified 951. So horses for courses.

Having had a few passenger laps last Sunday in Sean's 3L 16v car and it hanging with a 997 Cup Car down the straights, it was a very convincing argument for a full DD road car that can be driven to and from the track and perform very well for what it is.

333pg333

^ These things can be overcome, but we're already starting behind the 8-ball just to catch up to block integrity.

Crackership

It's true that the 951 has a lot of potential, but is it ever going to replace the MK3 Supra, or the Skyline as the "holy grail of little boy's dreams"... no. I mean, sure, there are and will be kids that drool over the 951 (I know, I was one of them), but there will never be the widespread obsession with the 951 like there is with the Supra.

First of all, I don't know off-hand, but I would imagine that there were many more MK3 Supras made than 951's. I know I see them fairly often and I almost never see 951's.

Secondly, like most Japanese cars, it's a lot cheaper to repair/mod than the 951

Third, there's a lot of kids (at least in the states) brought up believing that the only difference between a porcupine and a Porsche is that the porcupine has the ****** on the outside. That stigma, unfortunately, will always be with the 951.

Fourth, and possibly most importantly, the Supra is flashy in a way that the 951 is not. First off, there's that wild, spaceship interior, and then there's that absurd spoiler, and, if it's just not quite wild enough for you, there's an endless supply of ridiculous body kits. The 951 is much more subtle and classy... Here's a good analogy: the 951 is James Bond; a charming, classy, tuxedo wearing, killing machine. The Supra is Hulk Hogan; a shirt-ripping, shouting, rampaging ape swinging from the rafters.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be James Bond when I grew up... but most of the kids I knew wanted to be Hulk Hogan.

It's a different type that loves the 951, and I think our cars and our community are better for it.

xschop

Why not stab a Supra motor and weigh down the rear some?

Tedro951

Dave nails it with "its a different type that loves the 951". Great 25 year old cars that have great handling and decent power with minor mods. Just my opinion, but trying for big HP and a long relationship with these is not for the faint of hear, or wallet.

We can poke fun at hyundai, but 400+ HP Genesis are here, and they do it with little fanfare.

I don't want one. I like the smell, sounds, and headaches that the 951 give me.

Paulyy

IMO i see the 951 as it's own class of car.
It's alot harder to gain alot of power from it then any jap car.
it's easier to make it handle well then most jap cars

It's just a total different type of car

xschop

I thought I saw a gold colored 944-JZ swap....and anybody know what became of this?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...che-944-a.html

86 951 Driver

I still would rather have a nicely built 951 than a Supra. I have been in love with these cars ever since I understood what a car was. They are a potent package. At times I have gotten mad, but I have to say that the car is 25 years old and still runs, and runs pretty good. They aren't as fast as a new corvette, but from what I have heard you do some mods and a little suspension refresh and they are up there.

Supra's especially the MK4 just have a huge aftermarket. You can't compete with that. We have Lindsey Racing, Vitesse, and Rogue Tuning. So not a huge array of parts are avaliable not even close to the Supra. These cars are more to maintain and modify.

minho78

Yes, if you do the following.

lart951

Sid, I like you just lay off the pipe a little.

schip43

Yep you need to pick your battles. To start, I haven't looked but pretty sure that what it will cost to build a 3.0 16 valve motor will buy you a Supra!

My little Terk will be running 11's when I get it's 4efte in it and parts for it are expensive compared to a Honda! Cheap compared to the P car but not Honda prices! The 951 is just not a good platform for quarter mile stuff.

Best bet would be a V8 swap, pick a power goal and grab a Summit Racing catalog! But you'd still have the tranny to deal with and I don't see it holding up to 10 sec passes?

As for changing the tranny out? Well that and a 3 liter build will most assuredly be Supra money!

Need to pick your battles get a Supra or an Older Mustang 85 up and drop a 460 in it and call it day! No law says you have to have one car!

alxdgr8

If I ever blow up the 2.5L I am definitely going Audi 20V I5....those motors are much more "supra-like" than the Porsche I4.

lart951

the 951 will never(NEVER) be a supra, it can't be done

User 52121

I definitely do NOT think so.

400rwhp in a MkIV Supra is the STARTING point. New downpipe, some extra boost, and you're there. 450hp isn't too far off, and 600hp is a turbo change away. Supras became so popular because of the ease in which they made BIG power, and the fact that they were not well known in the street racing community (so they were a sort of a secret weapon money maker for a while.) Plus it made 400+hp accessible to your average idiot. Pick up a ratted out '93-'94 for $18k (back in the early 2000s), throw a $600 downpipe on it, a HKS FCD box, and add a boost controller, and you had a solid mid-low 12-second ride (if you could drive) that could show it's taillights to most (even bolt-on equipped) Mustangs, Corvettes, and F-bodies on the street.

Now the bar is raised. New performance cars (Mustang/Camaro/Corvette, the BMW turbo-6's, etc), off the showroom floor, are 400+hp and run 12s out of the box (with some extreme examples, like the GT-R, running 11s box-stock!) Throw a few basic mods (chip/tune, exhaust/headers, etc.) and they're in the 11s (or faster if you started off with a GT-R for example.) In order to be the "next underrated supercar" it would really need to be what the Supra was in the 90s/early 00's - capable of hanging with, or going faster than, your average new, respected "fast" sports/muscle car. So that means, for today, 11-second capable with relative ease and for little mod money. That's definitely NOT going to happen with the 951.

Your average 951 - exhaust, chip, boost controller running reasonable boost (~15-16psi), with a decent driver, and a good launch - my bet: mid 13s. That's not even fast enough to consistently outrun a box-stock Camaro SS in the 1/4.