5CHN3LL

He's got $50K into the car, so it must be worth $50K...

Ahsai

Wow, that TT engine is a smoking deal!

dcdrechsel

I would think the LSX option to be very viable in Australia .The LSX is a very popular engine with strong local support .With the exception of the bell housing adapter and flywheel all the other parts should be available locally . It would not be too expensive to shoot for 750 hp .The one area that still needs a cost effective solution is gearing .The m96 transaxle is not optimum for a big torque/ horsepower engine -it's just too low (numerically high)

alpine003

OP should look for ex Holden Commodore race car engine from the V8 Supercar series.

Macster

I've seen Turbos with the engine removed. The packaging Porsche has done to fit the Turbo engine with all the large diameter intake plumbing, exhaust plumbing, and intercoolers and the rest -- A/C lines, A/C cooled fuel cooler, fuel filter, etc. -- is amazing.

I believe attempting to fit a Turbo engine into a N/A car is very likely to end badly.

You might find someone who's done it and if you can learn of the gotchas and how these were addressed/handled that might be of some value.

The intercoolers are important as they remove quite a bit of heat from the incoming intake charge -- which is compressed and heated as the result. These need air flow and you can see how Porsche managed to get then into the air flow yet locate them down and out of the way.

The aerodynamics of the Turbo is amazing, too. I've driven my Turbo in very high ambient temperatures -- 118F -- and even when pushing it (165mph) -- the car remained quite cool and composed. The engine runs cool with a very stable coolant temperature even in very high ambient heat due in no small part to how well when moving air flows through the radiators (3 of them I might mention), through the intercoolers and last but not least through the engine compartment to remove the substantial amount of heat that the "miles" of exhaust tubing emit (and those very hot turbos).

There is always the exception but generally one is better buying his high(er) performance Porsche in the form of a higher performance model. IOWs, swapping a N/A 996 for a Turbo. Trying to make a "Turbo" out of a 996 N/A car even with a Turbo engine as a starting point is probably as I said above is likely to end badly.

If I wanted a brute of a car I'd try to find a car that started out as a brute to begin with. Like a Viper or possibly a Corvette or possibly -- I haven't followed these -- a Ford Mustang. Or pick up a late model Pontiac GTO. I had a 2006 example. The car came with a 6.0l 400hp V8 and the engine is relatively easy to mod and hop up and not super expensive/exotic. I left mine stock but many owners go crazy.

For a more recent car look into a Dodge Challenger R/T with a Scat Pack. 6.4l V8 with 485hp. Heavy duty 6-speed or IIRC you can get one with a 7 or 8 speed automatic.

I've been toying with buying one of these Challengers. Would have bought one back in early 2015 in fact but I got rehired and have been so busy with work haven't had time to shop cars. Probably for the best.