e996

this thread is not about Yorkshire 996's; you can click back out of it now if tats what you were hoping for... :floor: So, lets paint this forward; 5 years down the road from here and the climate situation is making fuel expensive and the eCar pressure has been ramped up several notches. You've just driven to work in your P&J Daily, or had a blast along your favourite backroad to put another big smile on your face – but disaster strikes and the engine squits itself. Its time for a rebuild and your about to contact Hartech ... Or do you. Would anyone consider, instead, ripping out the expired, dead, heart of the old girl, and dropping in an electric motor and battery set up – gives you 'clean/green' driving and a new lease of life for says another 10-15 years... Anyone heard of anyone ever converting a 911 to electric...?? I know there's an episode of Wheeler Dealers where Brewer finds a Maserati that's had an electric engine dropped in it – why not a 911...?? Before anyone sends the 911-Gestapo round to take my knee caps out, I'm just trying to provoke a conversation. THAT'S ALL!!! :grin: Osh (tin hat mode: ON)

I wouldn't. The engine is a big part of the soul of the car. MC

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...IwCXoECAgQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0v41dQM0H1jNux1EJvHRsL

It would be an absolute non starter in my view Osh!! You could follow the cheap and cheerful 'milk float' tech which I understand was the WD Masterati approach, or the Hi tech modern tech approach. Both approaches would carry significant weight penalties and the significant weight would mostly be over / beyond the rear wheels resulting in terrible handling. The WD version had a terrible range if I remember correctly, so is really a non starter. The best option would be using modern battery tech and motors. They would be prohibitively expensive and present a packaging nightmare if similar range to petrol was to be achieved with a sensible recharge rate; and would be the heaviest 911 ever, requiring significant suspension rework!! Not only that, it would be difficult to package the batteries at floor level to aid handling!! I read the article where Jaguar were 'trying' to rebirth the e-type using I- Pace innards, and they would have to sell them at £300k!! Their speed matched the 1960's original version, but the weight was a real problem for the suspension and handling to disguise compared to the 'lightweight' original. Harry made this look cool on his wedding day though!! It's a thought that has often crossed my mind, but I can't really see it happening if a sensible range is to be achieved. PS, was in Hartech this morning dropping my car off for its service. Didn't see any electric motors on the benches!!

It's not as simple as people think. A mate of mine has converted a Smart car to an EV. Great idea until you want the Government to recognise it as a road legal EV. It's turned into a right headache for him trying to sort it out. Add that to all the other headaches he's had to overcome with regards to retro-fitting an electric motor into a car designed to accommodate an ICE. Cost him a fortune and he may as well have not bothered.

It'll probably be relatively easy and cheap in 10 yrs. Current EV tech is a bit like an early 90s cellphone.

I find the prospect of EV quite enticing for my everyday car requirement (currently an estate with a 5.4 litre V8), but it doesn't strike me as the right thing for my 996. I'd rather convert it to run on Methanol.

The engine I aquired as a m96 project is exactly as you describe. The engine failed with intermix issues and sold to me. The owner is now converting his 996 tip to electric. The motor is from a leaf and sits neatly between rear driveshafts. Not sure how his project is proceeding or complications being met. Apparently, a whole community doing such things out there. We are a dying breed ....

There's a video on YouTube of an electric converted air cooled targa. In my opinion it's an abomination. The company that did the conversion proudly show off how it now has a boot where that nasty old engine used to be. The frunk... well that now houses about 500kg of batteries. The thing must handle like a pig in high heels. The guy from the company that had done the conversion struck me as being more of an IT/gadget head than someone who understood anything about the pleasure to be had from driving. I'm fully in to having an EV daily. But when it comes to driving for fun I want 3 pedals and loud noises.

Before I bought my 911 I tried to speak to the company that did that Targa conversion - not to convert a 911, but a Citroen DS. I thought that the iron-block 4 played no part of the DS's character, but that wafting around on silent electric power would reinforce said character. However, the company simply never replied to me, which suggested that it's a hobby rather than a business.

I can imagine in about 10 years time (When such conversions become more prevalent and battery / infrastructure has improved from where it is now) I would love the idea of getting a 996C4S as a daily driver. Electric motors front and rear with batteries "Sensibly" distributed. I think that would be great! I'd still want my ICE 3.4 rev monster Carrera 2 parked next to it though (Which will likely be a 3.7 / 3.9 by that stage!)

Agree that the big part of driving enjoyment is in listening to the engine. If the only way to drive it in the future was to convert to EV I would probably just go and buy a Taycan (assuming they drop into an agreeable price range!) I'm watching this series on YouTube at the moment with a Nissan Leaf motor being inserted into a 996, be interesting to see the performance figures but suspect the top speed won't be much over 100mph. https://youtu.be/3FpezUUpSsw Edit: think this is fot0's car?

Yep, that's him alright Good find.

Stopped watching after the annoying bluroscope appeared on the number plates.... Still don't understand why people do this - I mean you don't drive around covering up your number plate do you? :floor:

I have the ability to see through them - Reg is P30 RME :grin: