The amazing increase in Porsche prices over the past decade has left many Porsche fans in despair—especially the ones who haven’t picked up a Porsche yet. Even rough 924 Porsches are going for ridiculous prices at the moment. Of all the Porsches built, the long-running 911 series seems to have the most fans. Considered “a real Porsche” by the zealots because of its flat-six hanging out behind the rear tires, the 911 seems to have increased the most in price of all but the older 356 Porsches. So, what do you do if you want a 911 but don’t have the deep pockets required for a pristine example? Well, reader Chuck F. has found for you what could charitably be called a compromise vehicle. This 1977 Porsche 911S Targa is currently missing the fabled flat-six. In its place is a small-block Chevrolet V-8. To further complicate matters, this car comes with no title. Are you still with us Porsche fans?
The story of this car is heartbreaking if you love 911s. The seller tells us that this 1977 Porsche 911 S has been off the road for years and that they have made no attempt to start it. Why? Well, that is a long story. This Porsche was and is a project car of some sort. Instead of the flat-six out back, you have a small block Chevrolet V-8 under the rear hatch courtesy of a Renegade Hybrids conversion kit. Being water-cooled, you need a radiator and some airflow over it. On this car, the radiator and cooling fans are sitting in the front trunk, uninstalled, with no obvious way to get air to it.
To add to the hijinks, this car has been treated to (cursed with maybe) a wide body kit with a whale tail spoiler and a later model Porsche lookalike front end. While the wide-body part in the rear appears to be fully installed and blended in, the front bumper panel is unfinished. The rear bumper frame is there, but it does not have a cover installed. It is also hard to tell if the car’s finish is damaged from sitting under a cover and/or baking in the sun or if the paint is a rattle-can job.
Another issue is the lack of a title. We are told that this car is being sold with a bill of sale only. The seller also lets us know that it can be used as a track car, or some companies can assist you in getting a title. While some states do not issue titles after a certain number of years, it seems like South Carolina is not one of them. You have to wonder what the deal is on the title. Is this an old gray market car that never got the proper paperwork? Is there a lien on the original title that has not been satisfied? Is it the Porsche from the movie Bachelor Party? Or is it a bit warm to the touch…
So, what do you do with such a car? If you could get past the title issues, then ditching the iron block currently in the car and finishing this out as a high-horsepower LS block sleeper would be fun. It is hard to think of a Porsche as a sleeper, but the acceleration would be incredible if you could get all that power to the wide tires without breaking traction or the transmission. As a track car, you have to wonder if it would be allowed at Porsche Club of America track days. You would be in a Porsche, but they probably wouldn’t take kindly to the howl of a Chevy V-8 as it blows past. Either way, it is going to cost a whole lot of folding money to make this one perfect. Yet we have all gone down rabbit holes lined with money with a smile on our faces and a song in our hearts.
If you would like to have a project car that makes Porsche purists wince in pain, or if you want a car to return to its divinely original state, then this 1977 Porsche 911 Targa is for sale on Facebook Marketplace in Conway, South Carolina. The asking price for this interesting vehicle is $20,000.
If this Porsche were in your driveway, what would you do with it? If you were spending someone else’s money, how would you proceed? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
The link to the Facebook ad was inactive.
The engine swap was a product of its time. They made sense when these cars weren’t worth much, especially with a bad engine, without the swap many of these cars would have been junked and parted out. I knew someone that did the same thing in the mid-80’s with a 930 that had a blown engine. I ran into him a few years ago and he still had it but was parked due to California’s emissions testing protocol.
The problem is with the title, if that can be remedied and the body of the car is in good shape it will likely make a good project for someone that wants a 911 but doesn’t care about originality.
Steve R
The sbc could be fun in a redneck “hold my beer” kind of way, plus it would upset my uptight neighbor who is in the Porsche club. The no title makes this a hard no for me
One doesn’t have to be “ in the Porsche club” to be upset by this. It’s simply incongruent to drop an American, water-cooled V8 in a 911. What’s next, a hayabusa in a Corvette? Just because you can doesn’t mean you should…
We’ve been doing it to 911’s since the early 70’s. Hot Rod Magazine ran an article about swapping in a Olds Toronado 455 drivetrain in one. Good times!
If they never put a Ford V8 into an AC Cobra, or a Sunbeam, or a TVR. MY my the list goes on…. Innovators should always try, that’s what we do. Sometimes you hit a homerun, sometimes you don’t.
$20,000? It’s worth about $2,000 with the V8 in it.
In this case, Porsche abuse is almost as bad as child abuse.
Obtain paperwork, get it running. Drive it to the s port Cars & Coffee meet & pop the hatch. Watch purist heads explode. A perfect Saturday morning…
For the right price swap in a Subaru flat six turbo and at least keep in the spirit of the thing. Twenty grand, hard no. What I’d like to know is how they mated an SBC to a trans axle. Even more interesting, the post above about a 455 Olds Toronado swap? What the what? Now I know what my web surfing will be.
The Olds Toronado swap was done in the early 70s. Used the complete Olds 455, transmission and diff.
The engine was in the back seat area- like the Crown V8 conversions for Corvair, giving a true mid engine car.
The article I read had photos, and the engine cover in the rear seat area was disguised with hollowed out luggage to disguise it. Look through the windows and you’d see some suitcases.
The article also mentioned removing some lead ballast from the front of the car. I assume it was a short WB 911.
Disclaimer: I read that article 30 odd years ago, so I may be wrong on some aspects.
Hi, I also read that article in a Magazine of `car converions` back in the day, in fact I may still have it. Now the search begins. ha.
The only thing I like about this Porsche is, its not mine! Only a fool would with more money that brains would buy this.
Ruined it.
Love to see what would happen if you lifted off the gas on that iron block in a corner… Widowmaker
I doubt it’s a grey area import. Has the US spec headlights.