Fancy Buying An LT1-Swapped Porsche 944?

Corvette LS and LT swaps may be a dime a dozen in the US, but seeing them in the UK is a relative rarity – even more so in something as tasty as this Porsche 944 Turbo we have here. More exciting still, it’s heading to auction.

As you may have figured, this 1989 944 Turbo drops the turbo, with its 2.5-litre four-pot swapped out in favour of a Chevy LT1 V8. The 5.7-litre engine was sourced from a 1995 C4 Corvette and appears to be close to stock, with the exception of a new ECU, a custom radiator (presumably to get it to fit into the Porsche’s engine bay) and exhaust.

Porsche 944 Turbo V8, rear

A base C4 at the time would be putting out 300bhp, though the seller claims around 330bhp for this car. With a full engine rebuild undertaken in 2019, and just 6,000 miles covered since then, it’d be fair to assume few ponies have been lost and it makes for a respectable bump over the 237bhp the 944 left the factory with. Power is sent through a five-speed manual gearbox.

It’s unclear when the V8 was fitted, though the car has covered 168,127 since new although most of those came early in its life, covering around 14,000 miles in the last 18 years.

Porsche 944 Turbo V8, LT1 engine

According to the seller, the LT1 doesn’t add any additional weight to the car although we find that hard to believe. Regardless, the chassis has been reworked to help make the most of its American heart. Koni M030 dampers have been fitted, along with uprated Brembo discs and pads.

You’ll spot this pretty special Guards Red 944 apart from any normal version with a few visual tweaks as well. The new bonnet scoop and catches are a bit of a giveaway to this being more than your average 944, as do the new fixed headlights in place of the pop-ups. 17-inch wheels have been sourced from a Boxster.

Porsche 944 Turbo V8, side 3/4

As we’re writing this, bidding on the Collecting Cars listing sits at £1,000. We’ll presume by the time you’re reading this, that figure has increased remarkably.