Australians turn Porsche 911 into an 883 kW front-engined monster
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Australian companies ShowTime and Repco have built a radically reimagined 911 based on the Porsche 996, retiring its flat-six engine in favour of a front-mounted twin-turbo LSX 427 V8. Named Repco-Mod 933, the project develops more than 883 kW and uses an eight-speed Bentley gearbox.
The engine moves up front
The car is based on a Porsche 911 996, but virtually nothing remains of its original engine layout. A 7.0-litre LSX 427 V8 was installed at the front, with two Turbosmart turbochargers added.
The engine develops more than 883 kW. Power reaches the rear wheels through an eight-speed sequential-shift gearbox sourced from Bentley.
The front end had to be completely rebuilt to accommodate the engine. The cooling system was also moved to the rear, where the original flat-six had been.
The body was largely built by hand
ShowTime spent more than 2,000 working hours on the project. The widened aluminium body consists of more than 280 individually fabricated parts.
The roof, bonnet and doors were made from carbon fibre. The classic 996 headlight shape gave way to round lights, bringing the car’s appearance closer to earlier 911 generations.
The Sandy Taupe paint colour comes from the Toyota Land Cruiser palette.
This is not a restomod in the usual sense
For the Repco-Mod 933, the 911 is more a starting point than a classic to be restored. The engine position, cooling system, drivetrain and much of the body were reworked.
The cabin was fitted with carbon-fibre Recaro bucket seats, a racing steering wheel, a sequential gearshift lever setup and a hydraulic handbrake.
The car is not intended for series production. ShowTime uses it in its stunt and show-car programme and at major automotive events in Australia.
The 996 was well suited to this experiment
The 996 is not the most expensive donor in the 911 world, which is precisely why it is often used as the basis for more extreme projects. The Repco-Mod 933 takes that logic to the extreme, as the car’s most distinctive technical feature—its rear-mounted engine—was removed entirely.
The result is no longer a classic Porsche 911, but a rear-wheel-drive V8 show car with a 911 body, whose technical merit lies primarily in the redesign of the entire layout.
