Unassuming Porsche 911 Packs a Twin-Turbo LS7

Originally fitted with a first generation LS1, this Chevy-powered Porsche ‘Toy-Jet’ now packs a 1,000 horsepower twin-turbo LS7.

Fitting LS engines in the back of Porsches has become quite fashionable lately. However, Clemon Prevost started his project in 1999. There were a lot of neigh-sayers, but in 2000 he made his first LS-powered Porsche quarter-mile run. Since then the car has evolved a nickname, the Toy-Jet, and that nickname became a company.

The Toy-Jet was originally a supercharged 6.8L LS1 with a single intercooler making 735hp. To fit everything in the back of a 1980 911, Toy-Jet Conversions claim they were the first to reverse the intake manifold and avoid the need to cut  body parts.

To get his 427 LS7 to 1,000-hp, Clemon has employed twin-turbos and E85 fuel. Curiously, the twin turbo LS7 weighs 60-lbs less than the original 930 turbo engine. Impressively, the car still runs the original 930 4 speed transaxle to move the power to the wheels.

Solving engine swap problems:

Toy-Jet Conversions Inc is the company that evolved from the initial project. They sell a unique solution to the notorious problem of putting a larger engine than intended into a rear-engine car. For a larger engine to fit, the issue of cooling comes into play. A radiator at the front is the obvious choice, but that’s a whole project of its own. Moving the gas tank, cutting out the trunk space and relocating the battery is no small feat. Then hoses have to move the coolant all the way from the front of the car to the rear.

Toy-Jet solved that problem with one of their patented pieces of engineering. They make a radiator wing to install on the back of the car. It’s a few inches longer and a few inches taller than a wing you would expect to see on a factory 911, however, it’s an elegant solution. Most importantly, it takes just a few hours to install.

Swapping LS engines into Porsches has traditionally been a difficult job, but with research and finding the right solutions, it’s far from unrealistic these days.

Ian Wright

Ian Wright has been a professional writer for two years and is a regular contributor to Corvette Forum, Jaguar Forum, and 6SpeedOnline, among other auto sites.

His obsession with cars started young and has left him stranded miles off-road in Land Rovers, being lost far from home in hot hatches, going sideways in rallycross cars, being propelled forward in supercars and, more sensibly, standing in fields staring at classic cars. His first job was as a mechanic and then trained as a driving instructor before going into media production.

The automotive itch never left though, and he realized writing about cars is his true calling. However, that doesn’t stop him from also hosting the Both Hand Drive podcast.

Ian can be reached at bothhanddrive@gmail.com