This Porsche 944 received an All-American heart transplant, and it’s amazing.
This video, which comes to us from the redGSRguy YouTube channel, is an unusual one in that it does not feature a General Motors product. Instead, we bring you a Porsche 944, which has had its low-performance engine removed and replaced with a turbocharged LS1. Unfortunately, there are no details accompanying this video, so we don’t know anything about the engine or the forced induction setup, but it isn’t hard to tell from watching the video that this is a well-built LS1 making some serious power.
The video begins by showing the LS1 Porsche 944 making a quarter mile run from behind and after a short burnout, it stages and rips off an impressive 9.30 run. From that view, it is kind of hard to get a good look at the pass, but the second clip offers a much better look of the LS1 944 in action, with the cameraman stationed alongside the track.
After another short burnout, the turbocharged, LS1-powered Porsche 944 eases to the line against a much louder sport compact which sounds like it is powered by a boosted 4-cylinder. That other car dies around half-track, but based on the starting line advantage, it wouldn’t have mattered, as the Porsche got out to a big lead and laid down a 9.59 at 149 miles per hour.
The video ends with a closer look at the engine bay, showing how tightly the turbocharged LS1 fits in the engine bay of the old Porsche 944. Considering the sluggish performance of the 944 in stock form, this turbocharged LS1 might make this Porsche of the quickest and most exciting of its kind, so crank up your speakers and enjoy!
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
