Weapons grade versus more subtle 914/6 builds Options

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So it certainly appears if one uses BAT as a reference point that weapons grade 914/6 builds have been fully excepted as “worthy” the Porsche market.

Nearly all of those builds, however, have been high dollar endeavors, and while highly impressive machines many of them seem a bit compromised for actual road use or touring.

Any thoughts on where 3.0 and 3.2 L builds that are not taken to the max now trade?

[davehg]

I have one build under my belt, a 3.2, and another now underway, a 2.7 twin plug. There is no way I will come out ahead on either one as I am paying to have the work done, and I am a bit of a perfectionist in making sure things are done right, which always cost.

Wise advise in this thread to buy someone else’s Completed conversion if your goal is coming out well financially. Both of mine will collectively top $100k by the time I’m done but hey - I’ll have two awesome cars to play with. But I would not spend the $$$ to do a 3.6 or 3.8 as it makes more fiscal sense to buy one that someone else has done properly and save the cost and time.

The 914 conversions are now completely acceptable in the Porsche world. Sure, a pure 914-6 is highly prized, and many still turn their nose up at Renegade and Subaru Conversions, but who cares? It helps when RGruppe co-founder Freeman Thomas has a -6 3.2 conversion, and Porsche pop stars like Magnus Walker have been adding several Teeners to their collections.

While I am still underwater, at least I got in before it got completely insane I guess. I had these built for me to my tastes but with some eye towards keeping them in the Porsche GT mold, but it’s my money and I sorta kinda don’t give a rats ass what purists or others think, though I do get high fives from those I respect.

Do it for you, and don’t worry about what anyone else thinks (except your missus when she finds out what you really spent).

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[horizontally-opposed]

…it makes more fiscal sense to buy one that someone else has done properly and save the cost and time.

The 914 conversions are now completely acceptable in the Porsche world.

Do it for you, and don’t worry about what anyone else thinks (except your missus when she finds out what you really spent).

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) with all of the above.

Suspect we may see a day—or are already there—where the six conversions are more acceptable to many Porsche enthusiasts than (newly) modified real 914-6s. I like modified cars, so I never have and still don't care if someone modifies the cars, but I am not sure I'd be able to bring myself to do it to a really nice original car anymore—no matter what year or engine.

The cool thing is that the Porsche market makes space for hot rods—and I think there are a lot of us who would rather have a hot-rod 914-6—whether mild or wild—than a dead-stock concours car even if respect the survivors and understand why they will always pull top dollar. I view them as permission slips. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

It kind of begs the question--with the massive up surge in the parts required to do conversions where that will drive the market.
10-15 years ago you could convert a 4 to a 6 for "reasonable" money... not so much now, donor engines that used to be well under 10k in running condition are now being listed at $20-30k... a number that probably exceeds total cost to do a good quality conversion from a decade back.

This also resonates. A number of the parts used for my conversion were a lot more attainable when I started the process in 2010~, but there are other tipping points as well—age of these engines as well as increased mileage as well as increased interest/buyer pool. Was speaking with an engine builder recently, who mentioned one of the "weapons grade" 911 engine builders now starts at $75k for a "big block" 911 engine (3.5-40, I am guessing?), and won't touch mag cases anymore—because the latter aren't engine rebuilds...they're engine restorations now.

We are beyond lucky to have the cottage industry of parts suppliers that we do for so many of the parts needed for these cars, whether for stock, modified, or conversions. And I'll include non-Porsche engine conversion parts in that equation.