“The drive unit was put on a dyno and got to 600 BHP,” says Kit Lacey, “then it overheated the dyno!” Well, then that Porsche is probably powerful enough!
Kit is understandably proud of the work he does at eDub Services in the UK, converting an iconic 1977 Porsche 911 to electric power. Some will call it sacrilege, but hey, the customer sold the original engine to help pay for this conversion, so another 911 owner is happy too. That makes two happy 911 owners. Everybody wins.
Photo by Kit Lacey, eDub services
The Porsche 911 is equipped with a Tesla Model S performance drive unit capable of over 600 brake horsepower, paired with a 54 kWh battery pack for up to 322 km (200 miles) of range. This powerhouse is also featuring a rapid CCS charging system that can fill it up (almost) in under 1 hour. All designed and built in house at eDub HQ in North Yorkshire, UK.
Photo by Kit Lacey, eDub services
It’s a customer vehicle, but — as was the case with eDub’s awesome Golf GTI Mk2 build — now that the design has been completed, it can be repeated into any Porsche 911 S model from 1974 to 1977.
As mentioned this customer sold the original engine to pay for the conversion, but the same pickup points as the original are used so it’s possible to swap back.
Photo by Kit Lacey, eDub services
Weight distribution is the same as the original with a 40/60 front to rear, and it might surprise some that the car is now lighter at 1,356 kg (2,989 pounds) compared to the original 1,440 kg (3,175 pounds)! Acceleration and top speed? Let’s agree that it really does not matter in this case, shall we…
Excluding the car itself, eDub Services is charging £89,000 for this conversion for all the features mentioned, and while that might sound expensive, and obviously is for most people, consider the care taken to preserve the integrity of the original and that it is now a clean and very mean driving machine.
Others, like Everrati, charge more for a build like this because they supply the whole car and apply many more bells and whistles, but hey, you could also just buy a modern Porsche Taycan at a hefty $100,000+ and lose a chunk immediately on depreciation, compared to a classic like the 911 that will appreciate in value provided it enjoys proper care.
In any case, the only thing missing is the sound, and maybe the gearbox, and the smell, and… I get that this kind of work is divisive, but I also think there is plenty of room for both inclinations, and the variations within.
Photo by Kit Lacey, eDub services
Tesla Powered Porsche
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