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Porsche is a brand synonymous with some of the best sports cars in the world. That said, there are people out there who enjoy modifying their cars, in order to create something that’s truly theirs. And while aesthetic mods like “smoked” taillights, changing the rims, or adding spoilers are as common as ever, some people go the extra mile and swap the whole drivetrain or even transform their Porsche into a completely different model. With this in mind, these are some of the most successful Porsche conversions ever made.
Porsche 996 to 997 Conversion
The 996 to 997 conversion for the Porsche 911 is, by far, the most common Porsche conversion. It’s a well-known fact that, when it came out, the 996 was quite controversial. This was mostly due to the way it was styled. At the front, earlier 996 models featured the “fried egg” headlights from the more affordable 986 Boxter.
Of course, the most affordable way to “fix” the headlight situation is by simply installing “eyelids” on the 996. However, plenty of specialists are offering full-on 997 conversions for the 996, among which Prior Design and Hamman. If you go with one of their treatments, the entire 996 front end will be replaced with specially retrofitted parts from the 997.
Porsche 996 to First Generation Conversion by Ludic
The second conversion is also based on the 996 and is being executed by “Ludic” – a Porsche shop based in Spain. The shop has put in many hours, transforming the 996 into a classic 911. The car includes wider fenders, a more aggressive front end, a rear inspired by the iconic RSR model from the 1970s, and period-correct Fuchs rims. The people from Ludic added 7 inches to the length, to ensure the proportions are correct.
The team has shared their progress on their Instagram and Facebook pages. Given the current prices of classic Porsche 911s and what a 996 goes for, this is the most affordable way to get yourself a classic Porsche 911, or at least a car that looks like one.
Porsche Boxster Shooting Brake Conversion
The Porsche 986 Boxster is, without a doubt, a capable performer. However, it’s not exactly a practical car. Of course, that’s not the point, but if, for some reason, you want your Boxster to be more usable, a Dutch company called Van Thull Development can make that happen.
The company focuses on composite bodywork and together with Fontys Minor Motorsport Engineering, and they’ve created a more practical, but still sporty version of the 986 Boxter. A lot of off-the-shelf parts have been used to keep the cost to a minimum, but you could never tell, by looking at the perfect execution.
The doors are from a 996 Porsche 911, while the front fascia looks like it has been taken straight off the 997 GT3. At the back, you’ll notice the Porsche 991 taillights and a GT3 rear bumper with a dual center exhaust tip.
Porsche 993 Turbo to 959 Conversion
Porsche 959 is one of the most distinctive models of the German brand.
The rear-engine 1980s supercar briefly held the title “Fastest production road car”, with a top speed of 197 mph (317 km/h), although some variants were capable of 211 mph (339 km/h).
Because of 959’s advanced tech (for the time) and how few were made – 337 – a real 959 would set you back at least $1.0 million.
Because of this, well-executed conversions like the one here make sense. The car started life as a 1995 Porsche 993 Turbo S and it retains all the original drivetrain components. For some reason, the car makes 359 horsepower, which indicates that the fake 959 is powered by the 964 Turbo 3.6 unit.
Back in 2017, the car was said to be located in Spain. At the time, the 959 replica costs $335,000. Although much cheaper than a real 959, it still doesn’t justify butchering a perfectly good 993 Turbo S, even if the execution was top-notch.
Porsche 959 to 959 Convertible Conversion
We already mentioned that the Porsche 959 was built in 337 copies only, including the 37 prototype cars. One of the lucky guys that managed to get his hands on one was Jürgen Lässig – a German Porsche racing driver. Sadly, there was an accident in 1998, involving that same 959 and an Audi 80, resulting in damage of the side and roof of the German supercar.
Luckily, the car was not written off. Auto Becker bought the wreck, repaired it, and in the process, removed the hardtop altogether, replacing it with a soft convertible top. At some point, a US car collector took interest in the car, after it was displayed at the Frankfurt Auto Show.
The conversion itself involved the usage of lightweight materials, which is why the 959 Convertible can still hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.9 seconds on its way to 197 mph (317 km/h),
with the appropriate structural enhancements no doubt.. One of the car’s unusual features is the interchangeable windshield. You can swap the regular one for a speedster-type. Auto Becker also took care of the original hardtop, which is being kept in a wooden box.
Despite plenty of work going into restoring and converting the 959, the powertrain was left unchanged. The one-off Porsche 959 Convertible is still equipped with the original 2.9-liter twin-turbo flat-six, which makes 444 horsepower.
Porsche 987 Boxster to 911 GT3 RS (991) Conversion
From every angle, this looks like a 991-generation Porsche 911 GT3 RS. What you probably don’t know is that there is a 2005 Porsche 987 Boxster hiding under there. Although impersonating a supercar is frowned upon by many, you cannot neglect the amount of work and level of execution of this ambitious project. The conversion was done by Facebook user Paul Lucas, who revealed the car through a post in the Facebook group “Modified Porsches”.
Except for the doors, nothing remained from the 987’s original body, as most of it has been replaced by handmade components. The conversion doesn’t finish with the exterior, however. Paul also touched the interior, where the upper part of the dashboard has been replaced with one from a 997. The steering wheel also comes from a 997.
The GT3 RS replica also features a DIY nose lift kit and BC coil-overs. The DIY specialist also installed bigger brakes, which hide behind 20-inch alloy wheels.
The creator of this beautiful conversion shared that he is interested more in the aesthetics rather than the performance aspect of the car.
The car still has the original 2.7-liter flat-six with 240 horsepower, which still provides adequate performance.
As far as conversions go, this has to be one of the most well-executed ones out there. What’s even more impressive is that all that work was executed, not by a specialized company, but in-house by someone with a passion for DIY and the desire to create something unique.
