Key highlights:
- ShowTime has spent more than 1,800 hours on the 996
- Its LS V8 sits under the front bonnet
- Twin turbos will send power to the rear wheels
Plenty of Porsche 911s have already received V8s around the world, but an Australian build is taking the concept much further. ShowTime founder Gary Reid is transforming a 996-generation 911 into what is claimed to be the first front-engined V8-powered 911, with more than 1,800 hours already invested in the ambitious project.
A 996 with a completely new look
The mentioned project started with a relatively ordinary 996-generation 911, but its exterior now looks radically different.
Reid’s company, ShowTime, has built a custom body kit inspired by the 997-generation 911, and its makeover includes:
- New headlight clusters
- Bespoke front bumper
- Front splitter and canards
- Wide front and rear flared arches
- Large rear diffuser
- Tall rear wing with a Le Mans-inspired shark fin
- Bespoke diffuser
The flared arches and other major body components have been hand-fabricated from aluminium.
ShowTime is known for heavily modified drift and stunt cars that regularly appear at selected rounds of Australia’s Supercars Championship, and this 911 is one of the company’s most ambitious builds so far, though it remains unfinished.
An LS V8 now sits up front
ShowTime has fitted suspension and brake components from a Porsche 911 Cup Car to the front end, and it has also installed a new firewall and custom cross-member to make room for the LS V8 engine under the front bonnet. That completely changes the 911’s traditional layout.
| Detail | ShowTime 996 |
|---|---|
| Base car | Porsche 996-generation 911 |
| Engine | 7.0-litre LSX V8 crate |
| Turbochargers | Twin turbo |
| Power output | ~900kW |
| Transmission | ZF 8HP 8-speed AT from Bentley |
| Engine location | Front |
| Drive type | Rear-wheel drive |
| Build time so far | >1,800 hours |
The 911 is rear-engined, but this project moves the engine to the front, creating what Reid says is the first front-engined V8 911 in existence. The V8 is upgraded with two turbochargers, with its power sent to the rear wheels, and Reid expects the finished engine to produce enough power to make a standard 911 GT3 blush.
Also read: Australia-bound 2027 Honda Civic Type R revealed in the US
A lowball offer sparked the build
The idea for this project reportedly came from a surprisingly simple exchange. Reid had initially listed the 996 for sale when someone sent him a lowball message claiming he couldn’t fit an LS engine into the car.
Instead of dismissing the challenge, Reid took it as motivation, and that message ultimately turned an ordinary 996 into an unfinished, twin-turbo V8-powered Porsche unlike any other.
The 996’s important Porsche history
The 996-generation 911 was produced globally from 1997 to 2005, powered by a 3.4-litre flat-six and a 3.6-litre engine, and brought a major mechanical change to the iconic sports car.
It became the first 911 to abandon air cooling, replacing it with an all-new water-cooled flat-six as global emissions and noise regulations grew stricter.
The 996 also has a strong connection to Australian motorsport royalty through Jim Richards, as he famously campaigned a 2002 996 Turbo to victory in the gruelling Targa Tasmania tarmac rally.
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