German Speed Metal:</br>A Time Attacking Porsche 944 Turbo
Challenge accepted

There are many ways cars find their way to the World Time Attack Challenge, but it was an unplanned, off track excursion into the wall at turn one of Sydney Motorsport Park that became the catalyst for what was arguably the coolest debut at this year’s event.

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In a sea of late model Nissan Skyline GT-Rs and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions, this 27-year old Porsche 944 Turbo definitely wasn’t hard to miss.

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The unique build is the work of Paul McKinnon and his small, but highly talented team at Evolution Custom Industries (ECi). Although bikes and rods are the mainstay of the company, Paul’s one of those guys with the skill, knowledge and talent to be able to turn his hand to pretty much anything in the automotive realm. Seriously cool time attack machines obviously included.

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If it wasn’t for Patrick Garvan’s (the 944’s owner) misfortune on that high speed left-hander, it’s hard to know if we’d be here today taking a closer look at this evil creation. Why? Because prior to the incident on that fateful day in April 2012, the build revolved around a machine that could do double duty on the street and circuit. In other words, something much more timid than the 944 you’re looking at right now.

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In the months following the crash, the Porsche sat on a hoist in the ECi workshop and was chipped away at whenever the opportunity allowed. That was until April this year, when Patrick decided it was time to get serious. The plan: an all-out Open class entry in the 2013 Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge.

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From that moment until the event, Paul had at least one of his guys working on the car full-time. As October, and the date with the 3.9-kilometer GP Circuit drew nearer, three of them were pulling 60-hour weeks apiece to ensure it was completed on schedule. Looking around the 944, it’s definitely not hard to see where the time went.

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Starting with more of a conventional time attack base would have made the job a whole lot easier of course, but this build was as much about extracting the maximum potential from the platform put in front of them, as it was doing something that had never been done before in the time attack world.

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The result, as you can see, is absolutely awesome. But there’s a lot more to this car than first meets the eye.

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I’m not sure why, but I kind of expected to not be greeted by the sight of a Porsche engine when Paul lifted the lid on the 944. But the fact that the car still uses the same turbocharged inline-four the model was endowed with when it left the factory back in 1986, well I think that’s pretty cool. As you can see though, it’s far from stock and subsequently outputting much more than 217hp now.

Powered by Porsche
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Although the engine began life displacing 2.5 litres, through some thoughtful engineering it now has a 3.1-litre capacity, though not via the usual stroker crank route. To achieve the extra 150cc per cylinder an integrated deck plate was fitted by Performance Developments accompanied by Darton sleeves allowing a 105.6mm bore and 88mm stroke. Lightweight CP forged pistons and Arrow H-beam rods, along with a knife-edged stock crankshaft and custom CEP lightened flywheel ensure that the rotating mass is considerably less than when it left the factory.

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To allow the engine to breathe heavier and more efficiently, its SOHC 8-valve cylinder head was given the full treatment at Performance Development. First ported and polished and then fitted out with oversized Ferrea valves and titanium valve springs and retainers, and a large Custom Engineered Performance (CEP) camshaft. A Cometic metal head gasket and large ARP studs securely attach the worked head to the modified block.

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Going into the WTAC, the turbocharger supplied with the motor was the only unknown quantity. According to Patrick the hybrid BorgWarner ‘Bullseye’ turbo came on with a bang and ultimately went out with one too. The cause? Two bolts on the hot side backing out marginally and causing the turbo to grind to a halt. Since then the failed unit has been replaced with an off-the-shelf Garrett GTX3582R, which has proven to be a better fit by providing much more driveability. While requiring a bit of last minute custom fabrication, the bulk of the turbo system remains as Paul and his team originally pieced it together, and includes a custom CEP 4-1 tubular stainless steel header, Turbosmart wastegate and a PWR intercooler plumbed in through ECi pipes.

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If you know your 944 Turbo (951) engines, you’ll probably recognise the intake manifold as a polished-up factory item. That it is, but it’s been extrude honed for extra flow and fitted with a Performance Developments CNC’d throttle body. Of course, there’s a much larger fuel requirement now, and since the engine was designed to run on Sucrogen E85 biofuel, it’s satisfied through an extensive system that includes three Bosch Motorsport 044 pumps (one in-tank, two external), plus an ECi surge tank, Turbosmart regulator and a CEP rail supplying four Injector Dynamics 2000cc injectors.

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On the ignition side of things you’ll find four Bosch HEC 716 coils plus a MoTeC CDI module, while engine  management comes courtesy of a MoTeC M400. The entire car has been rewired by Mark Robertson of RSport Race Engineering using predominantly Milspec and pro-grade connectors. The wiring is a work of art and incredibly light. There are many more components from the MoTeC catalogue including a PDM30 power distribution module, SLM shift light and an SKM standalone knock module, which all work in tandem with a multitude of sensors including suspension pots.

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As you might expect, the 3.1-litre powerplant is making a whole lot more power now than it did in 2.5-litre factory form. Paul tells me that a solid 505hp and 640Nm was generated at the back wheels when the car was tuned by Phil Armour Motorsports. It’s certainly not short of grunt then. To ensure the engine is kept that way, it’s lubricated through a CEP dry sump system and cooled through Mocal oil coolers and a PWR radiator.

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Making numbers is one thing, but seeing it to the ground is another, so of course the driveline was upgraded to suit. The biggest change made here is the gearbox – or more precisely, the transaxle – which came from a 968 and has six forward gears rather than five and ratios well-suited for track use. There’s a Mocal oil cooler to keep the transmission temperatures in check, along with a KAAZ 1.5-way limited slip differential and race-spec axles from The Driveshaft Shop.

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For what was essentially a brand new build going into WTAC, the Porsche looked quick as it cut laps on the Sydney Motorsport Park circuit. From what Paul tells me though, there are a few issues with the suspension tune that still need to be ironed out, but he was driving around them on the day. In particular the rear trailing arm arrangement suffers from poor geometry and induces squat, as evidenced here.

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Otherwise, it’s a quality fit-out with Moton two-way Clubsport coilover shocks and Eibach springs at all corners, Tarrett sway bars, and the full line-up of solid and spherical bearings from Porsche racing specialist, Racer’s Edge. It stops well too, but that’s to be expected when you’ve got Brembo four-pot Big Red calipers, CEP 320mm floating two-piece vented rotors and Performance Friction PFC-01 pads on the front end and an equally impressive set-up at the back.

Perfectly packaged
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There are many layers to this car, but if you had to put your finger on its defining factor, surely that would have to be the way that it looks. I’ve always been a fan of the 944, but I never imagined one looking as purposeful and aggressive as this machine does. It’s something achieved through the amalgamation of catalogue and custom-made parts, beginning with a Broadfoot Racing front bumper accentuated with an Evolution Custom Industries front splitter complete with integrated multi-piece canards. And those recessed D9 GTR headlights and that fluted Van Zweeden carbon fibre bonnet – just perfect!

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The silver rivets peppered around the body conjour up thoughts of a battle-ready war machine, but in reality that’s actually not far from the truth. The custom-vented wide front guards and rocker panels from IFC Racing, and GT Racing moulded rear guards have fattened up the 944’s proportions considerably. That’s something only enhanced by the huge dual-element wing which was designed by Simon McBeath, supplied by DJ Engineering, and mounted to the chassis through custom CNC’d brackets by ECi.

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The carbon fibre and FRP exterior modifications have two-fold purpose: to improve aerodynamics – specifically downforce – and cut weight. The latter extends to the custom-made doors too, where carbon items now replace the heavy, factory steel equivalents. Combined, the mass-shedding measures have resulted in a car that weighs 1160kg wet. That’s a couple of hundred kilograms lighter than a production-spec 944 Turbo.

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The interior space is clean and functional, and nicely laid out. Look closely behind the driver’s seat and in the driver’s footwell and you can see two of the car’s air-actuated jacks. In the passenger’s side footwell is a custom acrylic case that houses the reservoir for the dry sump system.

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The CAMS-spec, fully TIG-welded roll cage and extensive seam welding was – like every other facet of this build except for the dyno tuning and the exterior vinyl wrap by Motographics – completed in-house at Evolution Custom Industries.

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And credit where credit is due too, because in every aspect this is a very nicely engineered car. An RPM suede-wrapped steering wheel on an ECi hub overlooks the MoTeC SDL digital display/data logger which is set into a hand-stiched, suede-covered dash, and there’s an ECi switch panel and an Tilton adjustable pedal box: all quality tools of the trade. Of course, I can’t forget the 8-ball shift knob either – everyone needs one of those!

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Despite a couple of promising shakedown runs before the main event, WTAC 2013 brought a mixed bag of results for the team. Paul, a former national karting champion, was on driving duty for the weekend and immediately set about trying to better the unofficial 1:34 lap time he had set in testing a couple of weeks prior. An oil spill down through turns two to six ruined any hopes of that happening in the opening session (although Paul still managed a 1:35.03), followed by traffic woes in the second. On the third attempt, the aforementioned turbo blow occurred and the Porsche was retired to the pits.

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It wasn’t the result that anyone had hoped for of course, but in the bigger scheme of things it hardly mattered. Getting the 944 to the track and being able to throw down some laps was just reward for eight months of solid slog. But it definitely doesn’t stop there. Whether or not a naming sponsor steps up to back the car (and Patrick really hopes one will), the Porsche will be back in 2014, stronger and faster. We suggest you watch this space…

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1

The most unique time attack car ever!

2

Now this is a very well executed build, hats off to ECi!

3

Where are all the moaning "SH is all stance" guys?? Uh?? Anyone??

4

This is awesome..December is officially here

5

see, one can build a Time Attack car without a japanese engine or LSX  :P (btw, was there ever a feature of the 034 timeattack A4?)

6

SWOON! lol 

a couple questions! any idea on how much wider the fenders are?

and why not start with a 3L lump from a 968 and then turbo that?

also this makes me want a second one to thrash around a track and do some crazier mods too

7

FrancescoDiGiuseppe :>

8

Damn, it's hard to be right...:D

9

i love the look of 944s - this one looks ugly but i'm still into it. therefore, this particular 944 rules.

10

At first glance I thought; "That's a pretty sick-looking FC." lol
I'm surprised to still see a Porsche engine in it as well.

11

i swear I thought I was looking at a 240sx/silvia or an rx7 fc. such a beautiful car!

12

i swear I thought I was looking at a 240sx/silvia or an rx7 fc. such a beautiful car!

14

Makes you wonder where the 968 would be today if it wasnt axed...

15

HankyPanky Yes, Gustaf's car is amazing! Know him well. We discuss our cars regularly to compare notes. Would love to get on the same track as him one day.

16

@Mike Not exactly sure in a true measurement, but these comfortably handle 11.5" wheels up front. The motor was a long time build and was always going to be 8v. We have a 16v motor in the wings but so far this one is fine and has plenty of TQ.

17

Best title ever.

18

Awesome car, great effort sticking with the 8v, you really pushed the boundaries. Well done.

19

This thing just oozes awesome!

20

Very cool. I love seeing these real left field base cars. Nice to see it still has a Porsche engine as well, rather than an LSx or something.

21

This is what i love to see, upgrades on the stock engine. Another build with a 2JZ or a LS engine is a bit boring, but this is something i really love to see.

22

Feel a bit embarest, I have to point out that your porsche realy is a pice of german engineering at its best, such a beutiful maschine :) would love to see some phots of the two of you out on the track :)

23

HankyPanky No problems, and thanks. He has some great pics of his car too. :-)

24

So great to see your beast featured here Patrick! Excellent photos too!

25

333pg333 HankyPanky My car have some advantages over Patrick's but the level of detail on this build puts my car in the corner! Simply stunning!

26

Thrasher Chad agreed

27

GustafB Next time it needs to be your car Gustaf!!

28

333pg333 thanks! how much would you be willing to part with the 16V for? ;) slate grey 86 and baby needs a new heart!

29

333pg333 on second thought probably best i find one locally, i didn't see your location when i wrote that post. any chance i could get an email addy, i would enjoy bouncing a couple ideas off of you if you have the time :)

30

Is the car fully flat bottomed? Looks fast as is, get a big diffuser on there!

31

a rear diffuser would finish the look, great work to get it done though!

32

dangina Agreed. As much as this might look like a finished build, it is far from it. Track cars are never really finished. The diffuser was one of the items that we had to sacrifice due to the fast approaching deadline to make the event. As it was we only tested the car 2 weeks before W.T.A.C. We knew we had plenty of rear downforce with the wing so while the diffuser would have made the car look more balanced and we will address this issue in the off season.

33

MattieD See above re diffuser. Not flat bottomed. Unfortunately the Open Class rules only allow the splitter and diffuser to go as far as their respective axle line. If all goes to plan the car will have a different appearance some time next year.

34

ohh man, what a build. i just spent the last 20 minutes pricing 944 turbos on ebay.

35

Very nice looking Porsche!

36

Can't argue with that, looks like a factorybuild :)

37
performancezonee

Thank You::))

Wonderful publish, very informative. I’m wondering why the opposite
specialists of this sector do not notice this. http://www.performancezone.co.in/

38

Brad Lord's feature cars are the best.

39

Keeping the original engine and building up from there, that's how its done right.

40

As a fellow 944 turbo campaigner, that is awesome

41

Always loved that shape Porsche and its great to see one with the huge spec this has! Deffo has to be my fave Time Attack car

42

Jason Hardy Thanks. We're looking at improving it over the next months also. More to come.

43

brilliant build! i was especially impressed by the attention to detail on the electronics/ignition. i have learnt some hard lessons this year about how important it really is.  two thumbs up for this one!

44

plus 1160 kg wet? jesus christ on a stick...

45

AnthonyCrawford Thanks Anthony. The car weighed 1200kgs before the latest iteration came to life. Taking into account we added a dry sump system, air jacks, ducted cooling system, wing/splitter and supports plus a few other bits and pieces. We were very happy to drop 40kgs with all these additions. Obviously to do that we also lost weight elsewhere. Carbon doors being a major drop compared to stock with glass.

46

Outstanding work!!!  There is a company in the states that has done a lot of engine work of these cars as well.  They have found that the stock intake does not flow especially evenly between cylinders.  They have a special intake that I thought was interesting:  http://www.lindseyracing.com/project/index.htm
Keep up the great work - the car looks awesome!!!

47

where did you get the rear hatch trim?  I am installing a large wing and need to get rid of the existing spoiler, as it will disturbe the airflow of the wing (long story).

48

houstonj52 That rear trim came from a 968 turbo rear wing kit. I bought the whole thing from a company in Holland called Van Zweden. Not sure if they'd sell you just that trim? The rear wing was pretty crappy tbh but I've just kept the trim as I prefer this than the naked look most people have when they remove the stock rubber. A friend bought a 968 turbo spoiler from a US company called A.I.R. and he also has some sort of trim. Good luck!

49

333pg333 houstonj52I bought a 968 wing from Deutsch Nine.  After 6 months of BS, they finally sent all of the pieces.  I quickly realized that the wing was not suitable for the track.  So, I bought a real wing from Good Aero.  I was thinking of using the trim pieces from the Deutsch Nine wing, but it required that I do some fiber glass work.  I think I will try it.

Thanks!
Houstonj52

50

Why add a heavy pneumatic air jack system instead of using conventional racing jacks? Is it a ground clearance thing or are pits really that important in TT?

51

WRogers Yes, ground clearance. Can't get normal jacks under there without having to remove side skirts. The air jacks themselves aren't that heavy and the weight is low.

52

333pg333 WRogers Wow. I didn't realize it was that low from the pics. Whats the ground clearance?

53

WRogers 333pg333 65mm. With the Airjacks and the extension accessory fitted, the car sits high and stable should the need arise to get under it too.

54

333pg333 WRogers Another benefit of air jacks is how much easier and faster it is to make quick adjustments on dampers and sway bars. Great when doing a few laps out, in for adjustments and then out again and repeat.

55

GustafB 333pg333 WRogers
True Mr GustafB. Ultimately we'd like some internally adjustable sways and to update to a more contemporary suspension layout...like someone else's highly modified 951 that I can think of! Having said that, we haven't played with the suspension or wing and are looking forward to a rather well known Aerodynamicist to do a 2 day consultation with us. ;-)

56

333pg333 GustafB WRogers I'm also looking forward to that :)

57

T

58

This is why I love the Porsche 944 platform. This is incredible!!!!! http://eliteautoreport.com/porsche/porsche-944-turbo/

59

I need to know. Why did you not start out with an S2 motor for the engine? Your stroke is .2mm more and you have 1.5mm bore larger? Is there an advantage to deck plating the 2.5 versus the 2.7/3.0?
Also why did you keep the 8v head versus the 16v? Any distinct advantages or was it a "use what you know" and cost measure. The 16V head has more valve surface area so it should in theory flow better than a 8v head, with the same treatment and lift duration. In theory of course.
If you respond that will be awesome. So far it seems like a lot of guys post "hey I did this" but won't explain shit, which sucks for those of us building street cars without the tens of thousands to pour in each year on devolpment.

60

Hi Jareth
It's a long story. As brief as I can be. I started building a larger bore 8v motor back in 2007. For one reason and another we had some issue with those but by that time I had accrued quite a few modified parts for it, the deckplated and sleeved 2.5lt block and highly modded head being some of them. So I continued to try and get this motor resolved. Back then 16v motors were out of reach for most of us, myself included. I actually have a half built 16v motor including deckplated/sleeved 3ltr block still in the US awaiting my budget to be filled up again. I have quite a few ideas of what I'd like to do with this car including finishing the 16v motor, SQ transmission and contemporary suspension...but this all takes lots of $$$. Ideally yes, the 16v motor is a better starting point. The stock head flows considerably more than a highly modded (expensive) 8v head, let alone customising the 16v head. It is also more resistant to knock and can deal with a higher static compression ratio. Plus the plugs are positioned better. The most 'budget' build 16v motor I know of is on Rennlist. Search under user JET951 but he's also a Porsche mechanic and did most of the extra fabricating himself.
Hope this was a reasonable explanation. ;-)

61

Beautiful, beautiful car.  I would love to build a racer but sadly, after a 30 yr hyaitus from racing, I'm probably too old for it.  
What I am doing is having an 84 944n/a converted to a 350-400 hp turbo street sleeper at appox. 2500 lb.curb weight. 
 Albert Broadfoot is building it in Florida, USA. He is slooow but I've driven it a couple of times during the build and it's 
faster than anything I've ever owned, other than a gasser.  Albert said it should beat anything on the road, from a rolling start, except the new big Vette and the big Mustang GT 500.  I would like to make it look as good as yours but then it wouldn't be a sleeper. 
I do fiberglass work so as I slowly, subtly change things I will take some ques from your design.
Your car looks great!

62
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63

Have a look at this

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