Front-engined V8 Porsche built for stunt duty
Words: Kyle Cassidy
Putting a twin-turbo V8 in a Porsche 911 is a substantial departure from the factory recipe. Putting it in the front takes things considerably further.
That’s the approach behind the ShowTime Repco-Mod 933, a heavily rebuilt Type 996 coupé unveiled at Mount Panorama ahead of the Repco Bathurst 1000. With more than 1200 horsepower (895kW) it’s destined for ShowTime’s stunt fleet.
The project is the work of ShowTime’s Gary Reid and his team, with Repco backing the build.
“I’ve always been a Porsche fan, and I love big-horsepower V8s, so the plan was simple: put a twin-turbo LS 427 in the front of a 911 Porsche, build a one-off wide-body kit, take inspiration from builds all over the world, and the result is this: the 933 Twin Turbo,” said Reid.
Simple on paper, perhaps. Starting with a tired shell and boxes of parts, the team spent more than 2000 hours fabricating the firewalls, floor, transmission tunnel, roll cage and other structures needed to accommodate the new layout.
The finished car features an integrated frame and race-car front end, with more than 280 individually fabricated parts. Carbon fibre is used for the roof, bonnet and doors, while the wide-body panels are handmade aluminium.
Under the front bonnet sits a heavily modified LSX V8 with twin Turbosmart turbochargers. Parts of the engine installation protrude through the bonnet, as does the handmade exhaust system.
Power reaches the rear wheels through an eight-speed Bentley gearbox with sequential shifting and a fabricated motorsport rear end. The suspension is custom race-engineered, while 18-inch Rotiform wheels measure 9.5 inches wide at the front and 10 inches at the rear, wearing Dunlop tyres.
The cooling system occupies space behind the passenger compartment, mounted to a full-height firewall. A single-piece opening incorporating the rear window and former engine cover provides access, effectively turning the Porsche into a hatchback.
Outside, a shark fin connects the roof area with an enormous rear wing. Later-model Porsche headlights and tail lights update the appearance, with STEDI auxiliary lights fitted at the front.
The Sandy Taupe paint comes from Toyota’s LandCruiser palette, offset by red, black and blue detailing on components including the turbo intakes, brakes, wheels and roll cage.
Inside are custom carbon Recaro seats trimmed in Porsche’s Pepita fabric, a Supercars-inspired MPI steering wheel, carbon sequential-shift and hydraulic-handbrake levers, and a custom pedal box. Sound-deadening and heat-proofing materials are fitted throughout the cabin.
The ‘33’ in the car’s name comes from ShowTime’s traditional racing number. Its next job is joining the team’s stunt fleet, with appearances already scheduled at major Australian car-culture events.
No measured acceleration time has been supplied. With that much power and stunt work on the agenda, rear-tyre consumption could be the more relevant statistic.
