Purists Will Hate This Suspiciously Half-Finished LS3-Swapped Porsche 911

For some drivers the Porsche 911 is hallowed turf; a recipe honed to perfection over decades of stubborn persistence with a fundamentally flawed design. For others, though, it’s no more sacred than a KFC Bargain Bucket.

The owner and seller of this 1999 996-era car clearly gives no damns about the car’s heritage. After seeing the LS-derived V12 project yesterday we had a look for LS swap projects in the classifieds and found this poor old Porsche in a bit of a mess.

After the old engine failed, the seller claims, he and his crew bought a brand new 6.2-litre LS3 engine and had it installed along with a new paint job, new wheels and more. To be fair, the exterior does look very tidy.

We’ve seen LS conversions in 911s before, but one with an LS3 in it is less common. Sounds great so far, if you like this sort of thing, but the good news stops there.

In the eBay advert the seller claims to have spent tens of thousands on the car and upgrades but has only covered 20 miles since having the new engine put in. We’d say that’s a red flag.

It runs and drives well, he writes, with a special upgraded clutch and an “amazingly loud and awesome” exhaust, but that’s a lot of money to spend only to give up and sell halfway through.

Apparently a new house is the reason for the sale, but something doesn’t quite stack up, for us.

The project is unfinished, with no air conditioning and no power steering. The driver’s seat needs repair work and the brakes need either a good service or complete replacement. Half the components in the dashboard are disconnected, too, including the rev counter and coolant temperature sensor. Hmmm.

Included with the sale are the original wheels, engine and exhaust, and the seller seems keen to get rid, stating that he’s willing to end the auction early for a good offer.

What would you do with this? Does it have potential or should it just be dismantled?