Porsche 944 - LS Swapped - Review | Everyday Driver 

The best thing about non-conventional engine swaps is that the car is guaranteed to be driven and not just put away Under Wraps

If you're going to LS-swap a Porsche - which many believe is sacrilegious - this is how it's done (minus the bow tie exhaust tip)

I am a huge Porsche fan and conservative when it comes to these cars but for all the people complaining. This thing is a huge improvement from the original.

On a long enough timeline, everything gets an LS. -Mr. Regular.

Guys, this may very well be my favorite review you've done. Love the 944. Love the LS motor. Love that it ain't no garage queen and was meant to be driven.

I've driven this car. It's good. It's also still evolving - I'll bet Jeff has plans for suspension in the future. But in the meantime, it gets driven and run on the track. It's a real car.

This gave me a massive smile. Long live engine swaps into cool cars.

ah, now this is an LS swap that makes TOTAL sense to me... brilliantly executed, brilliant

The 944 chasis has a lot of potential. The only problem back then was their lack of end power . Now it's fixed.xD

He should badge the car a 944LS

Never clicked a video so fast in my life.

6:14 - "But, as a toy? Just to smoke everyone? Just because?" Just because, indeed.

What is impressing me the most is that the transaxle is taking in all this extra power with no issues. Great chassis.

I had a 1986 944 turbo. Man this is awesome gets rid of everything i didn't like. I'm smiling while watching

I drove this car last year on the Utah Adventure, it’s a total laugh and even more buttoned down now. It’s crazy, hilarious fun.

I've always liked the 944's styling. WIth a big, torquey angry LS engine in it makes it very interesting. This guy can make a fortune selling these type of variants. These great older styling cars with a powerful new or low-mileage unmolested V8 under the hood. I would rather have this than a new Mustang or Camaro.

I've said this countless times, it's time for Porsche to make an updated (new) version of the 944. It's simply a beautiful Porsche. I've had several 911's, Cayman S' and a Boxter S, however I would immediately purchase a NEW 944!

I owned an 86 951(944 Turbo) it was fast to start. Couldn’t imagine this

As an 86 owner that grew up in the 80's and 90's...... I get this.........I really want to drive that car. Love the show, you lucky SOB's

I once owned a 1984 944. 1120 kg everything was liteweight, card board doorpanels. no electric windows etc. Yes, it was underpowered with only 164 HP but man, did it handle well. You could steer it with your butt, as we say in Germany. Great Video, and it reminds me of the fact that you should never sell a good old Porsche or any other good car for that matter. Put it somewhere in a storage and just wait....

Another 944 styling fan here. Such insanity from an LS in the 944 chassis? Yes please!

Damn I knew I should not have sold the 968. What a car ! Great job boys.

I’m finishing my 85 ls swap 944Right now. It is red and looks identical to this one. I can’t wait to drive it!

In addition ,that platform can also fit 275 tires upfront and 315 rear.

I shouldn't like this, I should be writing that what they've done is sacrilegious but instead, i'm sitting here with a huge smile on my face, want, want, want!

And its finally up! I am really glad you guys shot this 944. It was awesome to see on track.

When you absolutely have to Porsche your LS.

Time for you guys to review the LS ND Miata from Flyin Miata.

Man, that Corvette sound coming from a small Porsche is just... wonderfully alien. Something that should not be but I'm grateful that is.

Wow, Paul's comment at the end! Congrats, man. Awesome car!

944 was always a great platform just woefully underpowered. I could really see me making one of these one day.

badazz...i totally hate LS swaps in mustangs but anything else, especially this is too cool💯

“Yikes and hallelujah all at the same time! Is that a thing?” LOL

This was such a great looking car back then but I think its aged very well too. Porsche is on the money with almost all their designs.

Been thinking about selling my ‘83-944. Now I’m thinking this is its destiny...

That exhaust tip is incredibly clever! So subtle but means soo much.

Fantastic review guys. Loved seeing Todd's reactions to the sheer insanity.

Always loved the styling of the 944 with it's wide fenders. But a 944 with enough horse power to match the aggressive looks is so bad ass! Awesome build.

Great resto mod. Really like 944 and originality but that corvette engine sounded glorious.

I love that at a hipshot it seems like the Porsche purist is absolutely is enthralled with it, and Todd is confused. But then love prevails.

It's easy to roast LS swaps as they seem to be everywhere and lack imagination, but you can't deny the improvements it makes to this car, and I'm a 924 and 944 owner and enthusiast! I'm not afraid of modifications though.

The LS engine series is the best thing to come out of the big bank and corporate bailouts of the 08 recession. Worldwide renown for their inexpensive price, small physical size, light weight, high durability, and of course high power and torque output. And the irony isn't lost on me, all the decades of the dual overhead cams and a 4 or 5 valves per cylinder running circles around american engine technology until the turbo arrived which turned out to be particularly well suited for pushrod engines and effectively snubbed half a century of complex head development. With efficient boost generation via a turbo supercharger making use of wasted energy from the exhaust gas extra valves and cams become more of a reliability liability and expense and unneeded complexity than an advantage. Don't get me wrong a K24 can make 500HP with stock internals which is impressive for a 4 cylinder, but those things are so tall the overall engine size is about the same as an LS just a different shape that actually makes them more difficult to fit into some cars since it's especially long on one dimension, which is why they used to slant engines when they used to make more inline ones. And if you're going to be taking up the same amount of space in the engine bay, might as well get an engine that has more power and way more torque. And Honda is really just an exception, their reliability is insane which is how they can be boosted so high with stock internals or just pistons and rods. No other 4 cylinder manufacturer makes engines that strong and reliable that you can just do that. It's nice to see you guys enjoying the car it looks really fun to drive. 944 is one of the best looking cars of all time and its size and weight are about as perfect as it gets along with RX7s. But when does a 2 door sports car not look good ya know. They always look good as long as they were designed half decent.

Having just finished LS swapping my 944 i can confirm all of their claims to be accurate, this car is an absolute animal.

"I kinda have to, don't I?" lolol Todd I freaking love you

I always wanted to do a LS swap (LS1 back then) on my 944 and I was looking at Wilwood brakes as well. This video brings up so many memories!

When I did my first ls swap I was blown away by how light the aluminum v8 really is its just crazy

Cool factor is off the charts. 😎 I am struggling to imagine anything that could possibly be any cooler, and I am failing at this.

Not a Porker fan but love this, particularly the 50/50 weight distribution and of course the low maintenance power.

You guys do such great reviews. I really enjoy watching these. Please keep them coming!

They were great handling cars, so extra power would be a great thing.

Amazing how this swap makes me happy and angry at the same time, it's hilarious.

Had a friend with a 944, first sorta fast car I’ve ever been in and since then I’ve been in love

My idealized "cheap, fast and fun" sports car is a 924S (basically a narrow-body 944) with Carrera GTS bodywork and flares and an LS engine. Solid chassis, great handling, excellent looks, and goes like hell.

That would be a great car. The 944 has fantastic steering feel, especially the manual rack.

The license plate should read "SYNERGY"....this thing is truly bad-ass !

Been waiting for this one since it was filmed! Gonna have to convince Jeff to let me have a go at the next one ;)

A Turbo S tuned was an absolute animal, let’s not start talking goofy now. This is a fantastic build, where did the guy get the motor mounts and adapter plate?

Honestly, beats putting the LS motor in a 60's Chevelle like a colleague did. REALLY!

That was a great ending and a fantastic car. I've always thought about doing this and have spent many nights looking online at 944's for sale. Maybe one day...

Excellent! Love the 460 HP LS V8 in my 2019 Corvette Grand Sport with its MANUAL TRANSMISSION! Buy one.

What a monster! Nice review guys!

Paul. Your announcement made me so happy!

I loved the front engined Porsches of that era.

Awesome!!! Great build and looks like a lot of fun to drive!

This was my 1st car and moment i had the money senior in high school i did exactly this. 450bhp LS under the hood of my 1986 and boy it was a monster when stripped to just a chassis and engine. The new hellcat came out and 2 friends bought one and the new corvette supercharged and both where in the dust 20mph roll-140 they barely seen taillights. I believe before the car was stolen it weighed in at 2,000lbs with my tiny butt in it half tank "12gallons" but there was nothing but a wheel, gear lever and motor it was all racecar. Later i found a 87 with 40k miles no motor and she became my baby 3klbs with 606bhp still smoking anything bought. Because she is built

This has been my dream since I was 16, 944 with the ls engine. Looks like alot of fun.

WOW ! what a fantastic idea !! Gotta send this video to a buddy who has a 944.

I love everything but the exhaust tip. Well done. Amazing. Now everyone will want one.

I love that he kept the popups

Owned a 85 86 split year in my younger days. Had to sell for a work truck and man do I miss that car. I NEED THIS! lol

My first sports car and Porsche a 944 1985 in Guards Red ...I loved this car soooo, now I wish I could have it back. Thanks for this awesome video

I wanted to do this very thing and found one of these at an old Volkswagen Beetle repair shop. The guy wouldn't sell it but let it there to rot. What a shame. I ended up putting a fuel injected 427 SBC in a E Type Jag (I suppose another sacrilegious thing) and I love it. The guy who put that 944 together did a really nice job and should be proud of his achievement. Now I'm thinking back about that 944 dang it.

Very rare to see something so tasteful. I love it.

Just picked up a 944 to ls swap next year. Can't wait to drive it for the first time

Great video! Nice work guys.

I had an 88 944S, I loved it, what a motor. 👍

I must build this. It’s a moral imperative. … cars that make us giggle are always a win.

It's beautiful. I'm jealous. I hope to own a resto-mod some day.

The rotory guys all said the same thing,,,, until they drove the Mazda RX7 LS swap! How do I know? I built one! My Mopar friends, my chevy friends, and my Ford friends all road in it, all drove it, and all wet themselves! Yeah an LS swap RX7 or Porsche can say they have the best of "ALL WORLDS" of cars! Quick, top speed, handles like a slot car, and in my case got 29 mpg as long as I kept my foot out of it! Mine went 12 flat in the 1/4 mile, topped out at about 165mph, had great brakes with four piston fronts and single rears with slotted rotors all around. And to top off the rediculousness of this swap, I put an 8.8 IRS swap into the car, leaving me with endless gears too choose from. Frankenstein has less breeds! Yet if you ever get to drive one, you will stand in line for one built!

I almost bought an 86' Porsche 944 back in 2005 in Cedar City, Utah from my friend Steve. He was going to sell it to me for $500 cash because he desperately needed money. When I went to buy the car he had already sold it for $3,000. I can't blame him for that but that Porsche your driving almost looks identical to it.

I used to drive a 944 S2 but always felt it was underpowered. Also the shift was heavy work. Recently I watched a video of someone who had put an LS in a DeLorean... I sat in a DeLorean and felt the lack of comfortable headroom. My 944 S2 was very comfortable for me. If I had an LS in it today I would have kept it.

This set up would be fantastic In the UK I'd absolutely love people's faces on the m1 as that smoked past them 🤣🤣🤣

The 86 comparison is super on brand 😂

Greatest car on RU-vid, ever! Cheers

Yea, if it was a NA 944 an engine swap would be alright. However, having owned the 944 Turbo aka 951 - I would not swap that engine. It sounded and felt great.

If I had the money that would definitely be my ride. Perfection.

Work of art

If you are going to improve perfection, this is a great way to do it.

Wonderful review

Car has major character. Amazing.

Chris Porter, Detroit Speed's PM, has an LS swapped, 944 race car that he calls the "Poorvette." It is goals. This only reinforces my desire to build one of these.

Let me tell you that that's how I feel when I drive my LS3 swapped 350Z. With 525 brake horsepower, my Z propels itself like a rocket!! Long live LS swaps!!

944's are great cars. Miss mine

Great review..a guy here near Richmond VA has that same swap..👍

I love this car. Perhaps my favorite. Great video.

Now this is a 944 that looks fun! Though I think I would be a bit wary of a hard launch from a dig, not sure how much that trans axle can take. Great swap it fits like it was meant to be there.

Best looking model Porsche ever.

Excellent video and machine!

I owned one of these in 97....i was young and couldnt afford the maintenance at the time. Make no mistake about...I WILL BE DOING THIS EXACT SAME THING VERY SOON.!!!

I love this. I had a '83 and got beat by Dodge Ominis. I hated that. Loved driving it until I had to accelerate out of a corner. This sure solves that problem.