Despite being one of the lesser lauded cars to come out of Porsche, the 944 is still a beloved classic, and this Tesla-swapped example provides the one thing it was always missing; more power. Don’t get us wrong, the 944 Turbo model, which this one was originally, wasn’t slow. At the same time, it never had the kind of instant power that this one does.
The original 944 didn’t have a turbocharged engine though. Instead, it had a 2.5-liter four-cylinder that shared many components with the V8 found in the 928. Porsche recognized the need for more power early on so the 944 Turbo, internally known as the 951, was created. It made 217-horsepower (162 kW) before Porsche bumped it to 247hp later on, and thanks to a perfect 50/50 weight distribution, ended up being an excellent sports car.
Still, many 944 Turbo owners look for more power and in this particular case, it comes in the form of a Tesla Small Drive unit and a 48 kWh battery pack. It delivers 300-horsepower (220 kW) to the rear wheels instantly with no need to wait for a turbo to spool up. What’s perhaps even more shocking is that the team at Electric Classic Cars managed to keep the total weight of the car nearly identical to the original figure. We don’t get specific figures but they reiterate it multiple times online. We’ve reached out for those figures and will update this post if we hear back.
One of the best handling classic cars ever made, on some of the best roads in the country, and the best electric drive unit powering it along. Today was a good day. 😎⚡👌 #teslapowered #porsche944 #electricporsche #tesla #porsche #porsche944s2 pic.twitter.com/F5Hi4zbL0n
— Electric Classic Cars (@elecclassiccars) February 4, 2022
They even added a small battery pack to the rear to keep the 944’s even weight distribution. Despite all of the modifications, you’d never know that this wasn’t a normal Porsche from the look of it. Even the rear cargo space is unchanged.
The result makes it clear that electrified restomods won’t need to be heavyweights that can only go fast in a straight line. While we don’t have a specific total range, they say that it can go somewhere around 140-miles up and down hills with some spirited driving in the mix.
That’s more than enough for a proper weekend drive around one’s home city or town. In addition, the updated powertrain might be easier to maintain in the long run. With no penalty aside from total range and the big upside of considerably more power, we can see this type of swap becoming more popular in the future.
Lead Image Credit: Electric Classic Cars on YouTube
Keyword: Tesla-Powered Porsche 944 Proves That Electric Restomods Don’t Have To Be Heavy