[Moneyguy1]

I have worked on more Porsches than I care to recall, from 356Cs to 944s, and some early 911s in the middle. The 356 was bulletproof, as were the first few years of the 911. The 924 was indestructible. Then came the 944...interference design, "iffy" timing belt, clutch jobs that require hours, rings and pinions that go south. Been there, done that. I have a 944. I treat it very gently, and yet things go wrong that should not. It is only my opinion, but I feel that there was not a lot of thought in the overall design of the engine; not so much the block or the head, but the rest of the machine. A five or six cylinder design would have eliminated the need for 50 pounds or more of balance shafts, and would have made the front end simpler to maintain.

I think the 944 is still one of the "prettiest" body designs they ever came up with, and I would rather see one kept on the road with a bastardtized engine than relegated to the scrapyard. Innovation is what keeps technology moving forward; not accepting the status quo. There are only so many engines out there, and they are diappearing rapidly due to mechanical failures, and Porsche no longer "supports" the 944 or its iterations. They would like to see us all "go away". It's sad to see parts lists with "NLA" after the number......

As for the Audi 20V conversion, there is an article about it on 924.org, with some pictures. The turbo iteration of this engine is rated at or about 208 HP. THe problem is there are not too many of this beast around; it is a rare bird.

A GM V6 weighs just about the same as the Porsche 2.5 liter and, depending on the model chosen, offers at least a 50% increase in displacement. The V8 is, admittedly slightly heavier, but Renegade can explain things far better than I can.

Whatever you decide to do, the primary goal is to have fun. Like what you do and do what you like.