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An Australian Builder Is Turning a 996 Porsche 911 Into a Front-Engined LS V8

Gary Reid’s unfinished 996 Porsche 911 build moves an LS V8 to the front, adds planned twin turbos and extensive custom aluminum bodywork.
Entry203 Date Time2 min MechanicCarCody Team
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Gary Reid of ShowTime is converting a 996-generation Porsche 911 into a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive car powered by a GM LS V8. The unfinished build is planned to use twin turbochargers, but its engine displacement and power output have not been disclosed.

What is the build?

Reid, who runs ShowTime—a business known for heavily modified drift and stunt cars and appearances at selected rounds of Australia’s Supercars Championship—is rebuilding a 996-generation 911 around a very different layout. Instead of the 911’s familiar rear-mounted flat-six configuration, the project puts an LS V8 at the front and sends drive to the rear wheels.

Carscoops reported in 2026 that more than 1,800 hours had gone into the project by the time of publication. That is the publication’s reported figure, not an independently audited time sheet. The car is still under construction.

Why move the engine to the front?

According to the report’s paraphrase, Reid had initially listed the car for sale. A prospective buyer made a low offer and argued that an LS could not be fitted; Reid took the challenge as a reason to attempt the conversion. The account is paraphrased, not a direct quotation.

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How is the LS being packaged?

The reported work includes a new firewall and a custom cross-member to make space for the front-mounted V8. The front end also uses suspension and brake components reported to come from a Porsche 911 Cup Car. These changes describe the build’s packaging and hardware; the report does not provide measurements or engineering documentation.

A pair of turbochargers is planned, but the report does not identify the turbo models or explain the rest of the installation. Reid has not disclosed the LS engine’s source or displacement, and no power figure is given. Transmission details and the cooling layout are also not stated.

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What does the car look like?

The exterior borrows cues from the 997-generation 911 while retaining the 996 as its basis. The report describes custom headlight clusters, a bespoke front bumper, splitter and canards, and flared arches. Its hand-fabricated bodywork is made from aluminum.

At the rear, the build has a large diffuser and a tall wing with a Le Mans-inspired shark fin; the diffuser work is also described as bespoke. The report does not give aerodynamic measurements or testing results.

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What is known—and what remains open?

The project is intended to be displayed and driven at several events across Australia, but no event names or dates are provided. The available account also does not establish when the car will be finished, whether it will be road-legal, or how it will handle once complete.

  • Established: the donor is a 996-generation 911; Gary Reid of ShowTime is building it; the planned layout is a front-mounted LS V8 with rear-wheel drive.
  • Not disclosed: the donor’s year and trim, LS variant and source, engine displacement and output, turbo models, build cost, finished weight and weight distribution.
  • Not reported: measured performance or handling results, registration or road approval, completion date, and a named event schedule.

The Carscoops feature characterizes the project as the first front-engined V8 911, but that claim is not independently corroborated in the available reporting. Until the car is finished and documented, the clearest description is an ambitious, unfinished 996 conversion—not a tested performance package.

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