Vehicle Details
- Year: 2003
- Make: Porsche
- Model: Boxster S
- VIN: WP0CB29833U661059
- Mileage Shown: 147,000km
- Transmission: Manual
- Title Status: Registration
- Color: Midnight Blue Metallic
- Seller Type: Private Party
- Location: Grimsby, ON L3M 1B2
- Country: Canada
- Lot #: V-0061981
This 2003 Porsche 986 Boxster S comes finished in Midnight Blue Metallic over a Grey Natural Leather interior and features a 6-speed manual transmission. Originally sold in the United States, this example was imported to Canada in 2007 and acquired by the seller in 2023. Subsequently, a 2004 Porsche 996-sourced 3.6-liter M96 flat-six engine and ECU were installed, as well as a 987 air box, 997-specification headers, fabricated and valved exhaust components, a 997 GT3-specification rear resonator, aftermarket suspension components, custom 18″ Cup-inspired wheels, a 991-style steering wheel, a PCCM+ head unit, and more. Factory options include lowered and heated front seats, the Power Seat Package, a Bose sound system, the Xenon Headlamp Package, a body-color roll bar, a leather-wrapped rear center console, and more. Showing approximately 147k kilometers or 91k miles on the odometer, this thoroughly documented Boxster S is now being offered for auction out of Ontario.
This example is finished in Midnight Blue Metallic and includes a matching removable hardtop, sourced and refinished under current ownership. Additionally, the bumper covers were repainted to address blemishes, and the rear model badging has been removed. Equipment includes a black soft top, the optional Xenon Headlamp Package, fog lights, a speed-activated rear spoiler, side air intakes, and red brake calipers. Staggered-width 18″ Cup-inspired multi-piece wheels, fabricated from forged aluminum by Augment Wheel Company in Hamilton, Ontario, are fitted with 225/40 front and 265/35 rear Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, and the suspension has been lowered. The seller notes that the hardtop may squeak in cold weather and that the trim caps covering the rear clamps are missing. Detailed images are provided in the gallery, along with a CARFAX report noting a claim amounting to $3k in May 2010.
The Grey Natural Leather interior features an optional leather-wrapped rear center console, aluminum and leather-wrapped shifter and brake handles, a body-color roll bar, and metal door sills with model insignia. Additional options include a Bose sound system, 10mm lowered seats, seat heating, the Power Seat Package, and footwell lighting. A Porsche Classic Communication Management Plus (PCCM+) and 991-style leather-wrapped steering wheel has been fitted, while the removed steering wheel and head unit will accompany the sale.
Power has been upgraded with a 3.6-liter M96 flat-six engine reportedly sourced from Nein Lives of Temple City, California, and installed by Sportscar Service Co. in Limehouse, Ontario, in June 2023. Simultaneously, the rear main seal was replaced, and the seller confirms that the IMS bearing was previously addressed. Additional work during the build included fabricating a wiring harness for the camshaft solenoids, installing a 2004 996-specification ECU, and replacing the rear main seal and ignition coils. A 987 Cayman S airbox was added the following year. Additionally, the oil was changed in spring 2025, and dyno results and a dyno video from July 2025 are available in the gallery. The rear wheels are driven through a 6-speed manual transmission, while the exhaust system comprises 997-specification headers, MagnaFlow catalytic converters, mandrel-bent over-axel tubes, active valves actuated with a switch near the head unit, adjustable drone-mitigating tubes, and a 997 GT3-specification rear muffler with matching tips. The underside is said to have been cleaned with dry ice following modifications and sealed with Honeyseal in April 2024. Suspension upgrades under current ownership include H&R springs and Bilstein dampers, with prior replacement of suspension bushings. Brake fluid was flushed in 2023, and an alignment was performed following suspension modifications.
This sale will include a Canadian registration, owner’s manuals, a window sticker, and a toolkit, along with the original springs, head unit, and steering wheel.
The seller would like you to know: “I bought this car in 2023 with the intention of adding a 3.6L and building from there. I specifically sought out a facelift Boxster S as it has the upgraded interior (essentially identical to the 996) and the chassis to handle the power. This one started life in the US, sold new in New Jersey. It was brought into Canada by a prior owner in 2007 and it has remained here changing hands once before my ownership in 2023.
I sourced a solid 40k mile 3.6L M96 from California with shortly after acquiring the car and shipped it up here following a clean bore-scope report. I considered boring out the 3.2, but understand that the larger stroke of the 3.6L from the factory is always going to result in more low down torque than a bored out 3.2 (or a 3.4) so landed on this.
Dennis Heilman at Sports Car Service Co here in Ontario completed the engine swap, including installing a 996 ECU, updating the wiring harness, fabricating the necessary exhaust parts, etc. For the exhaust, we used an OEM GT3 muffler and exhaust tips, 997 3.6L headers and custom over-axle pipes (valved and catted), and as noted in the description, added adjustable anti-drone tubes and a 987S airbox the following year to complete the swap. For those in the Greater Toronto Area, Dennis is well known and a superb Porsche mechanic (and guy), previously at Pfaff Porsche and European Automotive in Oakville, Ontario).
On the interior, we added a 991 wheel and a PCCM+ head unit, which makes the car so much more usable (original radio is included). We also swapped out the annoying cupholder that sits above the head unit for seat-mounted Rennline unit.
Finally I had the front and rear bumper covers refinished to correct for blemishes the car sustained while under the care of its prior owners, as well as having Augment Wheels build the 18” Cup RS style 2-piece, forged aluminum wheels you see in the pictures. Besides the look and more aggressive fitment (10” rears), these are materially lighter than the stock wheels (I didn’t measure but from lifting the two of them, easily 10lbs per corner saved). Finally, I added a locally sourced OEM hard top which was colour-matched when the bumpers were re-done.
In terms of maintenance, I had the car dry-ice cleaned and sealed with a long-life wax designed to completely protect against rust without the mess of an oil spray. I’ve had it done to 5 of my cars and love the product and the process. The engine got all new plugs, filters and fluids (obviously) when installed, and new oil in 2024 and 2025 when taken out of winter storage. I had an alignment done after installing the H&R springs at Mantis Racing in Oakville, Ontario. I had Mantis run the car on a dyno as well this year, and the car is making 304hp at the rear wheels (350 at the crank, assuming a 15% drivetrain loss).
For those in the US, this is a US car. This means no manufacturer letter of compliance is necessary to take it back to the US – you just fill out some paperwork at the border, I believe you pay a small fee in duty (2.5% or so when last I checked) and that is it. I have sold a number of cars to the US and in each case I worked with the new owner and their shipping company of choice to make sure everything went smoothly. Again, tariffs should NOT apply to this car as it was originally sold in the US. If they do end up applying, I’m happy to work with the owner to sort that out and, if needed, pay the applicable amount. I do not want tariffs being a drag on this auction, or cause someone to think twice about bidding.”
Auction Results
- Sold for: $26,000
- Auction End: Oct 23, 2025 06:35:11PM UTC
- Number of Bids: 16
Comments (45)
Sold for $26,000
Bid in the amount of $26,000
Bid in the amount of $24,500
Bid in the amount of $24,000
Bid in the amount of $23,500
well I'm out damn low Canadian $$ lol
Bid in the amount of $23,000
Bid in the amount of $22,500
Bid in the amount of $22,000
Bid in the amount of $21,000
Bid in the amount of $18,000
Bid in the amount of $17,500
I love this.
Hi all, entering the last 30 mins - if there are any additional questions or anything I haven't addressed, now's the time.
Thanks!
Bid in the amount of $16,000
Bid in the amount of $15,500
Bid in the amount of $15,000
@Porsche416 Yep, drips are from Honeyseal. For reference, take a a look at my Bring a Trailer auctions for the '04 996 40th Anniversary and the '09 Cayenne Turbo S - both cars had this treatment done and both undercarriages look the same as this one.
No check engine lights - the airbag light flashes for a minute or so when you turn the car on due to the child seat bar, but this is how it is supposed to function and it stays off after running through the cycle.
We used a 996 ECU for the swap. Dennis was building a facelift 996 narrow body with a 997TT motor which required a stand-alone system, so his original ECU is in my Boxster.
I don't have any info on the claim unfortunately, but when I bought the car I got comfortable based on the age of the claim and amount (as you've noted).
Thanks!
Also- it was from 15 years ago so really not a big deal but do you know anything about the 3800 accident/damage from 2010?
I assume all those "drips" in the undercarriage photos are from the honey seal right? to be honest, I've never had a car honey sealed so I genuinely don't know what it looks like after...are there any check engine lights post swap? does the original ecu work fine with the swap?
Bid in the amount of $14,250
@Porsche416 clutch was inspected when the engine swap was done and was in great shape (appeared to have been recently replaced as I recall), brakes are good though I don’t have rotor measurements or anything and tires were new in 2024 (maybe 2500 kms on them total).
I am local in Oakville. What is the status of the consumables? Tires, brakes, clutch, etc?
@Wolfridge thanks Wolfridge - I’ll leave this up to individual bidders to consider but there is nothing to indicate this car’s engine isn’t original, particularly given it’s a Porsche motor. I’ve sent modified cars to the states before and haven’t had a problem but I can’t comment on your past experience, obviously.
The bigger issue is whether the car has the EPA/DOT compliance sticker which this car has as it is a US car originally.
Just a heads up for people in the US - might have some difficulty importing this with the engine swap. I’ve been there before.
@JJJames excellent thanks!
Car also comes with the Porsche OEM child seat airbag deactivation bar if any of the bidders here have booster-seat aged kids. I modified a seatbelt buckle to fit the receptacle attached to the bar to deactivate the airbag so you don't need to use with the OEM Porsche child seat. The car is coded for this bar and I'm happy to have that coding removed if the buyer prefers (would just take a few days to get it to the shop to have that done).
@Robg Yup, both work great and yeah I'd be happy to certify.
@JJJames - Heat and a/c work? Would you certify for a local buyer?
@Old986mi thanks, the Rennlist Cupholder was added after the photos were taken, I can post a photo.
The switch is for the exhaust valves.
The ‘caps’ are on the inside of the hardtop (Google this and you’ll see what I’m talking about). I can try and get a picture when I’m home.
Seat memory operates as it should.
I will grab some bumper photos when I’m home tonight or tomorrow.
You mention a Rennlist cup holder, but I do not see a photo of it. Can you clarify? Also what is the aftermarket switch installed on the upper left bank of switches in photo #111? Do you still have the OEM cup holder?
I don't see any photos of the "missing caps" noted in your listing. Could you post which photo number(s) show the caps missing?
Any issues with the seat memory function(s)? Could you post some close up photos of the front bumper skin and underside please?
@JoeLA Hi again Joe, spoke to my mechanic (who did the swap) and confirmed its the LN Engineering ceramic bearing .
Bid in the amount of $14,000
@JoeLA Hi Joe, thanks for your questions. I honestly don't know if the car would pass CA Carb requirements as we no longer have emissions testing requirements here in Ontario. That said, the exhaust is catted so it shouldn't be too far off. Might need a bit of work to get there, might be ok but I can't tell you for sure either way.
On the IMS bearing, I don't recall which one it was but will check if my mechanic remembers. The story is that we had intended to replace the bearing during the swap but when the motor arrived the bearing had clearly been updated so decided not to worry about it and just did the rear main seal.
Hi Seller: One of the nicest 986s I've seen! A few questions.
One, (and this is a question to all) how hard would this be to get passed on California emissions? Is the exhaust work and cats CA Carb compliant?
Two, which IMS was used? Was it LN's most recent version that is supposed to be lifetime?
@Gutwrencher Thanks - I know a few good shipping companies to solve that problem!
@luis.seneriz @luis.seneriz nope, no issue on my end - just have to have the paper work in order and you should be able to drive it back. The one thing I think you'll need is license plates as I'll have to keep mine here (an issue you avoid if you use a shipping service). Happy to work with you either way though
Duplicate comment
Thanks about clearing the issue of the tarrifs. Nice looking car. I’m a fly and drive guy and I live in the Houston area. Any issues with crossing this car to the U.S. and driving it down to Texas. Nice job presenting the car and providing a lot of information.
Bid in the amount of $911
Looks like a cool build! Too bad it is on the other side of the continent... GLWA
All, there will I’m sure be some who recognize this car from a recent Bring a Trailer auction. The car sold but the buyer had a change of circumstance and as I wasn’t crazy about the sale price I agreed not to hold him to it and I kept the car. I decided to relist here rather than Bring a Trailer for a number of reasons - if anyone has any questions please just use the contact seller feature and I’d be happy to discuss.
Thanks very much all, and looking forward to the process!
-James
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