DT: Tesla-Powered 1974 Porsche 911 Targa EV Conversion
Vehicle Details
- Year: 1974
- Make: Porsche
- Model: 911 Targa
- VIN: 9114112122
- Mileage Shown: 81,435mi (TMU)
- Transmission: Automatic
- Title Status: Clean
- Color: Salmon Metallic
- Seller Type: Private Party
- Location: Greenville, SC 29615
- Country: United States of America
- Lot #: V-0053131-DT
Finished in the rare factory color of Salmon Metallic, this 1974 Porsche 911 Targa was purchased by the seller in 2021 and subsequently underwent an electric drivetrain conversion. The original running gear was removed and replaced with a Tesla S85 rear drive unit including a 32kw battery system, an Elcon 3.3kw charger, an Elcon DC/DC converter, and 930 CV's custom EV West subframe. The car was also fitted with Rennline LED headlights, a new dashboard, custom door cards, black leather 964 seats, a MOMO Prototipo steering wheel, an iPad Mini control panel, and a Kenwood head unit. Additional service was performed in March 2024 including new front wheel bears, all new brakes and rotors, rebuilt calipers, upgraded Turbo tie rods, Turbo rear torsion bars, adjustable rear spring plates, and more. This Tesla-powered 911 Targa EV is now being offered for auction out of South Carolina.
This 911 is finished in Salmon Metallic (036), a rare factory color offered between 1974 and 1975. Equipment includes Rennline LED headlights, front fog lights, dual chrome mirrors, a brushed silver Targa bar, a removable black roof panel, a faux chrome tailpipe, an “911 Electric” script decklid badge, and silver 15” Cookie Cutter wheels. The Michelin 185/65 tires were manufactured in 2019 and have approximately 500 miles of use. The seller notes a few small paint chips and touch-ups around the exterior and a minor dent on the left rear quarter panel. Detailed images are provided in the gallery.
The black interior has been fitted with a pair of 964-sourced leather seats, custom door cards, a new dashboard, and a custom center console that houses an iPad Mini control panel, a gear selector, and a cup holder. The rear seats have been removed and replaced with a custom parcel shelf speaker enclosure. Other accessories include aluminum gauge bezels, a satellite-based speedometer/odometer, an aluminum parking brake lever, a leather-wrapped MOMO Prototipo steering wheel, and a Kenwood AM/FM/CD head unit. The seller indicates the heater and A/C components have been removed.
The car’s engine, transmission, fuel tank, and oil system have been removed in place of a 500-horsepower Tesla S85 rear drive unit paired with a 32kw battery system split between the front and rear. The electric drivetrain includes a BMS system, an Elcon 3.3kw charger, an Elcon DC/DC converter, and 930 CV's custom EV West subframe. The seller notes that no permanent or structural modifications were made during the conversion. The car was refurbished in March 2024 with new front wheel bearings, all new brake pads and rotors, rebuilt brake calipers, a brake fluid flush, new front torsion bars, new rear Turbo torsion bars, a Turbo tie rod kit, new rear adjustable spring plates, new control arms, new shocks and struts, a ride-height adjustment, and wheel-alignment. A collection of invoices is provided in the gallery.
This sale will include owner’s manuals, a toolkit, a tire inflator, a battery charger, and a clean title.
The seller would like you to know: “Thanks for viewing my auction. As a long-time Porsche enthusiast (40+ years) and having collected and owned dozens over the years, I purchased this car in October 2021 specifically to convert to EV. At the time of purchase, the car was sold to me with a blown engine and I took this opportunity to have some fun and something different. The car is something amazing to drive. Yes, it's not for everyone, especially some hardcore purest but I can say it is extremely unique. Having 500 HP at your disposal along with being able to simply adjust HP, torque curve, brake regen, and other things on the fly is quite something. Currently, I'm running it at 180 HP in chill mode and the car is very lively, much more than stock. Give it full power and in sport or ludicrous mode and you'll be in for a ride of a lifetime! With the all-new suspension, the car handles very nicely and tight, the car itself is in great shape, with no rust to speak of, and a nice Targa top and interior. The car has all-new LED lighting, new Rennline LED headlights, and for added safety, a third center brake light was added. Includes a J1772 110V charger (charge receptacle located under fuel filler door) This car took about 3 years to complete, much of this time was during the pandemic when getting components took a very long time. However, once all the components arrived the car was shipped to Northrup EV Conversions in Columbia SC for final assembly and then to Thunder Bunny Racing in Greenville, SC for suspension work. Currently, with the 32kw battery pack, I was told by EV West it should provide around 120 miles per charge when driven normally and less of course when driven spiritedly. You can watch EV West videos on YouTube where they show a similar 911 conversion and all the process involved. Thanks again and please feel free to ask any questions during the auction and I will do my best to answer all.”
Comments (89)
Offer in the amount of $50,000
Maybe I should have said we were 2/3 there and I may have lowered the reserve.
Still available.
The seller said we were close when bidding was at $40k ?
@Chipper
It isn't close at all, which is why it didn't sell. My guess is that none of the bidders knows anything about EV conversions of sports cars. Maybe they thought they could get a cool Porsche for a lowball price.
How is $40k close to $77k LoL
Hi Tom,
You are correct. As you know the 77k buy now price is far less than what is costs to build. I do have two other ICE 911’s but this one is something special to drive. If no one comes through I think I’ll just keep it and find a nice set of Fuchs to really set it off.
Offer in the amount of $42,500
Offer in the amount of $42,000
@Snocone
And your Buy Now price of $77k is very reasonable for a converted Targa. Even if it was unconverted.
@Snowcone
I'm thinking that the bidders are not at all familiar with Porsche EV conversions or else they'd realize that $40,000 is not a realistic selling price. However, it will take a special person to understand why this car is so much different than an ICE version. It's not an apples to apples comparison.
I know, because I recently converted a 356 Speedster replica using reclaimed Tesla Model S battery modules and a Hyper9 HV motor. It's a blast to drive with the existing manual transaxle and it's totally unique. It wasn't inexpensive (New replica + EV conversion), but it's worth every penny to me. Anyone can own a regular 911, but only a few can own an electric Porsche. And I can always drive my 718 Spyder if I need an ICE car fix.
Appreciate the bids and comments, it would cost more than this just in parts & labor.
Getting close , only few minutes left
@Dustinbmerrit, Northrup EV out of Columbia, SC did the conversion using the EV West kit I provided.
Bid in the amount of $40,000
Bid in the amount of $37,500
Who did the conversion?
@heyitsderek,
Not sure regarding the hp, just going by what EV west said. As far as adjusting you only need to select settings then you can adjust your hp, torque curve, brake regen, etc.. then you can save your settings in one of three presets. Check out EV controls for more info on what the controller system can do. Thanks for your interest
A new video has been added to the listing page
Bid in the amount of $35,750
I see you mention the car has 500HP but looking up the specs for the S85 show 360HP...where is the difference made up?
how easy is it to change the HP settings?
@Pcarmaket, did you receive my driving video that I uploaded. Please post it or let me know if there’s something wrong.
I’ve uploaded a video on a highway,
Not sure why pcar didn’t post yet.
It will go as fast as you want!
Bid in the amount of $35,250
I gotta say, that's a weak driving video...probably didn't exceed 10mph.
Bid in the amount of $35,000
Bid in the amount of $31,501
@TTrimble-914,
I’ve done some mild restorations in my day but never an EV conversion. I bought this 911 with a blown engine with the intention of doing the EV conversion. Basically, I just removed all the unnecessary components, bought the complete kit from EV west then sent it to a EV shop for the conversion. When that was finished which can take a long time, it went to a Porsche specialty shop for suspension and brake work and from there I just freshened up the interior, and had the wheels restored. The car itself was solid to start with so didn’t need to do any body work. The EV conversion process has been an experience but I would say if you’re not experienced you should go to a shop with the knowledge on this. It will cost more than you think once you get into it. All the little things will add up but worth it in the end if done right.
Greetings Seller: This is an excellent conversion. I am a 1973 914 owner, mine since it was new. I have been considering a conversion but don't have a clue how to get this started. Did you do this process on your own? Were you heavily involved in car restoration before this was done?
@Webstufer, Well I didn’t plan to sell. In short, I recently retired and bought a condo that only has two car garage so I’m selling off this Targa, a 2014 911-50 and a 2022 G550 pro. Keeping my 22 Targa 4S.
But told myself if this doesn’t sell , I will rent a parking garage downtown and keep it
Nice job! Why are you selling it so soon after finishing the build? I converted a 21 window VW bus with an EVWest Kit and I drive it almost every day.
She’s a beauty! Love that color
Bid in the amount of $31,251
@UAMW996TT, thanks for the comments.
Not afraid to drive the car hard, drive it quite often. I uploaded a startup & drive video on Saturday but Pcar has not posted it yet. As soon as I can get someone to help me I plan to upload a more spirited drive video.
@PCGT2005, Thanks for the interest!
Bid in the amount of $26,000
It would be very helpful upload actual "driving" video..heavy acceleration, some actual on the road driving. I'm a hardcore Petro head,but would love to add an"electric 911" to the garage. But bidding on something that current builder seems to be afraid to drive or show it's going to stay together doesn't help it's value. Looking forward to seeing you have some fun in this little car 😉
@warfbanger, after reading that article it seams that those batteries were mounted with up facing tabs and no enclosure.
This car has the EV West battery pack enclosures where the batteries tabs are on the side. I’m not an EV or battery expert but I think there is some risk with all EV’s whether factory built or conversions.
Seems there was a recent warning about the batteries used in this vehicle, from Dec 12th 2024 “I was talking to Michael Bream of EV West a couple of days ago, and he told me about two battery fires caused by water getting on them. I hope I'm not misquoting him, but both cars were a total loss. One of them occurred when a hood was left open, exposing the modules to rain. I forget the circumstances of the other one. Since then, I have been looking around the web for this information, and I can't seem to find any. Something like this should be common knowledge, and shouted from the rooftops!”
Source: https://www.diyelectriccar.com/threads/warning-about-lg-chem-chrysler-pacifica-modules.210930/?post_id=1128796&nested_view=1&sortby=oldest#post-1128796
@derekpretto, No AC, an electric one can be added if desired.
So, no air conditioner ???
@paulbuceta, Thanks for the bid and comments, Yes, tough to part with for sure. I'm retiring and thinning everything out. I have 3 911's and this one gets the most attention wherever I go.
@dm.zinchenko, I can assist with with shipping the car to NY. There are plenty of car transporters out there.
Bid in the amount of $25,000
I love everything you've done with this - Congratulations, I'm sure it's not easy to part with such a beauty.
Can you deliver the car to NY?
Really well-executed EV build throughout. Love the attention to detail including the “electric” badge and a stainless steel cup holder. I just wouldn’t have a drink in there if the HP is dialed up to anything over 350 ;)
@biwabik517, Thanks for the comments, You are correct on all points!
As for the HP, yes, 500+ hp is way more than needed for such a light car. I currently have it set at 180 hp in chill mode and it is very lively but not overwhelming. At 500 hp, in any mode it's hard not to burn rubber with these standard (smaller) tires.
Bid in the amount of $21,000
Cool car.
Just a note based on photos from an EV guy. That is a J1772 port not a Tesla port. It is AC only and will not charge by Tesla equipment (without an adapter) and will not work at a fast charger at all. According to the port it is 32a 240v capable which is medium speed for a level 2. Which honestly should be fine for a non daily driven car. And better for the batteries.
If I were to buy this the first thing I would do is buy a good quality 240v charger to use at home and a 120v to carry in the car because finding a 50amp plug in a pinch in the wild is pretty difficult. There are some really great chargers on the market for a few hundred bucks. It will work at the non Tesla level 2 public chargers that you usually find at businesses and in public places.
I can't imagine what a rush 500hp and instant torque must be in a 2800 lb car. My Mach E is 480hp and weighs almost twice as much and it is an absolute laugh inducing ball. This thing must border on terrifying. :-)
Bid in the amount of $20,000
@enginerdify, I'm not really sure, I will try and contact the installer and ask the same question.
The charger brand is Elcon and is listed in the bill of materials shown in the photos , I may be able to get specs from their site as well. I do however think that you can only charge by AC and not DC but I could be wrong.
Thanks for the reply but you did not answer the question. Are you able to get charging specifications for AC and DC from the builder? 3.3kW should be AC but there is no statement for DC power.
@RobWhittier, yes, rear seats can be re-installed. I just put a parcel shelf back there along with the speakers. There’s nothing back there that has anything to do with the conversion.
Could rear seats be put back in? Maybe a question for EVWest?
@KCnSF, On average Tesla conversions can run about 55-65K not counting the car itself, de-icing the car and the extra suspension, interior and misc work that was done
Just uploaded a few photos of the underside rear subframe along with a short video covering turn on and EV Controls display. Apologies for quality, best I could get.
Additional content has been added to the gallery for this listing.
Very clean 911, but I would be much more willing to bid if it had the original Porsche powerplant. Nice looking car.
Love it. Are you willing to share the build cost? Thanks.
Bid in the amount of $12,500
Bid in the amount of $12,000
@chipper, you can always put on a bigger charger and add more batteries but space is limited in cars like these.
@9146max, engineer, trans and all other ICE components are long gone.
Do you have the original 2.7 engine?
3.3kw charger is woefully under powered and 32kw pack is not much better. Always amazed these conversions are not at least OEM spec.
@Kmialkow,
Sorry, meant to say the system IS NOT overly complicated.
@enginerdify, the charger cable that is included is a 120VAC (standard household current) .
The 3.3kw onboard charger input is AC either 120v or 240v then it charges the DC battery packs. Then from the DC battery packs to the inverter that converts the DC back to AC to power the motor.
@Bruce914, as mentioned above the was estimated at about 120 miles with normal driving and less when driven hard.
Good looking car. No talk of the range?
Bid in the amount of $10,500
The 3.3kW charger is AC I assume? The listing only states it is DC charging capable but not the max DC input power. Can you please state the max charge power for AC and DC charging?
@mechanik27, the center mounted speedometer is a gps based speedometer and was fitted where the tach was. The original speedometer is there but not hooked up to anything.
@Kmialkow, no warranty on the car and the warranty I got from EV West has since expired. The system is overly complicated and many cities have garages that may be familiar with EV’s. Plus a lot help online is available.
Awesome build. It would be great to cruise around an air-cooled Porsche and it turned out to be electric! But why are there two speedometers?
Is there a warranty on the car? If there is an issue where would you go to fix?
@Darren04, just a listing to point to Pcarmarket. They make you put a price so I just put that number in there. Rest assured it will sell for much less.
@Bartlola, the tailpiece was just for kicks.
Serves no purpose other than filling the void where original tailpiece stuck out.
Can be easily removed if desired.
Just saw your Facebook post where you have a listing price of $1,000,000 for this vehicle.
Nice looking car. Is the exhaust purely aesthetic or does it serve a purpose? Thanks, and good luck with the auction.
@PorschePhil, Like anything else in the world of tech, companies are working on solid state batteries, and other chemistries that will eventually be scaled up and provide better range, faster charging, smaller packaging and safer. I really don't think we have plateaued on battery advancements.
@sculptedmetal, the cooling system in the car is for the inverter, it can be set at any temperature you like.
I have it set to kick on at 30c. As for the battery pack cooling, when I bought the package from EV west they told me that the batteries are air cooled and would not need a cooling system. They claimed that the similar car they built that they would from a full charge drift the car and drain the battery packs in 45 minutes and not get anywhere near hot. (you can see build & burn out videos on EV West's youtube channel). I have only driven it a few hundred miles since completion mostly around town in temperature ranging from 25 degrees F to 90 degrees F and haven't noticed any drop in range/voltage but then I have not really measured it either. As for heat and AC, you could add a heater core and pull heat from the inverter cooling system or add an electric heat pump which would provide heat and air conditioning but these units are fairly pricey and when used would reduce range quite a bit. For me, this was just a fair weather car mostly around town, car shows, cars & coffee with the Targa top off. Not my daily driver.
@Snowcone what battery tech is rapidly advancing. Do you know something that we don’t know? Have they come up with a newer battery that would fit in the size of a shoebox yet and provide a 500 to 600 mile range??
That is really cool. Kudos for the unique build. GLWTA.
@Snowcone, very nicely done! How does the car do on hot summer days - is the cooling adequate? Is there a significant loss of range? How much cost and effort would it take to add air conditioning to the car? Thanks.
@tff, The total weight of the car is now 2670 lbs which is about 200 lbs heavier than the stock curb weight.
The weight bias is now 55% rear, 45% front. It's basically like having a passenger in the car however, with all the added HP & torque you don't notice it. As for charging, this is level 1 & 2 charging so I believe the typical Tesla charging stations are level 3 as with most newer EV's that charge with 400 and 800 volt chargers. This will charge with standard 120V & 240 volt chargers. Car comes with the 120 volt charger. This is an around town type of car, not a car to take on long distance as the charging times would be 4 to 8 hours depending on the charger.
@nditiz1, I plan to upload a video that will show turning the car on, selecting gears and driving aspects.
@YogiMac With current battery technology, it's a balancing act as to have much range vs keeping the car's weight in check and still maintaining the sportiness. With battery tech rapidly advancing, My guess is soon we'll be able to swap out to newer, lighter more energy dense batteries with will increase range along with faster charge times.
I think this is interesting & cool. Nice to do something unique. Curious, do you know the total weight of the car? And I assume this could be charged at any Tesla charger?
Bid in the amount of $10,000
Can you had uploaded a real driving video?
Nice, overall, but only if that battery range could me more...