Sacrilege electrifies a Porsche 911 restomod

US-based Sacrilege Motors has restored and upgraded a Porsche 911 America roadster with an electric motor from the Tesla Model S tuned for 373kW and 500Nm.

Nicknamed the Blackbird in honour of the supersonic Lockheed SR-71 aircraft, the car weighs 1,450kg and acceleration from standstill to 100km/h is rated under four seconds.

The black painted icon is equipped with a 62kWh battery with rapid charging that offers about 320km of driving range. Sporting ware includes a limited slip differential, custom Penske race shocks, Brembo performance brakes inside custom and forged 18-inch Fiske wheels shod with Michelin PS2 rubber.

The 1992 Porsche 911 America roadster was a limited-edition and US-only version of the 964 Porsche 911 Carrera 2 cabriolet. Only 250 of the models were made. They featured the Turbo-spec fender flare, brakes and tuned suspension but minus the whale tail and 240kW and 489Nm engine.

Sacrilege was founded in 2020 by Phil Wagenheim and Porsche expert Bobby Singh. The duo race-tunes, maintains and restores 1974-1994 Porsche 911s to concourse-grade quality with electric power. 

“We want to deliver an analogue, air-cooled-era 911 with the reliability and instant power of an EV, while preserving an exhilarating driving experience that’s familiar to air-cooled 911 enthusiasts” said Singh.

“For this commission, we set out to maintain the soul of a Porsche 911, and familiarity of its driving experience, while adding a low-maintenance, high-performance power plant,” said Wagenheim. 

“I’m not telling anyone to give up internal combustion ... I’m not. What we are doing at Sacrilege is we’re just adding an electric power option to your analogue quiver of fun.”