Porsche the original high-performance sports car, already hugely powerful, fast, and desirable, but like anything else, there is always room for improvement. These are some of the best engines, and they can be tuned to produce crazy levels of power.
Masters of producing powerful high-performance engines, early adopters of turbocharging, Porsche dominates the market when it comes to powerful tunable engines, ever since the days of 356 Outlaw models, factory fresh units are capable of doubling the output engineers intended.
Just as no two engines are the same, aftermarket tuners differ in their tuning methods, the result though is always the same, more power.
10 Gemballa Avalanche 991
Modified 911 models are a common sight, there are dozens of tuning companies offering their take on the iconic 911. Gemballa takes tuning to another level, the Avalanche is not only boasting a 3.8-liter turbocharged 820hp flat-six but also comes with Formula 1 inspired aerodynamics, proving you can improve upon perfection.
Roof-mounted ducts leading to a custom drag reduction system to reduce drag over the enormous rear wing, in turn contributing to Avalanches impressive 225mph top speed.
9 TopCar Stinger GTR
Porsche owners wanting something a little more discrete could do a lot worse than TopCars Stinger GT conversion, a custom in-house body kit with performance upgrades from Gosha Turbo Tech. Stock 991 3.8-liter engines receive uprated intercoolers to improve cooling, resulting in 750hp at the wheels.
No performance figures currently exist, Stinger GTR remains a one-off development model, although tuning modifications are offered as an aftermarket upgrade for any 991 models.
8 TechArt 911 Turbo S
With every new generation of 911 Turbo comes a raft of aftermarket tuner models, TechArt choosing the 2019 Turbo S model for modifying. Production cars undergo GTstreet RS upgrades featuring custom VTG turbochargers resulting in 770hp an increase of 190hp over stock motors.
Oddly enough, TechArt chooses to restrict maximum speed to 211mph, although for track testing purposes, this can be increased to 224mph, with the dash to 60mph taking 2.5 seconds.
7 Sharkwerks GT3 RS 4.1
Gearheads thinking all Porsche modifications are based on turbos should think again, Sharkwerks' GT3 RS 4.1 is an old-fashioned light-weight sports car. As the name suggests boasting a custom enlarged 4.1-liter flat-six, peak power jumps to 543hp, and 400lb-ft of torque is available from 1200rpm.
Low-speed pulling power is where the 4.1-liter conversions really make its presence felt, unlike more powerful turbo upgrades, the Sharkwerks GT3 RS 4.1 doesn't suffer from lag.
6 Ruf RSR
Just one example of Ruf's RSR exists, a specially commissioned dealer car-based on the iconic Porsche 945 turbo racer of the 1970s. Upgraded from BTR spec with an enlarged 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six producing a claimed 700hp. The RSR uses a 6-speed manual transmission that sends power to the rear wheels, maxing out at 205mph.
Ruf continues to produce Porsche-based customer cars today, all highly modified but none matching the RSR for drama.
5 EDO Porsche Panamera
The Panamera is the closest Porsche got to building a four-door 911, offering supercar levels of performance with the practicality of a sedan. Turbo S models are capable of reaching a 190mph maximum speed thanks to the 550hp coming from its 4.8-liter twin-turbo V8.
Going some way to prove you can never have too much power, EDO Competitions revised Panamera features an uprated 700hp V8, torque also received a huge boost to 800lb-ft, resulting in a restricted top speed of 211mph.
4 Mansory Cayenne Turbo S
One of the first performance SUVs on the market, the Porsche Cayenne kick-started the trend among European carmakers for high-performance SUVs. Launching to 60mph in 5.2 seconds matches many sports cars, the Cayenne features 542hp 4.8-liter V8 turbo engines good for a maximum 176mph top speed.
Famous tuners Mansory proving there is more performance to be unlocked, smaller in displacement at just 4-liter, improved turbochargers responsible boosting power to 690hp. Unable to escape its sheer size and weight, maximum speed showing minor gains to 186mph, acceleration fairing much better taking 3.2 seconds for the 60mph dash.
3 Gemballa Mirage GT
Subtle by Gemballa's normal standards, the Mirage GT is the latest creation from the German tuner and it uses the rather expensive Carrera GT as its basis. Offered as a complete package costing $780,000 including the donor vehicle, the Mirage is a case of diminishing returns. It produces a maximum 670hp from its 5.7-liter V10 engine, barely 60hp more than the standard car.
Similarly, performance gains offering only small gains over standard, Porsches V10 engine already close to its limits of tune resulting in a top speed of 208mph.
2 Bisimoto Porsche 986 Bi-Turbo
Poor man's Porsche turned track racer, the Bisimoto 986 based track car shares little with the road car, sacrificing creature comforts for weight saving. Where standard cars make do with 217hp, this track monster boasts 500hp from its twin-turbocharged 2.7-liter motor, stock 5-speed transmission manages power to the rear wheels.
Built for track use, later planned updates including larger 3.4-liter Porsche engines, which should see even more power gains.
1 Porsche 911 GT2 RSR
Gearheads seeking the ultimate 911 should look no further than this customized 911 GT2 RSR boasting a staggering 1160hp. Production 996 models shipped with 3.8-liter engines produce 456hp, this example is packing racing pistons, liners, cams, and heads, and is boosted by twin Garrett GTX30R turbochargers, resulting in its crazy 1160hp output.
Truly a bespoke car designed for track use. Recently listed for sale with an asking price of $300,000, it is sure to attract a lot of attention.