The pandemic can be held responsible. Phil Wagenheim, the highly motivated New York investment fellow who serves as CEO and one of the two collaborators at Connecticut’s Sacrilege Motors, does think so. Wagenheim, who amassed wealth in the initial days of SPACs (Special-Purpose Acquisition Companies), had spent an ample amount of time with his children at home extensively during the Covid lockdown. That’s right, quite a bit.
A Porsche enthusiast by heart, he desired to take a drive to clear his mind. Scratch that, he felt compelled to go for a ride. However, as he neared his cherished 993 Turbo one day, Wagenheim observed it was dripping oil, a sight that irked him. He dialled up his long-standing buddy and soon-to-be business associate Bobby Singh, a well-regarded Porsche technician, racer, race engineer, and former Boeing 747 mechanic. In a fit of frustration, Wagenheim informed Singh: “Bobby, my car is leaking oil and it’s emitting smoke from the right exhaust. Let’s just transform this vehicle into an EV.”
Singh established an officially approved Porsche body shop, Manhattan Motorsports, and currently operates a premium Porsche workshop in a prior Skip Barber facility close to Lime Rock, CT. Presently, his work experience also includes his new responsibilities as the president and lead engineer at Sacrilege. Yet, convincing him to join the team was not a guaranteed feat.
“Phil, you can’t do that. You’re an ***,” Wagenheim recounts Singh’s remarks. “I replied, ‘I might be an *** but does that change the fact that I can’t use my car?’” Initially hesitant, Singh tried to discourage his affluent, scheming, and ambitious customer. “He said, ‘Phil, it’s the final year of the air-cooled vehicles. You can’t do that. But you’ve always desired an ’89 Turbo Cab. Why not acquire an M491 [Turbo-look] vehicle and we’ll modify that?’”
Wagenheim suspected Singh still didn’t take him seriously. “However, I phoned him fifteen minutes later. ‘Alright, Bobby, the vehicle will be at your facility on Wednesday.’ And he responded, ‘What vehicle? What are you referring to?’ I replied, ‘The 1992 M491. Let’s convert it into an EV’.”
Already Unconventional
Thus, Wagenheim states, “the adventure” commenced. Alongside Singh, the duo established Sacrilege Motors, which is now prepared to accept your request for an entirely electric 911 constructed utilizing donor G-body (1973-1989) or 964 (1989-1994) Porsches.
“Older vehicles can’t handle the torque of electric motors, and newer ones are excessively large and computerized,” mentions Wagenheim who, while content with being labelled an early adopter, yearns for the smaller size and relative simplicity of the older Porsches. This preference is reflected in the dashboard of the Blackbird, which is the converted 964 America Roadster he’s brought to be tested on some brief but challenging mountain roads near Nyack, NY. Initially, the dashboard and gauges resemble those of an older 911, yet upon closer inspection, most of the information transmitted is related to electric car functionalities. Initially equipped with a Tiptronic automatic gearbox, the car, which the proud co-inventor elaborates, “was already sacrilegious,” fittingly matching the company name.
Commencing the rotation of the ignition key slightly, after a brief pause, a subtle panel illuminates with a small message: “Turn Me On, Baby” (really, dude?). With further turn of the key, the vehicle is prepared to go. However, being electric, it remains completely quiet when stationary, devoid of any artificial engine sounds. A gear shift with three positions controls a single forward speed and could not be simpler to decipher (forward-neutral-reverse), smoothly engaging into place. Despite not displeasing to the eye, because who doesn’t appreciate a dark ball on a stick? The gear shifter would not be out of place in a high-end golf cart, a straightforward interface that suits my preference.
As velocity increases, the noise level escalates but the only discernible sounds are the wind, the Blackbird’s tuned and enhanced suspension, and Wagenheim’s animated commentary that accompanies our excursion.
Implementing Actions To Bobby’s Norm
“What we identified was the absence of players in the U.S. who are fabricating genuine engineered components to execute this correctly,” he articulates. “There are individuals – I won’t mention names, but they operate on the West Coast – who are involved in somewhat Frankenstein constructions, but no one who performs tasks to Bobby’s caliber. I mean, at Bobby’s facility currently there is a 959S, a 959, a Carrera GT, a 993 Cup car, and a distinctive 993 Turbo. All undergoing engine-out maintenance. That’s Bobby’s forte. He’s a Porsche expert with more than 30 years of know-how.”
The objective was not to revolutionize but to evaluate the classic EV conversion scene, where the duo founders were significantly impressed by the achievements of Welsh company Fellten, which has transformed over 100 vintage vehicles into electric drive, now also supplying Sacrilege with motors. “The UK and Europe in general are ahead by about five to seven years compared to the U.S. in EV conversions of vintage cars,” Wagenheim voices. “Fellten comprehends the ins and outs, and the highs and lows.”
A solitary, tuned Tesla motor is procured from them to propel the roadster via a single-speed gearbox, with new batteries positioned at the front and rear, freshly sourced from China. “We opt not to recycle Tesla batteries,” Wagenheim remarks. The combined output is rated at 500 horsepower – adjustable to a lower level in “chill mode,” or alterable infinitely via a laptop, if preferred. You can also customize the amount of regeneration achieved upon lifting off the accelerator.
Remarkably, Sacrilege’s electric 964 weighs less than the gasoline-powered car on which it is modeled, with Sacrilege citing a total weight of 3,009 lbs – an asserted 200 lb reduction. The estimated range of 200 miles per charge may not encourage extensive cross-country trips, but surpasses the majority of converted cars.
“Bobby’s aim was to locate an engineered product capable of crafting a 964 that preserves the era-specific familiarity that one would anticipate, while having instant torque and even greater horsepower than the original. Essentially, an extraordinary driving experience unattainable back then. Now, it’s achievable in an almost maintenance-free model with that recognizable driving sensation associated with the 964s.”
Fully Reversible Adjustments
Setting off, it’s immediately apparent that we are not in a golf cart, DIY car, hastily converted vehicle, or any other type than a 911. Indeed, converting the 964 to electric power necessitates no alterations to the body or suspension, apart from utilizing Euro-spec RS shock mounts and customized Penske racing shocks with independent reservoirs, developed by Singh in collaboration with Penske Racing. In the older G-Body builds, the recipe entails replacing its torsion bar suspension with coil-overs and incorporating G-body-specific customized Penske shocks and reinforced shock towers. Wagenheim confirms that all alterations are fully reversible as the original car’s chassis and mount points remain intact.
Vehicles can be painted in any shade and interior materials can be customized endlessly to cater to any new owner; nevertheless, in this particular car, the outcomes are impeccably elegant. Featuring basket-weave leather and Italian suede predominantly, and no traces of unsightly ornamental carbon fiber visible. Upon buckling into the jet-black car’s black seats, with the convertible top down on a sunny day, the high-voltage air conditioning quietly delivers cold air in my direction. Subsequently, we embark on our journey.
The Blackbird Roadster proves to be one of the most enjoyable electric cars I have ever driven. It certainly lives up to its promise of great speed, though not excessively so, which suits me perfectly. In just 3.8 seconds, it reaches sixty, according to Wagenheim, who is quick to point out that “this isn’t a car for the track. It’s meant for pure enjoyment. It’s the kind of car you take out for a leisurely Sunday drive with friends.” He confesses to reaching 130 mph, “hypothetically, and not on American roads,” with a chuckle. “However, I could see myself becoming comfortable at 158 mph.”
While I might never go beyond 65 mph on the narrow, twisty roads above the Hudson River, I am quickly enamored. The suspension, meticulously tuned by Singh through numerous laps at Lime Rock and thousands of miles of on-road testing, including extensive winter drives, performs exceptionally well. It offers exceptional cornering and body stability. Despite benefiting from the low center of gravity of heavy battery packs common in electric cars, this 964 model displays none of the bothersome swaying and bouncing present in most other electric vehicles I have experienced.
The brakes – all Brembos – are powerful and resistant to fading. Custom Fiske three-piece wheels sport Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires sized 235/40 in the front and 295/35 in the rear. With no traction control, large tires are crucial for achieving that vintage driving feel, as Wagenheim points out. Despite this, the steering feel and responsiveness are everything you would expect from a 911. Wagenheim mentions that Racer Steve Katz, who holds the all-time lap record at Lime Rock in a 996 Cup Car, was initially hesitant to drive the Sacrilege car on the renowned track. “He’s very against EVs. He said, ‘I don’t want to, I don’t like EVs.’ I said, ‘Please, just give it a try.’ He did, and he concluded that it’s essentially the best street car he has ever raced on the track. It’s closer to his race car than any other street car he has driven on the track.”
The only thing that might dissuade me – and probably the majority of the global population – from purchasing a Sacrilege conversion is its price tag. At $850,000 without a donor car supplied by the company, or $750,000 when the buyer provides a car that is structurally sound and free of rust. This means that only a select few individuals may show interest, some of whom may be attracted to the Blackbird, the Enigma coupe – a model without a sunroof that is soon to make its debut – or one of the six other cars currently in production at Sacrilege’s facility in Connecticut. To attract these high-profile customers, the company plans to participate in Pebble Beach in August, as they did last year, to showcase the Blackbird. Clearly, they are poised to make some successful sales.
Maintaining Porsche’s Favor
Nevertheless, there is one key difference with a Sacrilege conversion: the absence of Porsche emblems. Wagenheim and Singh are well aware of the increasingly strained relationship between the preeminent custom 911 creator, Singer, and Porsche, which has become increasingly contentious with the California-based company. The distinction, according to Wagenheim, “they prominently feature Porsche’s name on their cars. So, what we did was file a design for an emblem with the U.S. Patent Office. Our intention was to initiate a dialogue with Porsche because I cherish Porsche. I do not want to risk any infringement against Porsche. It is my aspiration to collaborate with them. Upon review, they raised concerns over the emblem we designed. It featured four quadrants, akin to Porsche’s logo, which differs from our current one – a simple shield with lines down the middle symbolizing the engineering icon for battery. It’s a subtle nod. We contacted them as we are committed to complying with all their requests, as I have no desire to offend. Porsche is the brand of cars that I truly appreciate generating.”
So, is the issue resolved? “Well,” Wagenheim remarks, “they did not explicitly decline. However, they did not expressly approve. We have taken steps to remove all [Porsche] branding from the vehicle, except for the original Porsche radio. If they request us to remove it from the radio, we will do so. We are ready to comply with any requests from Porsche, rest assured. I am an ardent admirer, a true enthusiast. I am not discouraging anyone from driving air-cooled cars. I am offering an alternative to add variety to your collection of air-cooled vehicles through these conversions.”
Despite Sacrilege’s efforts to eradicate all traces of Porsche logos from their revamped cars, presuming that the esteemed German automaker might greet their fledgling initiative with the same lack of tolerance that the well-established 911 re-imagination company Singer has encountered, which sets a high standard, Wagenheim remains undaunted. “I aim to sell a few hundred vehicles,” he states. “I aspire to be the pioneer in EV-converted 911s, akin to Singer.”
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