Iconic Widebody 928 S4VR Racer

[tomo]

Cormer co-founder of 928 parts supplier Devek, Bob DeVore‘s iconic 928 S4VR widebody racer with slicks the size of your face is currently in the process of being returned to its former glory. Having been through many iterations and a small handful of owners since the late 1990s, the car has been somewhat neglected as of late. But forum member Catorce is well on his way to returning the car to track-able condition.

Upon initial viewing, the 928 S4VR appears ready to rock now. But Catorce tempers expectations immediately by indicating that the safety equipment, at a minimum, is all aged out of usable condition. That means a new fuel cell, seats, harnesses, window net and key starter ignition system need to be swapped out at a minimum. With custom fitted kevlar bodywork on all four corners, wide BBS racing wheels, aero that works and a completely one-off suspension setup, this 928 is, however, a good jumping off point, and will someday soon make an excellent racer.Back in DeVore’s day, the car was fitted with a series of ever-increasing displacement engines, from 4.8 to 5.7 to 6.2 to 6.46 liters, with the latest making upwards of 700 naturally aspirated horsepower. The engine has now been shipped off to 928 Motorsports for a complete teardown and rebuild with a whole lot of power being the goal. Here’s a preliminary build sheet for that engine directly from 928 Motorsports on this very thread.

.6.6 Liter 32v V-8 
928MS Billet Steel Crank with improved oiling passageways, 3.750″ stroke
Ductile Iron dry cylinder liners, 4.125″ bore
Pistons: 928MS/Arias Custom forged w/graphite impregnated skirts
Rods: 928MS/Oliver steel rods
Engine static and dynamically balanced to within 0.1 gram
Custom harmonic balancer (928MS)
928MS Complete crank scraper and windage tray system
Heads extensively CNC ported and flow-benched (928 S4 R3)
Stainless Steel valves, 39mm intake, 33mm exhaust
928MS Beehive valve springs, chrome/moly keepers, copper/nickel/silica valve seats
928MS 32vR3 Camshafts, Intake .430/222, Exhaust .398/216
928MS 3 heat-cycle re-torque
928MS Engine dyno and break-in
928MS/Electromotive TecGT Engine Management system

Gaining big power, in a reliable fashion, is the goal for this engine. Durable and dependable aren’t adjectives usually ascribed to a 928 engine. However, it appears that this one might fit the bill to a “T.”

Over the course of this thread, you’ll see Catorce’s endeavors to tear this 928 down to its component parts, check to make sure everything is mechanically sound, rebuild the stuff that isn’t, and then reassemble it back into a complete racing 928. It’s a really cool thread, and if you’re a Porsche Transaxle fanatic like I am, you’ll want to read every page. The build is still in progress, so it would be worth bookmarking for future reference.

Around the time that Porsche’s new 911 RSR was launched at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Catorce noticed some specifications were quite similar between Porsche’s new mid-engine endurance racer and his own 928. The cars have a near identical track width both front and rear. The two racers also share identical tire sizes front and rear. His 928 is slightly lighter than the 911 RSR, and their power levels will be nearly identical as well. While Porsche will surely have the technological edge with their fancy new car, and will certainly have an aero advantage, it would be interesting to eventually see lap times compared. If the car gets completed, perhaps he can take it for a few laps at Laguna Seca and we can have a closer look at the lap times when that happens.

 

[DJM]

6.6 litre NA V8 700+ HP..........that sounds like fun.

[333pg333]

Yeah saw this going by recently. Be interested in the results. Remembering that U.S. horses are smaller as there's more of them.