Twin Turbo LS3-Powered Porsche Cayman Is Our Kind of Hybrid

Building a Better Machine

It's no secret that the Porsche Cayman is a highly capable vehicle. With a nicely balanced chassis and 911-fighting potential right off the showroom floor, albeit with less weight, it just makes you wonder what a Cayman could do with, say, LS power. But wonder no more, because LS1 Tech member JordonMusser is building such a machine right here in the forums.

Photos: LS1 Tech Forums

Decisions, Decisions

Jordon previously owned a 997-gen 911 with 1,200 hp, so he knows his way around powerful Porsches. This time around, however, he wanted to LS-swap one. After narrowing down his choices, he realized that the Cayman/Boxster chassis was the way to go.

>>Join the conversation about this LS-swapped Cayman right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!

Perfect Project

This chassis obviously has a lot of benefits, but one that really appealed to Jordon was that this project shouldn't be too terribly difficult. "Thought this would be the perfect project. Great chassis, mid-engine, and I wouldn't have to hand-build the entire interior or hand make body panels."

>>Join the conversation about this LS-swapped Cayman right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!

Set to Kill

The plans, at first, were rather simple. And rather savage. "The plan for the car is a forged LS3, Gallardo (Graziano) transaxle, and Xona Rotor turbos. I plan to make around 1200 whp on kill and 700 in 'road course' mode. This will require a ton of cooling to keep 700 handled for lap after lap."

>>Join the conversation about this LS-swapped Cayman right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!

Going Big and Wide

But a killer drivetrain wasn't the only change this Cayman would be subjected to. Jordon also planned on making this a wide body and adding a GT3 front end conversion and rear wing, as well as the biggest brakes and tires he could stuff on/in it.

>>Join the conversation about this LS-swapped Cayman right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!

Extra Work

Of course, none of these things are what most people would call "easy" tasks. Simply yanking the original engine out took more time than expected, and the Graziano transaxle was so big it required a lot of work to fit.

>>Join the conversation about this LS-swapped Cayman right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!

Making Progress

He kept moving forward, however. And soon, the main subframe was completed, and then the crossmember support. And before long, the most important part was finished - the LS3 was snugly in place.

>>Join the conversation about this LS-swapped Cayman right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!

Green With Envy

But just as soon as he had everything together, it was time to take it back apart for body and paint. While that was happening, he was busy getting the long block assembled and all the wiring together so it could drop back in easily.

>>Join the conversation about this LS-swapped Cayman right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!

Hard Work Pays Off

Bodywork and paint took months to complete, but in the end, it was totally worth it. The Verde Ithaca hue looked fantastic, but then it was time to begin the tedious task of putting it all back together. 

>>Join the conversation about this LS-swapped Cayman right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!

Patiently Waiting

And that's exactly where this killer Cayman project stands as of now. So be sure and head over here, and follow Jordon on Instagram to stay tuned for future updates. And it's safe to say that you're going to want to see this thing when it's all finished!

>>Join the conversation about this LS-swapped Cayman right here in the LS1 Tech Forum!

For help with service and maintenance of your car check out the how to section of LS1Tech.com.