Don,

You are comparing apples and oranges. Racing conditions are rarely
comparable normal driving conditions. For that matter, stock street
engines are intentionally defined for longevity vs. racing engines
which are pushed near the engineering limit with the expectation of a
rebuild between races if not during.

If you can afford to put a 3.2 Carrera motor in a Vanagon, it's a good
bet you can afford a lot of other alternatives. One chooses this type
of conversion because they can and not out of necessity. That I unless
you feel it is necessary to be able to tell everyone you meet that
your Syncro is powered by Porsche -- not the Type 4 VW in the
aircooled Vanagon.

Porsche in a box just sounds so much sexier than the present
alternatives.

BenT
Sent from my mobile device

On Oct 14, 2009, at 10:10 PM, Don Hanson <dhanson928@gmail.com> wrote:

>   Those Air cooled  or 993 (water boxer style) Porsche motors are
> not very durable either.  Lots of HP but little longevity.  The 993
> twin turbos had a reputation at the track as cars that won every
> race they finished...If they finished.  One guy I know brought his
> to Portland Int. Raceway for a PCA club race..With his semi and a
> mechanic.  Went through two motors on Saturday and one on Sunday and
> still didn't finish...But he was fast when it ran...Oh yeah..his
> motors were about $20k per motor...$60k and a DNF...not good 'bang
> for the buck'
>   Don Hanson