Aiming for a new standard of driving dynamics for electric conversions of classic Porsche 911s.
LAKEVILLE, CT (August 17, 2023) — Sacrilege Motors, a bespoke performance, restoration and electric-conversion studio, is proud to announce it is using custom Penske Racing shocks exclusively in the company’s Porsche 911 builds.
For its first commission, Sacrilege Motors has restored, performance-tuned and EV-converted a Porsche 911 America Roadster, a U.S. version of the Carrera 2 Cabriolet Turbo-look, and one of 250 built. Named BLACKBIRD by its owner in honor of the supersonic SR-71 Blackbird aircraft, the commission will debut during Monterey Car Week, on the Concept Lawn at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Sunday, August 20, 2023.
Combined with Euro-spec Porsche 911 964 RS upper shock mounts, Sacrilege Motors uses custom-configured Penske Racing shocks for this special, EV-converted Porsche 911’s specific chassis dynamics demands. The goal with every Sacrilege Motors build is to preserve the exemplary handling characteristics of a classic Porsche 911. Moreover, the Blackbird commission retains the 911’s weight distribution, giving it a handling profile closer to an analog sports car than to a straight-line-performance EV. Sacrilege Motors uses the historic Lime Rock Park racing circuit near its headquarters in Lakeville, CT for dynamics testing and tuning.
“We have incredibly demanding targets to meet for feel and handling,” said Bobby Singh, president and technical lead of Sacrilege Motors. “When we were considering our options for custom shock absorbers, Penske Racing emerged right away as the best choice. The next-level tuning, design, damping and application knowledge base at Penske Racing made the art of hitting our targets seamless. Penske Racing shocks were really the only choice for us.”
“Bobby’s got a problem. He’s a perfectionist, which is why I love him,” Sacrilege Motors CEO Phil Wagenheim says. “He’s always trying to find that edge. Getting the suspension to react exactly the way Bobby and I wanted it to was fundamental to the project, and getting these Penske Racing shocks dialed in exactly right made it happen.”
“The soul of a sports car is in the engineering,” Singh said, “and you have to analyze and replicate every aspect of the chassis, suspension and drivetrain interaction. Countless hours of CAD/CAM design work with Penske and countless iterations went into perfecting the handling characteristics. The performance we’ve been able to achieve with these shocks is at another level. The handling, the grip, the familiarity. The way we have the car set up… It’s like an amusement park. You just want to keep driving.”
Sacrilege Motors was founded in 2020 by finance entrepreneur and corporate CEO Phil Wagenheim and Porsche expert driver and tuner Bobby Singh, who brings three decades of experience restoring, building and tuning elite Porsche sports cars, including the 959, Carrera GT, 918 Spyder, and Porsche Cup cars. Wagenheim and Singh, who are both passionate owners and drivers of air-cooled Porsche 911s, caught the Porsche bug early, enchanted by the analog feel and precise handling of a classic 911. Their mission is to create the most captivating EV-conversion Porsche 911s available. Some might call such conversion work heresy, but others welcome the act of retaining the classic 911’s uniquely enjoyable driving dynamics, while reducing its need for maintenance and environmental impact. Sacrilege Motors delivers a Porsche 911 with all of the instant power of an EV, and the familiarity of the Porsche 911 driving experience.
Sacrilege Motors restores 1974-1994 Porsche 911s to concours-level quality, focusing on Porsche driving dynamics, breathtaking performance, exquisite interior design, and the most reliable conversion to all-electric power. Sacrilege Motors does not manufacture or sell automobiles. Sacrilege Motors is not sponsored, associated, approved, endorsed nor, in any way, affiliated with Porsche Cars North America, Inc., or Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche, AG. The Porsche® name and crest, 911® and TARGA® are trademarks of Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche AG, and any other products mentioned are the trademarks of their respective holders. Any mention of trademarked names or other marks is for purpose of reference only.
The product of Sacrilege Motors is a Porsche 911 that has been restored, EV-converted, and refined by Sacrilege. Out of respect for Porsche, and to respect Porsche’s trademark rights, these 911s should never under any circumstances be referred to or described as a “Sacrilege,” “Sacrilege911,” “Sacrilege Porsche 911” or a “Porsche Sacrilege 911,” or in any other manner that suggests that it is anything but a Porsche 911 that has been restored and converted to electric power by Sacrilege Motors.
