Next Chapter >

I have a sneaking suspicion that it really doesn’t matter what I’m writing right now since none of you are likely to be reading this text. The picture above is sensory overload, plain and simple. I saw it in person and I still don’t believe it, so I’ll give you a few minutes to stare, wipe the drool off your keyboard, save the photo to your hard drive and subsequently upload it to your tumblr… then we can start this article when you’re good and ready.

I don’t mean to sound cocky, but it’s pretty hard not to like this car. It’s a perfect blend of form and function, with timeless good looks and shiny new power adders. There’s just something about a 911 that stops people in their tracks, car fanatics and regular folks alike. When you add some crazy looking exposed custom turbo setup it’s like the car is forcing itself down your throat, only content when it owns your heart completely.

But as easy as it is to like this car based solely upon curb appeal, the story behind the car makes it even more charming. To Honda enthusiasts the name ‘Bisi Ezerioha needs no introduction. If I even began to attempt to recall all the records ‘Bisi set, broke or still holds in FWD sport compact drag racing it would likely be enough to complete the rest of the text for this article. He’s built a reputation for doing things differently, things others are afraid of.

Ironically his boost to fame within the Honda scene came from his ability to break records with his ludicrous NA builds. He went against the grain powering his cars not with the DOHC B- and later K-series engines of his rivals, but rather opting for Hondas simpler, and considerably cheaper, SOHC engines. To add insult to injury, he was using super uncool non-VTEC variants, building them to the extreme and then wiping the floor clean at the drags.

In more recent years ‘Bisi has begun carving out a second niche for himself in the turbo market, starting with a crazy 700whp 1.6L single-cam Civic shuttle. He has also applied this technology to a partnership with American Honda building vehicles for SEMA, starting with the most powerful CR-Z in the world, which was followed by a 1004whp 2012 Civic Si.

When he’s not building monster demo cars he’s running his business, aptly named Bisimoto. Although ‘Bisi is capable of performing a wide range of services, one his most popular is dyno tuning. He’s built quite the reputation as a tuner and is one of the foremost experts when it comes to AEM EMS boxes.

In addition to tuning and engine building services Bisimoto also offer a full line of components including camshafts, cam gears, connecting rods, valve train and more. Undoubtedly their best known product are their long-tube headers, a part that has been proven time and again to have no equal. With an ever growing hunger to explore new avenues for progress ‘Bisi has decided to take all of this technology to a new brand…

Porsche. And so once again ‘Bisi will attempt to carve out yet another niche for the Bisimoto brand, the only question is how it will be received by the already established and opinionated Porsche crowd. I’ve known ‘Bisi for many years now collaborating on countless stories together and if there’s anything I’ve learned about this man it’s that his work ethic and commitment to greatness is something I’ve seldom seen in others.

So it is with this car, a 1976 911, that ‘Bisi first dipped his toes into exciting world of Porsche. As he tells me he had many talks with his dyno customers who were more and more frequently tuning for road racing and they began to suggest that ‘Bisi take his expertise over to boxer engines from Stuttgart. He admits always having loved the shape of 930s, so he eventually purchased this car and completely stripped it down.

Next all of the planned modifications were tediously jotted down and some initial goals were set. Quickly realized was that fact that in order to reliably obtain the kind of power he was looking for and maintain drive ablility, the air cooled flat six that came with the car wasn’t going to cut it. With the help of some friends he was able to source a reasonably priced 996 engine and then he “did what I always do” ‘Bisi tells me “and swapped it.”

Along with the new power plant a 997 6-speed gearbox was sourced and bolted to the 3.4L. These updates alone would be enough to turn the featherweight ’76 into a pretty impressive performer. Needless to say for a man who has built a name for creating the insane, a simple engine swap wasn’t going to be enough.

He knew he wanted to build some serious power via a pair of turbochargers, but in order to get there reliably there was work to be done inside the engine first. Doing what he does best, ‘Bisi stripped down the engine, examined the components, developed new custom parts and rebuilt it with surgical precision.

While stuffing a motor full of radical new internals is important to engine longevity, there was more than just the rebuild required for this conversion. In the front ‘Bisi has built a custom radiator setup with ducting from the front bumper feeding air to a shroud which then forces the charge through the radiator where it then cools the core before being expelled under the car.

With the important stuff attended to ‘Bisi could then get on the fun part, mounting and plumbing the Turbonetics turbochargers. I am told that this is actually the third development configuration with the smallest turbos of the lot, but produces the most usable power. The initial setup called upon two significantly larger snails to bring power up around the 1400 mark, but the lag was unbearable. To solve this the turbos were reduced to 61mm units which, at around 11psi, make a “modest” but very usable 648whp.

While the shiny turbochargers gleaming through the void in the rear bumper steal the show, they are but a single piece of the puzzle. To keep the engine happy under all boost conditions the car also utilizes a Turbonetics Godzilla blow-off valve and a pair of RG-45 wastegates which dump just below the exhaust, giving the car a uniquely staggered quad exhaust look.

As one might imagine, supplying the fuel demand of such an engine is also quite a serious job. A Holly Dominator pump extracts fuel from the custom built aluminum fuel cell and pushes it through stainless lines past a series of Kinsler filters before reaching the fuel rails where it is pressurized and sent through custom Bisimoto 1000cc injectors. The fuel setup, like the rest of the car, is meticulous.

Surrounded on all sides by fuel lines is a lone AEM boost solenoid, which feeds signals directly to the AEM EMS computer.

This little black box controls a myriad of parameters, each of which have been custom defined by ‘Bisi himself. This is, as far as I know, the first time anyone has operated a Porsche with one of these computers. With the EMS and ‘Bisi’s familiarity with it comes almost unlimited possibility.

From what I could tell the computer, although fully customizable, was designed for a Honda V6 so it should come as no surprise that ‘Bisi has enlisted the help of Honda wiring guru Ryan Basseri to create a bespoke harness for this Porsche. Virtually the entire car, from the front-mounted multiplex which replaces the fuse box to the engine-mounted sensors in the rear, has been rewired from scratch.

To take full advantage of the ECU’s capabilities an AEM throttle-by-wire system has also been installed. This enables ‘Bisi to create different throttle curves, for example one for economy, one for spirited drives and a full on track tune. He can also use this piece of technology to create smooth traction control settings.

To adjust traction control ‘Bisi has mounted this piece of fighter jet surplus to the dashboard. The pitch angle dial now controls the TC gain.

Sitting just a few binnacles over is an AEM digital gauge which has cleverly found its way inside the factory bezel for a stealth look. From here the driver can see virtually any parameter that the ECU monitors at the push of a button. Immediately adjacent to this is a custom VDO Bisimoto tachometer, unquestionably less complex but equally as important to the drive.

Other Bisimoto branded items include a pair of racing bucket seats which keep the driver and passenger firmly planted inside the perimeter of the Steen Chassis NASA spec rollcage.

Outside the car is sporting a set of Eins Gramm wheels, another Bisimoto original. Eighteen inches in diameter and eleven inches wide up front, thirteen out back, these wheels are the perfect match to the aesthetic of the exterior. They are wide enough to evoke a sense of performance but still fit inside the fender arches in a tidy manner.

Somehow ‘Bisi has figured out a way to create a car that is subtle and aggressive in equal parts. A custom Bisimoto spec front bumper, rocker panels and rear bumper have been attached to the body via quarter-turn fasteners. The paint is a hue called Bisimoto Electric blue and is the trademark of Ezerioha’s builds.

Keeping the rear end planted is a massive carbon fiber spoiler that track day Porsche enthusiasts lovingly call “the banana wing”. In addition to the louvers which aid the intercooler, the uprights also feature inlets which create a ram-air intake effectively channeling air moving across the top of the rear fenders into the engine compartment where it can be consumed by the turbos.

Ironically ‘Bisi admits that aesthetics are his weakest area in terms of car building, but how could you not like this? Letting the performance speak for itself, both metaphorically and in this case visually, has become the aesthetic.

It’s one that is quite flattering, wouldn’t you agree? I have no doubt that this monster will be very difficult for the Porsche world to ignore and it’s only a matter of time before Bisimoto converts an entirely new group of car enthusiasts into believers.

With two more crazy demo Porsches on the way with another personal 911 waiting in the wings you can rest assured this won’t be the last monster flat six we see from Bisimoto. I wish ‘Bisi, one of the hardest working and nicest, not to mention well spoken, men I have ever met nothing but luck. I’ll be anxiously waiting to see what he does next.

Bisimoto 1976 Porsche 911

ENGINE

Bisimoto built 3.4L M96 engine; Bisimoto steel rods, heat shielding intake gasket, drive-by-wire 82mm throttle body, custom headwork, custom aluminum fuel cell; Bisimoto spec 1000cc high impedance injectors; Bisimoto web level 2.4 camshafts; Arias 9:1 forged pistons with ceramic coated tops and moly coated skirts; high output smart ignition coils; K&N oil filter; NGK Iridium spark plugs; Purol lubricants (10w-40 engine); custom Bisimoto JNF exhaust manifold; custom Turbonetics 61mm billet turbochargers (x2), Godzilla blow-off valve, RG-45 wastegates (x2); Burns Stainless exhaust piping and hardware; custom Spearco air-to-air intercooler; Driftmotion 2.5” aluminum piping; Golden Eagle sleeved engine cases; custom Bisimoto-spec intake manifold; Griffin dual-pass radiator with shroud; Supertech stainless steel intake and Inconel exhaust valves; Vibrant Vanjen clamps and stainless hardware; Holley dominator billet fuel pump; Kinsler fuel rail, 100 and 25 micron fuel filters; G&J braided fuel and oil lines; ARP head studs; RSR engine mounts; VP Racing 100 octane unleaded fuel

ENGINE MANAGEMENT / ELECTRONICS

AEM Series 2 EMS with custom drive by wire control, AEM 5 bar MAP sensor, oil pressure sensor, electronic boost control solenoid

DRIVELINE

997 six speed gearbox; Bisimoto-spec Action 2MS Clutch

SUSPENSION / CHASSIS

Steen NASA spec Chromoly roll cage; Bisimoto-Eibach full coilover suspension

BRAKES

Custom 996 derived brake kit

WHEELS / TIRES

Grand Prix white Eins Gramm aluminum wheels 18×11 (F), 18×13 (rear); Falken Azenis RT-615K tires 265/35R-18 (F), 315/30R-18 (R)

CABIN

Bisimotowerks racing seats, 11,000 rpm tachometer with shift light, fighter special gauge fit control box; Odyssey ER35MJ dry cell battery; Rywire mil-spec harness with low resistance bulkheads; Rueda interior paint; Rennline foot plates, steering release, batter box; Prototipo steering wheel; RS door panels; Porsche 997 shift knob

BODY

Bisimoto Electric Blue paint; Type 2 graphics stickers; Bisimoto splitter infused front bumper, rear bumper, side skirts, GT-X trunk wing; Dzus fasteners; Carbon Creations GT concept 1 top wing

More stories by Sean Klingelhoefer on Speedhunters

More car features on Speedhunters

More Porsche stories on Speedhunters

Bisimoto Engineering Website

– Sean