You can win this Tesla-powered 1968 Porsche 911 and $20,000 in cash

If your mother told you that the important thing is the inner things, she is right. This 1968 Porsche 911 powered by Tesla is a good example. You don't know from the outside, but this classic Porsche has a modern Tesla power system that can output more than 500 horsepower. It currently does not have an owner, but Omaze is launching a welfare program where you can participate and win it, plus $20,000 in cash!

Disclosure: This article is sponsored by Omaze. Their model democratizes traditional auction-giving by offering everyone the chance to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Consumers purchase entries into these experiences with the money going to a charity the experience is associated with. The views and opinions expressed here are strictly my own and do not necessarily reflect those of Automoblog. For more information, please review our advertising guidelines.

Who You Will Benefit

How & Why Omaze Started

What Are The Current Campaigns?

Tesla-Powered 1968 Porsche 911: Building The Green Machine

Tesla Transplant

An Unexpected Surprise

Tesla-Powered 1968 Porsche 911

Who You Will Benefit

This Omaze campaign benefits the K-12 school tours hosted by the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. These special field trips energize students through hands-on experiences that turn abstract concepts into practical, real-world applications.

The program shows kids how transportation technology impacts society; it encourages them to explore history and mechanical intuition, and it sharpens their skills in visual arts, engineering, and communications. The museum’s goal is to educate more than 25,000 children this year.

One of those kids may grow up to build an incredible machine like this Tesla-Powered 1968 Porsche 911. Here is the full story behind Omaze, their campaigns (which feature a lot of cool cars you can win), and this one-of-a-kind Porsche.

In one of their latest campaigns, Omaze is giving away this Tesla-Powered 1968 Porsche 911. The winner will also walk away with $20,000 cash! When you enter this campaign, you are benefiting the K-12 tours hosted by the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. The museum has a goal of educating more than 25,000 kids each year. Photo: Omaze.

How & Why Omaze Started

Two friends started Omaze after attending a charity benefit hosted by their boyhood hero, Magic Johnson. While excited to be there, the pair soon realized the evening’s grand prize was well out of their reach as broke college students. The winner of the auction, scheduled for later that night, would be able to have dinner with Magic Johnson and join him courtside with the Lakers.

On the drive home, they pondered how to create a different organization, one that would reframe how non-profit organizations and charity groups connect with potential donors. They refined and honed what would become the Omaze model, one that democratizes traditional auction-giving by offering everyone the chance to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Whether that’s a chance to meet a favorite celebrity or win a dream car, everybody has an equal opportunity while supporting a cause they care about.

What Are The Current Campaigns?

Every Omaze campaign coincides with a similar non-profit foundation or charity. There is a wide array to choose from, based on which causes mean the most to you and which vehicle you would like to win. Current campaigns include a giveaway for a 2020 McLaren GT, with participants benefiting NEXT for AUTISM.

The campaign for the International Medical Corps has a 1963 Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Wagon as the top prize, while those who enter to win the 2020 Cadillac Escalade will benefit PATH, an organization serving the homeless population of California during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This Tesla-powered 1968 Porsche 911 features a factory 1974 911S suspension.

Tesla-Powered 1968 Porsche 911: Building The Green Machine

When it was hauled into Zelectric in San Diego for its powertrain retrofit, the gasoline engine was frozen and the transmission was shot. At that point, it had been sitting for 20 years. The new owner wanted to retain the original styling, but have the gasoline engine swapped for an electric powertrain of epic proportions. This restored car was to race, so plans for a heavy-duty suspension and roll bar were devised. Polycarbonate windows and a fiberglass hood were employed to drop the weight. All badges were stripped.

With Zelectric retrofits, it’s not about jamming a battery under the back seat and calling it good. These are fully-custom builds, where the electrified powertrain conversion is done with consideration for the whole of the vehicle’s architecture. The process is so delicate and exact that, as of right now, Zelectric only works on classic air-cooled VWs and Porsches.

This green machine was a perfect fit. It was the right year and the right model. Everyone in the San Diego shop loved it, but it was nothing more than a roller at this point.

Although the overhaul was extensive, nothing of the original car was cut or modified to accommodate the Tesla powertrain. In fact, it can be converted back to factory components even now. Along with matte custom trim and Magnus Walker Outlaw wheels, it was repainted in the period-correct Porsche Irish Green.

Tesla Transplant

At that time (2018), only a few “Tesla transplants” had been successfully completed anywhere in the world. The process is far beyond a typical engine swap, given the nature of a Tesla powertrain in general. EV West, one of Zelectric’s partners, had been working to “unlock” the Tesla plant so it would function reliably outside of a factory Tesla. The end goal was to fit a Model S powertrain into the architecture of the classic Porsche, but it required some creative engineering.

It would take another year for the full transplant, as the team spent countless hours building a custom motor support and new axles for the chassis. Robust battery boxes were designed, and a more efficient battery management system was put in place. Unique wiring and cooling systems were engineered.

An Unexpected Surprise

Just as Zelectric was heading into the home stretch, the client found he couldn’t commit to finishing the rebuild. With so much time and energy invested into the car over several years, Zelectric bought the Tesla-Powered 1968 Porsche 911 and later made it available to Omaze for this campaign.

Because the Omaze platform is designed how it is, you have a chance to win this Tesla-powered 1968 Porsche 911 outside the typical auction setting. Make sure you enter this campaign, as you will be benefiting a great cause.

Tesla-Powered 1968 Porsche 911

Drivetrain: RWD

Transmission: Automatic

Exterior Color: Irish Green

Maximum Seating: 2 seats

Engine: Tesla Model S P85 Motor

Charge Range: 120+ miles at highway speeds.

Interior Color: Custom black with carbon fiber accents.

Maximum Horsepower: 500+ HP (the original 912 engine was 90 HP!).

Maximum horsepower: 500+ HP (the original 912 engine is 90 HP!).