The Official 356Talk Forum

Hi All,
Can anyone comment with first hand experience of owning, driving and maintaining a polo engine? I am in process of a build and am torn on what I am doing for an engine.
Thanks,
Matt F.

Hi Matt
What are you trying to achieve in your engine selection. The Polo is basically a custom engine and is not something you build with the Maestro videos. you have to add an oil tank and make other modifications to a 356 to accommodate it and to maximize the potential. From an economic viewpoint you should install a POLO in an outlaw. a stock 356 does not benefit value wise from having a Polo. if you have latemodel aircooled 911 engines laying around and you built a few 911 engines go for it. If you don't do your own maintenance and have had early 911s check with your provider.
j

Jacques,
Thanks for the feedback. It is an Outlaw build and I am torn between the polo and rebuild of a 911. I am curious on longevity of a polo, the 911 is proven. The polo will inevitably cost more and I am aware of that. Weight of 911 motor and getting all of that right (suspension, etc) in a car it simply was never intended for I am sure can be successful but not sure I want to go there. My inclination is to save my pennies and buy a 911 down the road and for now go with the polo but I just want to learn anyone's feedback who has experience/ ownership with one regarding longevity, maintenance, etc.
Thanks,
Matt

Hi Matt
Depending on the configuration the engines should be comparable to early carburetor 911s. There have been a few Polos with aftermarket fuel injection. i have heard of some problems with oil pump pickup and premature cam wear. I believe they have been addressed. I don't think any of the engines have had over 50K miles although 911s especially those with DME can go 200K easy. Anyone capable of doing maintenance on a 911 can maintain a Polo. What you have to realize is that the non 911 items are custom made and can have issues and require a good engine builder to work out the peculiarities.
j

I’ve had 3 polo engines 356’s and they are very reliable. Great engines.

They aren’t inexpensive though.

where should i send my motor out for a polo build?

I know little about the Polo engines but I understand they don't have the torque of the 2133 pushrod engines. I can attest that my 2133 has vastly more bottom end torque than my 67 911S and about equal peak HP. I have 25k miles on mine without problems. They are tricky to set up correctly but not high maintenance. I don't have numbers but I suspect the Polo package is fairly heavy. I have driven a very well built 356 with 911 engine trans and suspension and that felt very heavy in the rear. Better to buy a 911.

Would it not make more sense to build something like a 2.4 liter VW engine at far less cost and still have reliability and easy maintenance and easy access to spare parts? If you are going to build an outlaw does it matter if the engine is a Porsche, VW, or even a Subaru flat four?

Pick a 6 cylinder engine in a 356? That weight would make the car too unbalanced I think.

You asked for first hand experience: I’ve owned 3 and no one else commenting has probably ever driven one as they aren’t common. They are wonderful engines with much torque.

I also own a 67S and that 2 liter doesn’t compare.

You can’t build a polo from a 356 or 911 block. You need to get one of the custom blocks etc.

Indeed, Emory and Rothsport have taken them to the next generation. I doubt you can get one of theirs without s full build of the car from Emory. Those new engines are crazy powerful, 4 cylinder, available with fuel injectors ir carbs. Perhaps you can get the original build from Dean which is still good but not nearly as evolved imho.

I love driving stock 356’s with big bore kits but if one wants a lot more power that Emory/Rothsport engine is The top of my list by far. Price is the only issue but it’s a major issue so other decisions may be more rational based on your priorities.

"Make more sense": My son is a bit of car nut and after research determined that what makes the most sense is buy a 1998-2002 Toyota Corolla. Fully depreciated, rock solid, cheap to fix.

With that out of the way, I thoroughly enjoy my 1883 twin plug 616/36 engine in the 912. I am now doing what David suggests and am building a 2.5L Type 4 engine with stroker crank, ported heads, etc. This will go into the 912 and the 1883 into the 356A. I looked into a Polo engine but in the end could not justify the cost. The Polo also drives a increased level of complexity given the need for external oil cooler and tank. FWIW, the Type 4 is pretty cheap compared to Porsche stuff. Starting point is a 914 core engine for $500. I just got the heads back after a complete port/polish/bigger valves/dual springs/re-position spark plugs/etc. $1700. Similar work on 616 heads quoted at $6000.
The Toyota remains an option....

Buy a Carrera and save some money.

I agree with what you’ve done.

Why matters in these cars to me is balance. With a basically stock 356 they drive wonderfully with their existing suspension, brakes and engines

If you need more power you need to upgrade the brakes, suspension gear box etc. probably the steering as well.

https://www.emorymotorsports.com/the-engine/

Technically Rod’s is no longer Dean’s Polo engine as it’s a clean sheet design. A big step forward.

I wouldn’t just for major power increases.

As the the Carrera engine, not close on power to what Emory does and not that different than a well
Built push rod in my experience. Others though are much more expert than me! Not to mention a Carrera engine is well over $100k!

Or just buy a Boxster and still have a Porsche to go shopping in.
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sal ... =spotlight

C J Murray wrote: ↑Thu Aug 08, 2019 1:39 pm Buy a Carrera and save some money.

Richard Emerson wrote: ↑Thu Aug 08, 2019 2:08 pm As the the Carrera engine, not close on power to what Emory does and not that different than a well
Built push rod in my experience. Others though are much more expert than me! Not to mention a Carrera engine is well over $100k!

I was kidding. Well, mostly kidding. If you spend $100k on a Carrera engine you have an engine worth $100k that is correct for the car. I can build a stroked 616 for not much more than a standard rebuild and it looks correct in the car and makes more power than a Carrera. All of the other engines are "wrong" for the car and probably they are difficult to sell for what the first owner has invested. Maybe that makes the Carrera cheap in the long run?

I have seen a few Ferraris with Chevy engines. If the Ferrari engine blew up then maybe the value of the engineless Ferrari is not hurt by the install of the Chevy engine which is a better functioning engine anyway that won't devalue that much while it is used in the Ferrari. Still, I think more people want a Ferrari with a Ferrari engine than a Ferrari with a Chevy engine. Which guy will be the first to put a V-12 Ferrari engine into a 356?

I think I found my next project:

Polo engine in a 2004 Boxster