One of my favourite Porsche projects of the last few years has been working with my friend Jonny Hart on the brand development of his company, Classic Retrofit. Jonny and I became online friends soon after he joined our 1974-1989 Porsche 911 forum at impactbumpers.com and it has been fun to follow his electronics magic on parts for these classic 911s, including the all new Porsche 911 air con system.
The peak of achievement to date is Jonny’s electric air con kit for classic Porsche 911s. Branded ‘Electrocooler’, the full kit is about to be unleashed on the classic Porsche community in its first public showing at the LA Lit Show on March 4.
I shared some pics on Classic Retrofit’s social media pages last week and they went totally ballistic: a most rewarding return for all of Jonny’s hard work. I have just sent more details out and am sure that many of my Ferdinand friends will also be interested in knowing more, so I share them below.
Email Jonny at info@classicretrofit.com to discuss any of his products.
Classic Porsche 911 Electric Air Con: A/C Technical Layout
The compressor module (front centre in the picture) goes in the smuggler’s box on a LHD 911. On a RHD car, the compressor is mounted adjacent to the battery and fits with no modifications to battery or spare wheel arrangements.
The condenser goes under the front wing/fender, in place of the oversized windscreen washer reservoir on an impact-bumper car. The blower unit (top right) contains a modern fan and evaporator. All original non A/C vents now blow A/C air.
The occupants can also enjoy A/C air out of any vent in the car, including warm A/C air for rapid windscreen defogging. Our blower assembly brings recirculation capability to the 911s ventilation system and assists heated air flow for hot air without the need for footwell blowers.
Maintaining the standards of classic Porsche design, the original cabin slider ventilation controls are retained, for maximum discretion. A single pushbutton with indication is the only visible clue that Electrocooler is fitted.
Electrocooler Weight Savings and Performance Benefits
As shown in our photo, the complete kit weighs a shade over 16 kilograms (35 lbs). Combining the fitment of a smaller washer bottle and accounting for removal of the original fresh air blower, installing Classic Retrofit’s Electrocooler kit to a 911 originally supplied without factory air conditioning adds less than 7 kilograms (15 lbs) to overall weight.
For a car originally equipped with factory air conditioning, converting to the Classic Retrofit Electrocooler system results in an overall weight saving of circa 18 kilograms (40 lbs).
There is the added handling benefit of weight loss at the rear of the car by removing the substantial original air-con compressor from its elevated position in the engine bay, not to mention the increased fuel efficiency and engine power, once the crankshaft load inflicted by the archaic belt-driven compressor is removed.
Fantastic! When will it be available and at what cost? Is there a plan to appoint international sales agents? I am based in SA where This product will find a good market, most of the impact bumper models here are sans air conditioners. I would be keen to purchase one and provide a demo for other fellow 911owners. I am a well known classic Porsche collector.
Where can I get this done?
Hi David. Are you in the UK?
How much? Sounds good!
Are there any plans for a 964 variant or is this already covered in the phrase, air cooled 911?
Hi Mike, this kit covers all 911s up to 1989. The next kit is now in development and it is a 964-specific application/installation.
When do you expect to get to the 993?
Thanks,
David
Hi David, I am not sure how the 964 and 993 projects differ and 964 is next on the list. Best thing to do is to email Jonny direct – info@classicretrofit.com
I’m interested in doing this now on my 86 Caterra. I was about to start engineering my own using a Toyota Prius set up till I saw this. Please send me pricing asap!
Hi Jason, all the details are on the Classic Retrofit site at the link below – first batch is sold out but send Jonny a message and he will let you know what the score is. I have sent him your details. Cheers, John G http://classicretrofit.com/products/electric-air-conditioning/
Hi does this kit include a blower unit and does it require another battery or just use the car’s battery
Uses the car’s battery. See the website at classicretrofit.com for any info.
What is a realistic time estimate for a proper installation of the AC system? The youtube installations are butcher jobs.
Depends – I have spoken to people who were charged three days to fit by Porsche specialists but others say a day and a bit. It is not that hard to fit from what I have seen, but then I am happy using spanners/wrenches.