OK,

First, there are going to be a bunch of posts about "you shouldn't do that blah blah blah." And normally I'd be right in there. But SPEAKING HYPOTHETICALLY, if you really want to know which is the better route, supercharger versus engine transplant, I'd say engine transplant. The M96 engine really isn't designed for forced induction (supercharging or turbocharging) and your risk for premature failure would be significant. However, the fundamental differences in the GT3 engine and the M96 engine (dry vs "integrated" sump, etc) are such that the most cost effective engine transplant would probably be one of the 3.8l powerplants, either 355 or 381hp. Finding a tuner to do this for a reasonbale cost and who will stand behind their work and be near where you live are totally separate issues that may or may not be readily solvable.

Now back to reality. From your question, it sounds as if you intend to buy the car, drive it until the warranty is expired, then modify it. Wouldn't it be less risky to lease it now, then turn it back in at 30000km and lease something with more power later? 30000km from now the 997 turbo, GT3, etc should be available. Maybe even a facelifted and more powerful 997 and 997S would be out too. In the long run you would probably risk less in terms of financial loss and engine damage going this route... Anyway, I'm curious to see what the other posters think!

mcdelaug