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Porsche reportedly working on new turbocharged flat-four boxer engine?

These days, we've seen just about every automaker dropping cylinders in an effort to appease tightening fuel economy and emission standards - and Porsche is no exception. Nearly three years after introducing an all-new V6 powerplant under the front hood of its Panamera sedan (launched with a range of V8 engines) comes word that Porsche is working on an all-new turbocharged flat-four boxer to replace the flat-six engines mid-mounted in its Cayman and Boxster models.
Specifics have yet to be learned, but reports say the engine is a derivative of the current 3.8-liter six (shown above) found under the rear decklid of the Carrera S, yet with two fewer cylinders. Fitted with a turbocharger, direct-injection and the automaker's VarioCam Plus, the new all-aluminum 2.5-liter flat-four will likely develop upwards of 350 horsepower and 360 pound-feet of torque. Redline should be about 7,500 rpm. Initial indications say that Porsche will only offer the new engine with its seven-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic, tuned to take advantage of the low-end torque, but a traditional six-speed manual gearbox has not been ruled out. Despite the loss of two cylinders, enthusiasts will likely embrace the new engine as it promises to be lighter, more fuel efficient and more powerful than the 2.7-liter and 3.4-liter sixes in the Cayman/Boxster today.
Even though Porsche has been using Volkswagen Group engines for years (e.g., Cayenne V6, Cayenne Diesel and upcoming Macan), all indications are that the new flat-four will not be shared. Instead, it will be kept in-house for the automaker's sports cars and possible future fitment in an entry-level 911.

Porsche 911 going all-turbo this year save for GT3 and GT3 RS

The coming Porsche 911 GT3 RS will represent another high-water mark for the brand, and another milestone. Its 500-or-so horsepower and extreme aero are predicted to lop more than five seconds off the 7:20 Nurburgring lap time of the current GT3, making it "comfortably less" than 7:20. Beyond that, its naturally-aspirated 3.8-liter will form the basis of the turbocharged engines going into the standard range of 911s later this year as 2016 models. That's right – if you're looking for a sub-GT3 911 that gulps its air without compressed assistance, then you've only got a few months to get a new one into your garage. Emissions regulations are the reason, of course, with Porsche's R&D chief Wolfgang Hatz saying that, "Every new model will have lower CO2 than before," and "if you look at euro per g/km, then it's turbo." We don't know what the engine lineup will look like, however; a few months ago Car reported that the base 911 would get a smaller-displacement version of the engine, while the S would stick with 3.8-liter displacement and jump to 520 horsepower, which is the same as the current Turbo. After that, Hatz said, "at the end of the decade electrification has to be the next huge step." That means a hybrid 911 is being cooked up somewhere. Yet even as the brand leaps into the new, there's a chance it could dip a toe back into the old: the 911 GT3 RS will launch with a PDK, but Hatz's team is considering adding the option of a seven-speed manual. Elsewhere in the range, the Cayman GT4 is being engineered by Porsche Motorsport as an entry-level racer, with more power than the current Cayman GTS to go with some serious weight loss. They are also developing a track-only model for privateers. The standard Boxster and Cayman will get turbocharged flat-four engines, but there'll be a sporty Boxster that also loses weight and gets more power than the 325-hp Boxster GTS. And that mid-level supercar that's been floating in the ether for years and supposedly sent to purgatory again just last November? It's on the way by 2020 "at the latest," and will use a version of the new V8 that will eventually go into the Cayenne and Panamera. Featured Gallery 2015 Porsche 911 GT3 RS: Winter Testing Spy Shots View 13 Photos News Source: Top Gear, AutocarImage Credit: CarPix Green Porsche Emissions Convertible Coupe Hybrid Luxury Performance Supercars porsche 911 gt3 wolfgang hatz porsche supercar

Porsche resurrects V8-powered 911 prototype from the Eighties

These days, we take it for granted that the Porsche 911 uses a flat-six engine. That's because every version of the iconic rear-engined sports car has had one. Right? Well, for the most part. There was the 912 that joined the original in the late Sixties with a flat-four. And in the mid-Eighties, Porsche toyed around with the idea of a V8-powered 911.
After the first-generation 911 had been in production for over two decades, Porsche began development of its successor, the 964, in the 1980s. And one of its ideas was to use a V8 engine. So it took a 964, borrowed a V8 from Audi, gave it the rear bodywork from a 959 and dubbed it the 965.
The idea was to create a more affordable successor to the 959 that included its advanced all-wheel drive system and active suspension. The Audi V8 would have been replaced with one of Porsche's own design - possibly based on the it had built for Indy racing - but Dr. Ulrich Bez (who was then head of Porsche R&D long before taking the reins at Aston Martin) ultimately killed the project.