UDel

I read in CAR magazine I believe that Porsche is changing directions for the engine with its new mid engined Ferrari rival that will slot between the 911 Turbo/GT2 and 918. They are now hinting at that it will be a flat 8, possibly with 4 turbo's. This will make it very unique in the market as nobody offers a flat 8, Porsche has some racing experience with flat 8's and has said its new 4 cylinder will be modular and can be made into a flat 8. This car to me is more exciting then the hybrid 918, I can't wait to see what they can do. A few other sources are confirming the direction is going to a flat 8 right now.

http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-new...-ar115409.html

It was only yesterday that Porsche CEO, Matthias Mueller, officially confirmed the brand’s plans for a future Ferrari rival, but already there are rumors flying around about the future sports car. During the unveiling of the new Porsche 911/991, Wolfgang Hatz (Porsche Head of Research and Development) revealed that a flat-eight boxer engine is being considered for the future Ferrari rival.

This new option stems from Porsche engineers’ angst over not being able to take the 911’s flat-six engine past 4.0 liters. Moving to a flat-8 would be the next logical step considering Porsche’s major competition - Ferrari - currently dominates the market in this price segment with its V8-powered sportscars. That alone would be enough for Porsche to develop a new eight cylinder engine, but the company also feels the switch would be necessary if they plan to successfully differentiate the new model from both the 911 and the next-generation Cayman.

The new flat-8 engine should be an easy development for Porsche because the company has already created a turbocharged flat-four engine that will be dropped into a future entry level roadster. This engine is modular and can be extended into the next-generation flat-6 and flat-8. Porsche also has a history with the flat-8 engine. Back in the late 1960’s, Porsche built an air-cooled 1.5L flat-8 for Formula One that extended to a 3.0 L version for the Porsche 908 in 1968. That engine was able to pump out 300 HP back then, making a competitor for the 458 Italia’s 570 HP V8 an attainable goal.

When created, the new engine will be mated to an updated version of the Carrera GT’s ultra-compact transmission.

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2...i-fighter.html

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/201...he-flat-eight/

I8ABMR

flat 8 with 4 turbos?!?! thats going to be one vented car with all that heat under the hood. Looks like VW is having a little affect on Porsche. Seems like Veyron technology with 4 turbos

UDel

I only read about the 4 turbos in a magazine, think it was CAR or EVO, I did not see it anywhere else on the internet so I am not sure how reliable that is.

spwolf

i think those idiots at mags though that since Porsche will be using 2x 4cly to image new 8 cly, that they will also double the amount of turbos :-)

TerrySmith

Guess I'll keep buying lotto tix.. . .

adamls2

I can't wait to see this new car!

UberNoob

i dont see it being plausible to have 4 turbos for something slotted between 911 and 918
it would have to be positioned above 918 for it to demand the power of 4 turbos with a flat-8

twin turbo flat-8 is much more probable to happen

this is exciting news though, ive always wondered why no one ever makes flat-8
if they could put it in panamera too, that would be quite something

or maybe this mystical car is the 918, but without the hybrid setup and just a flat-8 + turbos instead? (another engine option for the 918)

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

a flat 8 sounds awesome!!

Blackraven

This is the first time I've heard of this. I mean, how many cars out there in the world today use a flat-8/inline 8 cylinder engine?

gengar

Wow. A supposed supercar rival that uses a modular engine smushing together two flat 4's.

I thought Porsche couldn't get any lower than this Cayenne/Panamera crud and moving to electric steering on the 991. I guess I was wrong.

geko29

I don't think there are any of either, but it's important to point out that a flat 8 and inline 8 are two completely different layouts, not different names for the same thing.

Blackraven

Ah I see I see.

Anyways, I just checked up a bit regarding this flat-8 engine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat-eight_engine

So this type of engine layout is mostly used in small airplanes as well as in boats. It has been used by Porsche before more than four decades ago. I guess they want to revive it.

Either way, this flat-8 looks to be a very unique and exotic engine layout (as exotic as W16 engines or 3-motor Rotary Wankel engines)

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

rumormill

Porsche 960 could come with quad-turbo flat-eight engine

Getting a bead on the target that is the so-called Porsche 960 is not easy, as the target keeps moving. First labeled the 960, then the 961, and now back to being called the 960, it is Porsche's take on a supercar specifically aimed at Ferrari – the latest report in Automobile says that Porsche's internal moniker for it is "FeFi," which stands for "Ferrari Fighter." Because it is expected to cost as much as the top-tier V12 Ferrari, Porsche wants the engine solution to justify the price tag. That means, according to author Georg Kacher, a 3.9-liter, quad-turbo flat-eight engine with 650 horsepower.

Last summer, the engine was mooted to be a twin-turbo flat six. A few months later, the rumor was that it would use the 4.6-liter V8 from the 918 and have about 570 horsepower. This new mid-engine configuration would be quite the leap, giving the 960 more power than the 918 Spyder (pictured) and 911 GT2 RS, and utilize other tech features like four adjustable camshafts and "a complex multistage intake manifold." In this scenario, power would be run through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and all-wheel drive.

Build materials are still slated to be a hodgepodge of materials including aluminum, steel, carbon fiber, titanium and magnesium. The boosted flat-eight, all-wheel drive and a 3,000-pound weight could get the 960 from zero to 60 miles per hour in just 2.5 seconds. Since it is looking squarely at Ferrari, the idea that the 960 will be a "four-door coupe" can probably be put to rest.

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/24/p...-eight-engine/

Byprodrive

iTrader: (1)

I believe this 960 car will be more like a 2 door coupe Panamera. The flat-8 is currently installed in a Cayman for testing. The 917 ran a turbo flat-12 & there was also 1 car built with a flat-16 but never competed before FIA outlawed the car since Porsche's917 was dominating.

Joey-E

iTrader: (1)

Lol ......