Porsche 911 Won’t Get the GT4’s Naturally-aspirated Heart
It’s a real bummer, but sometimes business trumps emotion and desire for Porsche.
There are few things in this world better than a naturally-aspirated Porsche 911. The combination of aural delight and instant throttle response is part of what made the 911 recipe so special. Sadly, things can’t stay the same forever, and the 911 recipe has been altered over the years to keep up with regulations and performance demands. First there was the switch to water cooling, and more recently the introduction of turbochargers to all standard versions of the car. The move allowed Porsche to provide everyone with more power and speed, while cutting weight, emissions, and fuel usage. On paper, the move to turbocharging makes the 911 objectively better. But “better” isn’t always an improvement, and many have been clamoring for a return of n/a engines to the 911.
Unfortunately, we are here to burst your bubble a little bit. We all got excited when Porsche decided to put the magic back into the 718 lineup with the introduction of the n/a 4.0-liter, flat-six engine. Porsche has now gone on record to say that this particular engine will not make its way to the 911. In a recent interview with Autocar, Porsche’s head of 911 and 718 said it just wasn’t a “feasible” option.
The biggest issue comes from what makes the 911 and the 718 different, their engine locations. The new 4.0-liter was built and designed specifically for the 718, a mid-engine car. To make that piece of hardware fit into the rear-engined 911, Porsche would have to rotate the engine 180-degrees. It turns out that the costs involved with making that happen, just aren’t financially responsible for the company. Considering the new 718 Cayman GT4 only makes 414 horsepower, and the base 911 already makes 379 ponies, there is not a lot of incentive there from a performance level. Stepping up to the 911 S snags you nearly 450 horsepower. With well over a dozen different 911 models on sale today, where would Porsche find room to fit a low-power naturally aspirated engine into the lineup?
Not all hope is lost. While there seems to be no path back to naturally aspirated engines for the standard 911 lineup, Porsche did commit to sticking with the free-breathing formula for the GT cars. So the new GT3 will still be as natural and noisy as ever. And who knows, maybe in a few years before the next-generation 911 launches we can get some special edition 911s with that GT engines.
You can’t blame us for wishing and hoping.
Photos: Porsche
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