It’s a day everyone tried to pretend wasn’t going to come, but it looks like the Porsche purists worst dream is about to become a reality. There's a strong rumor doing the rounds that the brand will no longer use its naturally-aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six in the hardcore 911 GT3 and GT3 RS models after the current generation.
A report from Autocar cites sources within Porsche’s Motorsport division in Stuttgart, Germany, who claim that the successor to the current 911 GT3 will use a heavily reworked version of the 911 Turbo’s 3.8-liter twin-turbo flat-six. In the 911 Turbo the engine is expected to make 570 hp, but the GT3’s version will be tuned to produce more than 500 hp, with an aim towards on track driveability than raw acceleration numbers.
It will be interesting to see what the addition of twin-turbos will do to the driving experience. The 911 GT3 has always traditionally been a high-rpm car, happiest to be screaming near the redline, rather than riding along on a wave of mid-range torque. Currently, the 3.8-liter Turbo delivers 524 lb-ft of twist between 2,200 and 4,000 rpm, compared to the 4.0-liter's 339 pounding feet which only show up between 6,000 and 9,000 rpm.
It will be interesting to see what the new torque curve means holistically, as such a shift in the engine character will drastically change how the car needs to be driven in order to go quickly, which will certainly necessitate a change in chassis tuning.
At the same time, Porsche boss Oliver Blume has reportedly green-lighted a hybrid version of the 911 which will use the turbocharged 3.0-liter engine from the Carrera paired with a 94-hp electric motor. Look for the all-new Porsche 992 to make its official reveal at the upcoming Paris Motor Show.
