Porsche hasn’t built a four-cylinder engine for decades, but our sources at the automaker have hinted that the company is working on a new turbocharged flat-four engine to serve as the brand’s entry-level sports car powerplant. The powerful, yet very fuel efficient, engine is expected to debut within the next year — perhaps as soon as the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.
While details about the new boxer powerplant have not been released, the all-aluminum engine is expected to be based on the current 3.8-liter flat-six (shown above) found under the rear decklid of the Carrera S, yet with two of its cylinders lopped off. Fitted with Porsche’s Direct Fuel Injection (DFI), VarioCam Plus and a single turbocharger, the free-revving 2.5-liter flat-four will likely develop upwards of 350 horsepower and 360 pound-feet of torque as it spins towards a 7,500 rpm redline. Expect the engine to be mated to the automaker’s seven-speed Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) gearbox, with reprogrammed algorithms to make use of the engine’s impressive low-end torque. A traditional six-speed manual gearbox is still under consideration.
Read Article