Flat Eight Engines Are Not In Porsche’s Future

2015 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS (Credit: Porsche)

There’s been a dirty rumor going around about the Porsche 911. People have been saying that one day the car will be powered by a flat eight engine, which is just plain not the truth. In an interview with Autocar, former VW Group powertrain boss Heinz-Jakob Neusser said that there is some truth to the rumors since the option was seriously considered for a time.

To make the flat eight engine work, it would have needed to have a capacity of 5.0 liters, which was deemed too large to fit in the car. The whole crazy idea didn’t make it past the early development phase. That means you’ll never see a concept 911 with a 5.0-liter flat eight engine, sadly.

The rumor was somewhat believable, considering that Porsche does use eight-cylinder engines in the Cayenne and Panamera, and has in the past developed flat eight engines for motorsport use. Currently, the trend in the automotive industry is to replace displacement with forced induction and other engineering wizardry, all in the name of shedding curb weight and improving fleet fuel economy ratings. Slapping a 5.0-liter eight-cylinder in the 911 could have posed a serious problem when it came to government regulations.

In light of the flaw with the flat eight plan, Porsche opted instead to turbocharge the flat six engines. That way it can squeeze out more power without dropping in a bloated engine. According to Neusser, turbocharging the engines actually gives the company increased design freedom, making it the better option.

Everyone will see the updated 911 in Frankfurt later in 2015, which will also debut the new variety of turbocharged engines. In 2018 the next generation of the Porsche 911 will launch, which could bring about even more changes.