It would be able to live forever if the legislation didn't get in the way, says the head of Porsche's GT department, Andreas Preuninger. But the GT cars do not avoid turbo pressure.
Porsche faces a challenge with its 911 GT3's non-turbo 4.0-liter six-cylinder boxer engine.
Andreas Preuninger, head of Porsche's GT division, predicts that the engine in its current form will only have two to three years left on the market, as it will need to be modified to meet the stricter Euro 7 emissions requirements that come into force in 2026 .
The engine has been a central part of the GT3 model since 2018 and is also found in various versions in the 911 S/T, 911 GT3 RS, 718 Cayman GT4 RS and 718 Spyder RS.
It is one of only two Porsche engines that have neither forced induction nor hybrid technology. The other is found in the 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 and 718 Boxster GTS 4.0.
– It could live forever if the legislation did not change. I don't think we can handle Euro 7 without electrification or turbos. (As it looks now, ed.) we can sell this car for another two years, but it depends on the markets, says Preuninger in an interview to Autocar.
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A possible solution is to implement a hybrid system in the GT3, reminiscent of the one used in the 911 GTS.
System combines a 3.6-liter boxer engine with an electric motor built into the gearbox itself, giving a total output of 473 horsepower. Competitors such as Lamborghini and Ferrari already use turbocharged engines or hybrid setups.
However, Preuninger points out that the two 911 models have different areas of application that require different powertrains:
– In GTS it is a good setup. In acceleration it is as fast as a GT3 and maybe even faster from the start.
– But it doesn't matter to me: for a GT3, a straight is just the connection between two corners. The system itself is the right approach to electrifying a sports car.
– But there is a reason why we don't use it in GT3. We would have had to use the PDK II gearbox from the regular Carrera, which is over 20 kilos heavier than our sporty dual clutch.
Whichever solution Porsche chooses, it is likely that the days of the 911 GT3 without a turbo will soon be a thing of the past. In any case, the future is uncertain.
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