We knew this day would come, but we chose to ignore it, thinking it will go away. Increasingly stringent emissions standards, imposed by the European Union, had determined Porsche to re-think its engine offerings.
The pure-bred, naturally aspirated, flat-six is going to be available exclusively for the die-hard Porsche enthusiast. We know this because according to Matthias Müller, Porsche’s CEO, a new turbocharged four-cylinder boxer engine will find its way in the Boxster and Cayman models, beginning with 2016.
This engine wasn’t scheduled to appear until the new generations of the entry-level sports-cars, but it seems that Porsche is working overtime to get this motor ready for production as soon as possible.
It’s too early now to focus on numbers, but rumor has it that its displacement could come in 2.0-litre and 2.5-litre versions. With the help of two turbochargers, the 2.0 variant it’s believed to boast anywhere from 300hp to 355hp. That means it will likely replace the 2.7-litre and the 3.4-litre boxer-engines available now in the Cayman and Boxter.
What about the 2.5-litre variant? Well, here’s where things get a little tricky. According to Mueller, this engine could go up to 395-horses. Muller did specify to Automotive News that maybe, at one point, it will find its way in other models, saying: “First of all, we will have it in the Boxster and Cayman successor and then we will see how it works and how successful it is and how the customers will react on that, and then we will take the next decisions”.
Don’t worry, the flat-six will still be available in the 911 GTS, Carrera, Carrera S, Turbo and Turbo S models, but unfortunately those will be turbocharged as well. Wait, don’t despair, it’s not all that bad because Porsche’s GT program will still maintain the naturally aspirated boxer engines. That’s right, for the purists there will still be old-fashioned Porsches as we know and love – in the form of the Cayman GT4, 911 GT3 and GT3 RS.
Note: Current Porsche Cayman GTS pictured
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