Porsche Rumored to Launch Small-Displacement Turbo'd Flat-Four Within the Year

When you think Porsche and four cylinder engines, images of the rather underpowered 914 spring to mind, and while it was a real Porsche in the way it was engineered, built and its handling characteristics, the quickest version with a two-liter engine could only sprint to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.7 seconds. They did get the four-pot formula much better with the 924, 944 and 968, with the latter becoming classics.

Power won’t be a problem with the German manufacturer’s rumored new flat-four engine, which reportedly is coming within the year, complete with turbocharging.

The information comes courtesy of Porsche fan-site Flat6news, which claims to have inside knowledge of the situation. They even speculate that the engine may make its debut as early as the Frankfurt Motor Show, which is set to take place in September.

It is expected to be a 2.5-liter unit, which will basically be a 3.8-liter flat-six, with two missing cylinders, featuring direct injection, one turbocharger and a 7,500 rpm red line. It is expected to make around 350 hp in its highest state of tune, and it may make the 2.7-liter from the current Cayman and Boxster obsolete, so those two cars will most likely be getting it first.

If the 350 hp and 360 lb-ft (487 Nm) is true, then that means it could also replace the 3.4-liter engine, which powers S versions of the two aforementioned models. It looks like it will be a pretty versatile engine, so it would not really be a surprise to see it at the back of a 911, in a few years’ time.

However, it will not be the only four-pot Porsche that we will get to see soon, as the Macan sub-Cayenne SUV is also a very suitable candidate for such a power plant. The source is keen to point out, though, that this other new engine will be based on something VW already has lying around, but it will be a “Porsche exclusive.”

By Andrei Nedelea

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