Since driving a 996 for six months I've noticed that low end torque (0-2500rpm) seems lower than the V8 in the '94 vette I traded in. Above 3000prm the 996 is clearly the champ according to my low tech test equipment (seat of my pants). When I read about 911 owners complaining about how much the Boxster looks like the 911 I began to wonder if Porsche had ever considered a way to shoehorn a flat-8 into the 911 (the 998 with an 8?) Perhaps this seems like a radical idea weight wise and I'm sure it will have the purists howling, but if a 10cyl. can be fitted into the Carrera GT, wouldn't that make a nice way to boost low end torque without turbocharging, swapping exhausts, chipping...etc. What do you think?

 

You're right. You can just get so much power out of 6Cyl. engine, they need to move up.

I think Porsche will go through gradual changes. First keeping the same 6Cyl. engine but making it water cool and now that water cool engines are pretty much accepted by Porsche owners, (even the ones that complained at the begining ), would come, as you said, 8Cyl. or 10Cyl. engine.

It's just a matter of time.

 

I can't see the 10 Cyl. happening, cause they're made in Europe. The emphasis is on power not size.

That's just my cent from here in the UK.

 

Their competitors have moved up so Porsche runs the risk of being left behind in the performance stakes, which will box them in from a pricing standpoint. Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, and Mercedes all compete with Porsche with V8's or more, and Audi will probably offer the Nuvolari with V8's and a V10.

There apparently isn't that much "stretch" left in the F-6 so where else can Porsche go while keeping it's heritage intact?

A flat-8 in 998 would make a good move!

 

A 10 cil. would never fit in the rear of a 911 (CGT is mid-engined, plenty space there for 10-12 cil) but maybe they could fit a Flat-8. They could fit a V8 for sure which is smaller, but it needs to be a horizontally opposed engine I think, otherwise it would be way too much a break away from tradition and would not qualify as a 911.

The N/A flat-6 (not the TT versions though) will be reaching its limit by the 997 and as far as I can see a flat-8 would give only positive results: more torque, more HP, more output potential for future models based on that engine, more potential for HP mods, and imagine the TT version

But can you fit a Flat-8 on the rear of a traditional 911 platform?