Porsche mulling canned F1 engine for 918 Spyder successor
Company chief says battery tech advancing too slowly for an electric hypercar
Porsche is planning a successor to its 918 Spyder hypercar that may feature the company’s canned Formula 1 engine, it has emerged.
The German carmaker began working on an F1-destined six-cylinder hybrid engine after withdrawing from the LMP1 (Le Mans Prototype 1) category in the World Endurance Championship at the end of the 2017 season.
And although the F1 project was ultimately ditched in favour of the all-electric single-seater series Formula E, the company continued to develop the V6 hybrid engine, Autocar reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Speaking to the magazine, Porsche racing boss Fritz Enzinger said: “We received an order to further develop a highly efficient six-cylinder engine, despite the LMP1 withdrawal – not only on paper but as hardware.”
An F1-grade engine that is adapted for durability and devoid of the complex and costly MGU-H (motor generator unit - heat) - which converts exhaust heat into electric energy - would “be interesting for a super sports car”, he added.
Enzinger says his team’s hi-tech motor is “complete and running on the test bench” and is being considered “with regard to series production relevance”.
What we know about the 918 Spyder successor
Details about the Porsche’s next flagship hypercar are scarce, but the company has been clear about its intention of releasing a follow-up to the LaFerrari-rivalling 918 Spyder.
In an interview with Top Gear at last year’s Los Angeles Auto Show, Porsche sports car chief Frank-Steffen Walliser said the next hypercar “must achieve” a lap time considerably lower than the six minutes and 57 seconds achieved by the 918 Spyder at the 12.9-mile Nurburgring circuit in Germany.
“I don’t care about the drivetrain, six minutes and 30 seconds is the target. Sports cars are defined by their performance, then we have to look how to achieve it,” said Walliser.
The upcoming hypercar isn’t expected to arrive until at least 2023, giving Porsche plenty of time to perfect the design.
The next 918 may adopt elements from the company’s 917 Living Legend concept [pictured top] that appeared earlier this year to mark the 50-year anniversary of the firm’s 917 Le Mans racer.
Although the concept won’t make production, Evo says the retro hypercar serves as a “design study” - meaning some elements could make their way onto future products.
Is an all-electric hypercar on the cards?
Not at the moment. Although Porsche released its first all-electric model a few months ago in the form of Taycan, company chief Oliver Blume believes that the technology is not advanced enough for a super sports model.
He told Autocar that solid state battery technology - which he described as “new-found standards in EV weight, efficiency and range potential” compared with today’s lithium-ion packs - was not progressing as quickly as originally had been hoped.
As such, “the technology will not be available in the sort of production quantities required to underpin the new model until the second half of the next decade”, the motoring magazine says.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Is Daylight Saving Time good for the climate?
Under the Radar Scientists are split over the potential environmental benefits of the hotly contested time change
By Abby Wilson Published
-
Life in the post-truth era
Opinion The mainstream media can't hold back a tsunami of misinformation
By Theunis Bates Published
-
Magazine printables - November 8, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - November 8, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Six of the best new hybrid cars for fuel economy
The Week Recommends A look at some of the most economical hybrids for sale in the UK
By The Week Staff Published
-
Porsche Macan GTS 2021 review: what the critics say
feature This petrol-powered SUV is ‘curvaceous and dressy without being indiscreet’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Porsche Boxster 25 Years 2021: what the critics say
feature Just 1,250 of the limited-edition models are being made, with UK prices starting at £72,760
By The Week Staff Published
-
Future-proof your classic Porsche 911 with an electric conversion
feature Replacing the heart of the car with an electric motor does not affect its soul
By The Week Staff Published
-
Porsche 718 Boxster GTS 4.0: a near-perfect sports car
Speed Read As roadsters go, the new Boxster is difficult to fault
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
New Porsche Panamera revealed: sharper looks, more speed
Speed Read Sporting saloon gets a mid-life facelift
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Porsche comes to its senses with the 718 Boxster GTS 4.0
Speed Read The sports-car maker has brought back its six-cylinder engines. That’s good news.
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Best electric cars on sale in 2020: Tesla Roadster, BMW iX3, Honda e and more
Speed Read A look at the top EVs on the market - and what’s coming up this year
By The Week Staff Last updated