Exclusive: Porsche confirms next 911 GT3 will be naturally aspirated
The Porsche stand has been alive with activity here at the Frankfurt IAA as Zuffenhausen uses the unveiling of their innovative all-electric Mission E concept as a real statement of intent for its motoring aspirations for the end of the decade.
Meanwhile, the new 911 Carrera’s public debut is seemingly underlying Porsche’s more imminent engineering intentions with regards to the powertrains used in its sports cars.
Of course, with the Carrera going turbocharged, the question on the lips of most enthusiasts is ‘what now for the flagship 911 Turbo?’ And, more importantly for purists, ‘will the GT3 remain naturally aspirated?’
This morning I put these questions to August Achleitner, the man in charge of 911 development at Porsche, who revealed firstly the next generation of GT3 engine WILL use natural aspiration. Purists can breathe a sigh of relief.
Achleitner said: “Some people are concerned about us changing to the turbocharged engine and how this will affect other models, but we would like to keep natural aspiration to run in parallel with the turbocharged engine and so for the next generation the GT3 will be naturally aspirated.”
Porsche’s flagship forced induction model will also stay true to its roots, with Achleitner confirming we should expect another rendition of the 911 Turbo – and soon. He says: “The Turbo will stay. As you can imagine, we will make some little improvements to this car, which will be the next step. I don’t want to tell you too much but you won’t have to wait too long.”
Unlike the 991.2 Carrera, which uses a new turbocharged ‘9A2’-coded flat six, the second-generation 991 Turbo will continue with an improved version of the 9A1 engine, ensuring there’s a concerted distance between the forced induction 911 models in terms of spec (and, no doubt, price).
“The Carrera engine is completely new, so at the moment we have two completely different flat six engines: the 3.8-litre 9A1 used on the turbo, and now the new, smaller 3.0-litre six cylinder. There are no carry-over parts with the new engine.”
Achleitner has hereby served a double-dose of good news to Porsche fans today. The turbocharged Carrera may well signal a new dawn for the Porsche 911 as we know it, but these innovative new technologies lavished on Zuffenhausen’s premier sports car won’t get in the way of that well-oiled model line-up as we know it.
The full interview with August Achleitner will be available in issue 132 of Total 911, in shops and available to download from 7th October.
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