The good people from Drive went along to Paul Ricard recently and captured some audio of the Porsche 919 Hybrid. This is good because it gives us a great opportunity to hear what its petrol-powered V4 engine sounds like. It’s not the best sounding engine you will ever hear, but it’s not too bad.
The chaps at XCAR films managed to get Mark Webber to spend some time in front of the camera during last week’s WEC test at Paul Ricard. They got him talking about his career and a few other bits and pieces.
We learn how Mark got started, hear about his departure from Formula 1 and what he’s looking forward to with Porsche.
One thing we were surprised to learn is how low Mark’s heart rate is during race conditions, especially in the 919. He is ice cool!
[Thanks to Tiaan for the tip]
Rumours suggest the new turbocharged flat-four engine, which will power the next-gen Porsche Boxster and Cayman, will boast close to 300kW.
At a recent Nürburgring industry pool test day Porsche was running a 991 911 that doesn’t sound at all like a six cylinder 911 should. With 300kW on tap it’s not out of the question that Porsche could consider offering the flat-four as an entry-level 911 in the future. Whatever the production intent of this 911 test mule might be, if nothing else it appears to be giving us our first taste yet of Porsche’s new four-pot.
Check the video after the break and listen for yourself.
[Thanks to John for the tip]
Porsche made sure its drivers did more than lap the Paul Ricard circuit over recent days by asking them to tell the world how wonderful the new 919 Hybrid really is. This is what they came up with. That V4 engine sounds alright, too.
The Porsche 919 Hybrid headed the field after the WEC’s official two-day Prologue test at Paul Ricard on the weekend. The #20 car of Mark Webber went fastest during the Friday evening session when Brendon Hartley posted a lap time of 1:41.289.
Hartley’s teammates, Timo Bernhard and Webber, also broke the 1:42 barrier on the first day of testing. The #2 Audi R18 with Andre Lotterer at the wheel set the next best time of the weekend when he went 1:42.073 on Friday afternoon.
Romain Dumas, driving the #14 919, recorded the third quickest lap with a best time of 1:42.126. Toyota’s fastest lap in the TS040 of 1:42.356 came during the Friday afternoon session.
There were two sessions run on Saturday, which were slower overall. The best times were in the 1:43s and were set by the #1 and #2 Audi R18s of Tom Kristensen and Marcel Fassler.
With the more open nature of the new LMP1 regulations it’s difficult to compare like with like. Aside from the different engine configurations found in the three factory LMP1 teams the Audi R18 can use up to 2MJ of recovered energy per lap, while the Porsche 919 and Toyota TS040 can use up to 6MJ. This means the regulations employ a complex measure of how much fuel each car can use per lap in order to try and keep performance as even as possible.
It’s probably best just to worry about which car is fastest against the clock and, if you care enough, then start looking into the reasons why. Needless to say all three teams were claiming success after the Prologue, saying that testing went to their pre-arranged schedules. It seems everyone’s a winner. For now.
The real winner will be known in a few weeks when the flag drops and the bullshit stops when racing begins in earnest at the 6 Hours of Silverstone on 20 April.
Speaking after the Prologue Mark Webber explained just getting through the team’s program was a bonus for Porsche: “This test here was a big milestone. To enter two cars for the first time was a tremendous amount of hard work for the crew on the operational side.
“Smooth running was a well-deserved award and a good tonic for the guys after a long week. Every day we run we find more areas to improve, which is very encouraging. The track lay-out at Paul Ricard seems to suit our car very well. I’m curious to find out how we can perform in Silverstone.”
Later tonight the 2014 WEC season has its first official preview when the two day Prologue test begins at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France. In preparation Porsche has put the final touches on its 919 Hybrid ahead of its first genuine test against the competition from Audi and Toyota.
Officially this will be Mark Webber’s first earnest hitout in the 919 as well, so we’ll be very keen to see how he goes.
Earlier this week the 919 was on track at Paul Ricard for three days of testing. It was the first time all six of the Porsche LMP1 drivers were on hand. Despite a few technical dramas Porsche say they have accumulated valuable experience in the 4,756km of completed testing so far.
“This test was a very challenging one for the entire crew,” explained Team Principal Andreas Seidl. “For the first time we were running two cars at the same time, which was demanding in terms of logistics and team coordination.
“The other target was to simulate a race weekend in order to prepare for the two six-hours races that are coming up. This was a very important experience for us. The test taught us that we have to improve in terms of reliability.
“With regards to the way the crew and drivers worked together as a team, we are going in the right direction. The next two days of testing here in Paul Ricard, during the Prologue, will be used to fine tune both the car’s set up, as well as the race specific processes.”
A reminder, too, that you can keep up to date with the Porsche 919 program via the @PorscheRaces twitter account.
In its own words the @GTPorsche twitter account represents the “biggest independent print and digital Porsche magazine”. Yet, often what this account says has a track record of becoming official from Porsche shortly thereafter.
Our observations lead us to believe they either have impeccable outside sources or the ear of some influential people inside the walls at Porsche. So it is with some alarm we read this morning’s tweet suggesting a possible/probable Porsche return to Formula 1, which you can see above.
The link to Red Bull is interesting also, given the current struggles with Renault in the new V6 power unit era. You’d expect Renault to get on top of things eventually, but you can bet Red Bull has thought about different engine suppliers several times in the last couple of months.
The return of Porsche to Formula 1 has been rumoured several times in recent years and had thought to have been put to bed now that the Porsche LMP1 program is weeks away from its return to competition at the 6 Hours of Silverstone on 20 April.
Indeed, just a couple of weeks ago the topic was mentioned here on AUSmotive, when Wolfgang Hatz, Porsche research and development boss, spoke about the company’s discussions prior to announcing its return to tackle Le Mans. And that decision made almost three years ago!
Our understanding is Porsche has given its LMP1 program a minimum three-year commitment. Would Porsche really run concurrent LMP1 and F1 programs? Would Porsche really return to F1 at all?
There’s good and bad news for the 991-based Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. The rollout of the RS will most likely be delayed thanks to the engine replacement scheme for the flame-happy 911 GT3. Originally due for unveiling in the next few months it’s now uncertain when the RS will be launched.
Now for the good news. After initial reports suggesting the GT3 RS would be a PDK-only affair—as the regular GT3 proved to be—there is now talk that a manual ‘box may be offered after all. At least that’s the word from Car & Driver who claim sources have told them Porsche is “strongly considering” a manual transmission for the RS.
[Source: World Car Fans & Car & Driver | Thanks to Tiaan for the tip]
Matthias Müller, the bloke running Porsche, says the company will downsize to four cylinder engines for the next-gen Boxster and Cayman. This we pretty much knew already, but Mr Müller has given us some tasty morsels about what the new four-pots engines will be capable of.
“We will continue with the downsizing strategy and develop a new four-cylinder boxer engine which will see service in the next-generation Boxster and Cayman,” Müller explained. “We will not separate ourselves from efforts to reduce CO2.”
Of course the discussion turned to predicted power outputs. “Up to 400PS,” was Müller’s reply. That’s 395hp or 295kW for those of us in the 21st century.
Keep in mind the most powerful factory 981 Cayman you can buy, the recently announced GTS, only produces 250kW from its 3.4 litre flat-six.
Müller didn’t seem to mention it but you can expect the new flat-four to achieve its power thanks to forced induction. Will that be one or two turbos Mr Müller?
Near on 300kW from a four cylinder? Take that Mercedes and Volkswagen!
[Source: Autocar | Thanks to John for the tip]
If you’d like your Cayman S, or your Boxster S for that matter, to have a little bit more power and to be a little bit sharper then you’re in luck because Porsche has just announced GTS versions for both models.
Powered by the familiar 3.4 litre flat six from the S models the GTS offers 243kW in the Boxster and 250kW in the Cayman. A jump of 11kW and torque has been boosted by 10Nm as well.
The Sport Chrono package is standard equipment in the GTS, along with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM). With the optional PDK you’ll be hitting 100km/h in 4.7 seconds with the Boxster GTS and 4.6 seconds with the Cayman GTS.
You’ll notice the slightly revised and slightly cooler front end. The rear valance has also been given a once over for the GTS. Gloss black lettering for the badging is another subtle sign that your 981 is a bit better than the other bloke’s. Oh yeah, those blackened headlights are pretty neat too!
Australian pricing and delivery dates aren’t known as yet, but Euro deliveries will commence in May.
A Porsche US spokesman has confirmed the manufacturer has identified faulty conrod fasteners as the cause of the two fires which damaged 911 GT3s in Europe. To remedy the problem Porsche will be replacing the engines of all relevant models sold to date. That’s 785 new engines at last count!
“We are in the process of validating the revised part,†Nick Twork told AutoGuide. “We will be replacing the engines in each of the 911 GT3s that have been built thus far.â€
Porsche will build the engines in Germany and then ship them across the globe so that customers can once again enjoy their GT3s. “It will take us a little while to build the engines. I don’t know specific timeframe but we’ll do it as quickly as we possibly can,†Twork added.
Some GT3 owners have received communication from Porsche already. It’s expected it will take one day to fit the new engines once they have been delivered to dealerships. At this stage it’s unclear what will be happening to the old engines.
There is also talk there could be compensation for owners, although Porsche says the focus now is on getting the cars fixed. “We’re going to be speaking with each of the customers individually [about possible compensation], the first priority is to minimize the inconvenience to our customers,” Twork said.
[Source: AutoGuide]
UPDATE 19 March: Now with an official statement from Porsche (below)
We all know Porsche is making a much heralded return to LMP1 racing in 2014, with an assault on outright victory at Le Mans in June being the highlight.
However, under different circumstances Porsche might have been readying itself for the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne this weekend. Indeed once Porsche had decided to return to top-line motorsport talk of an F1 return was discussed openly inside Porsche back in 2010.
Wolfgang Hatz, Porsche research and development boss, explains: “There were only two options—F1 or LMP. But Le Mans is our second home.
“What could have influenced it was if someone in the group had said ‘Yes, but Audi is there and you cannot compete with Audi’.
“If someone from senior management had said this is not possible, we would have had no other alternative [but F1].”
Porsche has committed to a three-year program with its LMP1 operations. A decision on any longer-term future is expected to be made in 2015.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s Porsche competed in F1 with a factory-backed team without any real success. Dan Gurney managed three second places in 1961 and a single third place finish in 1962.
Success was achieved in the role of engine supplier under the McLaren-TAG arrangement in the mid 1980s when Niki Lauda and Alain Prost won the drivers’ world championship in 1984 and 1985 respectively. McLaren won the constructors’ championship in both years as well.
Porsche last supplied F1 engines in 1991 to the Footwork Arrows team. Results were poor and the team swapped over to Ford engines part way through the season.
[Source: Autosport]