Naturally-aspirated Porsche 911 GT3 to stay

Porsche has vowed to stick with naturally-aspirated halo versions of the 911 for as long as possible, leaving the door open for another non-turbo 4.0-litre flat-six doing duty in the next-generation GT3.

Speaking with carsales.com.au at the launch of the 992-generation Porsche 911 in Los Angeles overnight, 911 vehicle line boss August Achleitner inadvertently watered down reports Porsche’s fiercest models would soon adopt turbochargers and smaller displacements.

“We want to stay with a normally-aspirated engine as long as possible,” he said. “That’s the easy answer.”

While ‘garden-variety’ Carrera versions of the Porsche 911 continue to feature forced induction, the current-generation 911 GT3 and GT3 RS both employ a 4.0-litre atmo flat-six that is good for 383kW/470Nm in the latter application.

Achleitner revealed that contrary to Carrera models, motorsport success would ultimately dictate the direction of the GT engines, rather than emissions legislation.

“I think there’s interest while we are successful with the GT races for example, and can win with a normally-aspirated engine. While that continues we have a chance to offer a GT version for the world,” he said.

“When we have to make a chance to a turbocharged version to stay competitive, maybe then we change our strategy. It cannot be seen today.”

Porsche has continually fettled the 4.0-litre engine to ensure it remains competitive. Similarly, the 3.0-litre turbo boxer six employed in Carrera models has been subject to upgrades in the order of 22kW (331kW overall), courtesy of an “improved injection process” and new layout for the turbochargers and charge air cooling system.

A new eight-speed double-clutch automatic transmission – with provision for an electric motor — is now standard for Carrera models, which arrive Down Under by mid-2019, while a largely unchanged seven-speed manual will eventually join the ranks next year.