718 Cayman GT4's New N/A Flat-Six Likely To Be Used In Other Porsches

Porsche GT boss Andreas Preuninger has strongly hinted that the '9A2 Evo' engine used in the 718 Cayman GT4 and Boxster Spyder will see service in other cars
718 Cayman GT4's New N/A Flat-Six Likely To Be Used In Other Porsches

The new 4.0-litre flat-six powering the new 718 Cayman GT4 and Boxster Spyder sports cars is a little more special than Porsche is making out. In the press release for the pair, Stuttgart said that the new unit is “based on the same engine family as the turbo engines in the current 911 Carrera model series”.

Really, it’s only loosely based on the 3.0-litre Carrera turbo engine. Speaking to Car Throttle at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Porsche GT division boss Andreas Preuninger confirmed that other than some of the ancillaries, “hardly anything” is carried over.

“Actually it’s a bespoke new engine - it’s from the 9A2 family and we call it the ‘Evo’,” he said, adding, “We made a new crankcase, new cylinder heads, new pistons, new crankshaft, new rods”.

Preuninger at the wheel of the 911 Speedster, which uses one of two Porsche N/A flat-sixes in the current line-up
Preuninger at the wheel of the 911 Speedster, which uses one of two…

If you’re thinking that’s quite a lot of work for two relatively low-volume models, you’d be right. That’s because it’s quite likely the 9A2 Evo will go on to power other Porsches.

“It’s a massive effort [to develop the engine],” Preuninger said. “We believe in normally-aspirated engines, especially for cars in that niche - puristic cars. To be frank with you, we can use this engine in the future for other models maybe as well”.

Could that include non-GT Porsches? “We have to see,” Preuninger pondered. That’s not exactly confirmation, but the prospect wasn’t ruled out either. Could the Cayman and Boxster range make a glorious return to atmospheric engines outside of the GT4 and the Spyder? It’s not outside the realms of possibility. The 9A2 Evo - with its petrol particulate filters - is compliant with the latest noise and Euro6 DG-Temp emissions regulations, and thus has a shelf life of a good few years ahead of it.

The Porsche 9A2 Evo uses petrol particulate filters
The Porsche 9A2 Evo uses petrol particulate filters

As for why the Cayman GT4 and Boxster Spyder don’t use the higher-revving flat-six found in the 911 Speedster, that’s down to two main factors: packaging and cost.

“The GT3 engine, you cannot compare it [to the 9A2 Evo] - we can’t use it here…you can make it fit in with a hammer and take sheet metal out, but that’s not fit for mass production”. Installing it in the mid-engined 718s would require flipping it around 180 degrees, a tricky feat given the location of the dry-sump lubrication system’s oil tank.

As a proper motorsport engine (it’s used in the 911 GT3 Cup), it’s also stuffed full of exotic materials, which just aren’t needed for a car like the GT4. “‘You don’t need a titanium conrod set on a car with 414hp,” Preuninger explains.

718 Cayman GT4's New N/A Flat-Six Likely To Be Used In Other Porsches

The 9A2 Evo is much more conventional, fits in with no major modifications, and can be built on the same production line as the standard 9A2 engine. This makes for a less expensive car that can be built for longer and in greater numbers. Even if the 9000rpm-capable unit could have gone in, that £75,348 starting price for the GT4 would have been considerably higher.

Is the new engine any good? We’ll find out when we drive the car for the new N/A 718s for the first time next week.

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Comments

RWB Dude

Great news, cant wait to see what they throw this engine into

07/07/2019 - 19:32 |
22 | 0

My guess is a new smaller SUV or a D Segment sedan

07/08/2019 - 07:45 |
4 | 2
......

thats HOT

07/07/2019 - 22:05 |
0 | 0
Aero (Animal Crossing man)

Other companies: Smaller displacement engines are better for fuel economy!
Porsche: fck it, four liter all the things!

07/08/2019 - 03:47 |
42 | 0

And then you got ford putting 7 liter v8s in the tremor f150s 😂

07/08/2019 - 11:21 |
4 | 2
electricpants

personally one of the most beautiful cars ever made

07/08/2019 - 09:18 |
2 | 0
REAL_sluggo

The only reason one would buy a Cayman (or a Coxster) is bcz they can’t afford a 911… which is a re-badged Beetle in drag.

Better to appreciate the art of SAVING your pounds and buying TRULY what is the proper motor than compromising. And a proper motor has the engine under the bonnet, not in the boot

07/10/2019 - 17:19 |
0 | 4
Anonymous

And now we know the new 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 has the 9A2 Evo engine. Very exciting.

02/07/2020 - 11:37 |
0 | 0