When we began, this forum could have been called 9A2B4, Mid-Engine Porsche, New Cayman/Boxster, or 718 -- they were all synonymous and exclusive tags for our cars.
Since that may not always be the case, I have a formula for continuing harmony and celebration of all our rides: Ignore cylinder count. Focus instead on engine architecture and efficiency as measured by specific power output (hp/torque per liter).
By that view -- and putting aside the GT cars as track-oriented specials -- all current Porsche sportscars, rear and mid-engine, share a common turbocharged flat/boxer engine architecture (9A2) with one of two common cylinder shapes and center-bore spacings (call them over-square and big-bore). They all make roughly 140-150 hp/liter (depending on boost and turbocharger size); and all share the distinctive turbo-torque plateau making for a power curve with high average-to-peak ratio (as a result, peak horsepower metric alone tends to understate their real-world performance).
Now it's possible to describe the 9A2 line by total displacement and cylinder-shape alone, without referencing cylinder-count:
2.0 over-square
2.5 big-bore
3.0 over-square
3.8 big-bore
So what? Well I think if we looked at our cars (and their place in the Porsche lineup) this way instead of four-versus-six there would be less angst felt and expressed on this forum. The cylinder-count metric has become overloaded with meaning, I believe, in a way that distracts from a pure engineering analysis and appreciation of these cars/engines.
Since that may not always be the case, I have a formula for continuing harmony and celebration of all our rides: Ignore cylinder count. Focus instead on engine architecture and efficiency as measured by specific power output (hp/torque per liter).
By that view -- and putting aside the GT cars as track-oriented specials -- all current Porsche sportscars, rear and mid-engine, share a common turbocharged flat/boxer engine architecture (9A2) with one of two common cylinder shapes and center-bore spacings (call them over-square and big-bore). They all make roughly 140-150 hp/liter (depending on boost and turbocharger size); and all share the distinctive turbo-torque plateau making for a power curve with high average-to-peak ratio (as a result, peak horsepower metric alone tends to understate their real-world performance).
Now it's possible to describe the 9A2 line by total displacement and cylinder-shape alone, without referencing cylinder-count:
2.0 over-square
2.5 big-bore
3.0 over-square
3.8 big-bore
So what? Well I think if we looked at our cars (and their place in the Porsche lineup) this way instead of four-versus-six there would be less angst felt and expressed on this forum. The cylinder-count metric has become overloaded with meaning, I believe, in a way that distracts from a pure engineering analysis and appreciation of these cars/engines.
