Porsche has just revealed plans to design and build a new hypercar based around its failed hybrid engine and drivetrain system originally slated for the F1 program. While the yet to be named hypercar is still in the conceptual stages, Porsche hopes it will provide a link between its racing program and sports car manufacturing. A release date has yet to be announced and no pricing details are available at the time of this writing.
Porsche is no stranger to F1 engine development as they embarked on a similar, and doomed, development program in 1991 with the Footwork team. The fruits of that effort are pictured above. This most recent effort to compete in LMP1 focused on designing and building a 1.6 liter turbocharged V-6 engine as per Formula 1 rules.
With a considerable amount of time, energy, and money already sunk into the project, Porsche is positioning the engine and car as a successor to its successful 918 Spyder. Executives within Porsche have yet to agree on details, such as whether or not to go full electric, stick with the hybrid-ICE set-up, or jettison the hybrid side of the drivetrain altogether. Other details relating to the timetable and design direction are also up in the air.
If they were to go with a purely electric powered system, Porsche has made great strides as of late with both the roadgoing Taycan and the newly unveiled 99X electric race car participating in the Formula-E racing series.
A modified fully-electric drivetrain however might not be ready for a hypercar rollout as solid-state battery technology, which Porsche favors for this application, and weight, range, performance considerations are sub-optimal. This leaves Porsche to pursue either a plug-in hybrid system with the 1.6 liter turbocharged V-6 F1 engine or a standalone conventionally powered car.
Given industry-wide trends in electric sports car and racing car development, and Porsche's own electric and hybrid roadgoing car ambitions, it seems likely that a hybrid setup of some sort will be utilized in their newest hypercar. But there are a raft of details left to fill in, and many years of development to go, before a 918 replacement hits the road. Stay tuned and buckle up.
(via Autocar)