Friday, 28 July 2017

Porsche's 2-Litre Powerhouse

Porsche's 2-Litre Powerhouse

Motorsport has always been an integral part of the development of technology and road cars at Porsche. Take the 24 Hours of Le Mans, for example; its factory entry for one of the world's oldest endurance race, the 919 Hybrid, is a marvel to behold. It first arrived on the grid at the Circuit de la Sarthe in 2014 with the most innovative drive concept on the entire grid. In 2015, which was only the second year of competing, the Porsche 919 hybrid led the team to a one-two victory at the Le Mans 24-Hours along with the manufacturers' and drivers' World Championship titles. But what moves this championship winning vehicle? The answer is a turbo charged four-cylinder two-litre combustion engine. But how it has aided the development of a road car, you ask. Well, the stunning 718 Boxster borrows technology and know-how from the champion engine.

Evolution of the world champion turbo four-cylinder engine

Porsche's most efficient combustion engine till date, which enabled the carmaker's 17th overall win at the 2015 Le Mans 24-Hours, offered more than 500 hp power in its first year. However, the 2016 regulations required a reduced amount of energy from the fuel used per lap and decreased the fuel flow for all prototypes. This translated into a loss of eight per cent of fuel and, consequently, output. This meant the Porsche race engine now developed less than 500 hp. But put that together with the electrical energy acquired from the vehicle's two recovery systems, the Porsche 919 Hybrid’s overall power system's output was approximately 900 hp.

The regulations for class 1 Le Mans prototypes (LMP1) necessitate the use of hybrid drive systems but also offer a lot of flexibility. Manufacturers get to decide the displacement of the engines they use and also have the freedom to choose between diesel and petrol engines, naturally-aspirated or turbocharged engines, and one or two energy recovery systems. This arrangement, consequently, puts the emphasis on the innovations that will eventually influence the development of future sports cars.

Several current production Porsche cars have benefitted from potent technology borrowed from the company's endeavours on the track. Case in point: the Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) double-clutch transmission. Porsche became the first manufacturer in the world to successfully use electronically-controlled power shifting spur gear transmission, when it introduced the technology in the 956/962 during the 1980s. It made its way into a series production sports car for the very first time in 2008 when Porsche introduced it on the second-generation 997 Carrera.

Every Porsche car models comes loaded with a myriad of trailblazing technology. With more than 30 models between the Macan and 911 model series, there is no dearth of either cars or innovation. In addition to the latest Porsche cars, the Porsche dealer in Delhi NCR offers first-rate customer service. It also proffers a wide range of amenities such as the Porsche Tequipment service and Porsche Driver's Selection that gives patrons access to personalisation options and individual accessories for the driver.

No comments:

Post a Comment