24h Le Mans
The Porsche 919 Hybrid made its endurance debut in 2014 and got to taste success in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in its second season of racing. The car has now become the benchmark in LM P1. Its achievements can be partly explained by its engine, which Porsche has always kept under wraps... until now.
After a 16-year absence from the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Porsche made a return in 2014 with a surprising V4 drive concept. Its 2-litre, 4-cylinder turbo engine might not have been the sportiest choice on paper, and very few cars capable of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans have relied on just four cylinders. However, up against the Audi V6 and the Toyota V8, the “smaller” V4 has proven to be a formidable competitor.
At the outset of the project, the team explained that compared to 6 cylinders, a 4-cylinder mechanism would provide greater efficiency, better cooling, less weight and result in a more compact engine that would be easier to lift in and out.
According to Porsche, this is in fact the most efficient combustion engine they have ever built. It is highly remarkable for its compact design and it also became a trendsetter: the new four-cylinder turbo engine for the Porsche 718 Boxster picks up technology and know-how from the racing power pack. This goes, for example, for the interspace between the cylinders, the short stroke and the central direct fuel injection, the marque explains in a press release.
For the 2016 WEC season and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, energy allocations and fuel tank sizes have been revised, with the new regulations requiring a lower amount of energy from the fuel used per lap. For the Porsche race engine, this results in a loss of eight per cent of fuel and, therefore, output which now translates into a figure of less than 500 hp. Together with the electrical energy from the two recovery systems (brake energy from the front axle and exhaust energy), which serve the e-machine on the front axle, the Porsche 919 Hybrid’s overall power system is now circa 900 hp, the press release continues.
To put it briefly: less power but greater efficiency in the race for peak performance, which is exactly the spirit that drives the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) in its promotion of hybrid technology in endurance racing.
Geoffroy Barre | Translated from French by Clair Pickworth
Photo: Porsche has just revealed the first ever images of the remarkable turbocharged V4 engine that propelled its 919 Hybrid to victory at Le Mans in 2015. Its technology has since been transferred to the new Porsche 718 Boxster.
