At the same time, the 900 PS squeal and whirle over the glowing asphalt of the Formula 1 racetrack of the glittering desert metropolis. The 875 kilogram lightweight Porsche 919, a hybrid race car with a two-liter four-cylinder turbo petrol engine and an electric motor, turns stoically dozens of laps, one like the other. At the wheel: Porsche works driver and Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard, who from the beginning, ie since 2012 controls and co-develops this prototype.
With it: two different energy recovery systems. When braking, kinetic energy is converted at the front axle. In addition to the turbocharger, there is a second turbine in the exhaust tract, which converts surplus energy into electrical energy. The contribution of the braking energy is 60 percent, that of the exhaust at 40 percent. The recovered electric power is cached in a lithium-ion battery and supplies the electric motor when needed. The test program of the two LMP1 prototypes from Zuffenhausen has begun.
Where the Porsche headquarters is not actually the home of the high-tech racer, but the motorsport center in tranquil Weissach. Hundreds of engineers and screwdrivers ensure that Porsche can show what the brand stands for. For sportiness at the highest level. Andreas Seidl, team leader of the LMP1 team goes even further: "Porsche without motorsport is absolutely unthinkable. We are gathering so many valuable experiences here that are directly incorporated in the mass production of road-legal vehicles. "Fritz Enzinger, Head of LMP1 adds:" This prototype class with its unique efficiency regulations and great technical freedom is the right platform for the company to To develop and test innovations for road sports cars. "
The most recent example is the highly charged 800-Volt technology from the Porsche 919 for the purely electrically driven concept study Mission E. Porsche presented the first all-electric four-seater sports car in the brand history at the last IAA in Frankfurt. The battery charge times of about 15 minutes are already short for 80 percent of electrical energy. The technical data also give you hope for a true treat: four doors and four individual seats, with 440 kW / 600 PS system performance and 500 mileage range. With all-wheel drive and four-wheel steering aboard, acceleration from zero to 100 km / h takes less than 3,5 seconds. Thus, the Mission E is also fit for the circuit, on the Nürburgring Nordschleife he remains under the magic eight-minute mark. In the year 2020 the Porsche Stromer should be available at the dealer.
Also electrically, and with the gained insights from the motorsport, currently drives the test vehicle Cayman e-volution by Zuffenhausen. Like the four-door Mission E, the two-door has the 800 Volt technology under the skin. Together with Siemens and Porsche Design, a prototype of a charging station was also developed, which could serve as the basis for a later infrastructure. The project is scheduled for a period until mid-2017.
In order to ensure that Porsche's normal cars are always sporty, active and former racers also take care of the fine-tuning. Porsche LMP1 works driver Marc Lieb was involved in the development and optimization of the supercar 918 Spyder. Here came a part of the racing technology of the 911 GT 3 R Hybrid, at that time still with flywheel storage, from the year 2010. Not least thanks to his long-distance experience, the already sold-out 918 has become so good that it is already paying more than 1,5 million euros for the car, which is actually only 768.000 Euro expensive. Marc Lieb drove in the Porsche 918 Spyder the sensational best time on the 20,8 kilometer long Nordschleife of the Nürburgring: 6: 57 minutes.
Now friends, fans and drivers of the automotive legend Porsche 911 are excited about the 1. March 2016 contrary. As the Zuffenhausen present at the Geneva Motor Show, a real sports car sensation with racing genes from the winning Porsche 911 GT3 R, which competes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The street legal 911 R is strong, spectacular and very rare. The historical namesake is a lightweight model with aluminum doors and a magnesium crankcase from 1966, of which only about 20 pieces were built.
After all, the new 911 R will be used to produce 991 units with naturally aspirated engines, but Porsche Centers already have several thousand orders worldwide. In part, the seriousness of the purchase interest was even evidenced by blank checks. The 911 R benefits from the decision not to mount naturally aspirated engines in 911 Carrera, Cabriolet, Targa and Co., but only turbocharged engines to meet future CO2 limits. Small series and the motor sport GT models with road legal approval, such as the 991 GT3 RS with 500 PS from 3,8 liters, are the exception here.
Due to the huge demand, the construction period of the RS was extended even to summer 2016. And now this super sporty motor should come under the hood of the new 911 R. With semislicky sports tires, 20-Zoll alloy wheels and central locking and without the PDK dual-clutch transmission. But with a crisp seven-speed manual transmission. The all-white 911 R has to do without a fixed wing at the rear, only an extendable spoiler and a pronounced diffuser to provide the necessary contact pressure on the rear axle. Even Porsche works drivers, such as Jörg Bergmeister and the ex-Formula 1 driver and now Porsche World Champion Mark Webber, have ordered an 911 R. Webber, who wants to win Le Mans this year, also has a 997 GT2 RS, 997 GTX NUMX RS 3 and a red-and-white unique from the 4.0 Spyder in his Porsche collection.
Author: Wolfgang Wieland / SP-X