According to CarBuzz citing its own sources, Porsche is running a 911 test mule on public roads with an electrified V4 powertrain underneath. Hold your accusations, though: according to the same sources, this powertrain will not be used on any mass-produced 911 model.
We are told that the engine is being paired with a powerful electric motor much in the same way as in the 919 Hybrid from the mid-2010s (shown here). That prototype racer packed a 2.0-liter V4 with roughly 500 hp (373 kW) and a motor adding another 400 hp (300 kW).
Then there was the 919 Evo prototype. It debuted five years ago and was not bound by any particular set of racing regulations, so Porsche boosted its V4 to a crazy 710 hp (530 kW) and tuned the e-motors to 440 hp (328 kW). With an ultralight design and streamlined aerodynamics on its side, the 919 Evo has set many a record on the tracks of Europe over the years.
Why is Porsche using a V-shaped four-cylinder engine instead of its traditional flat-four design, though? We are told that it might be a new engine model developed either for a Porsche 718 spin-off or an upcoming flagship hypercar. The one thing that’s certain is that it will not replace the iconic inline-six mill of the 911 series. Doing so would probably lose many fans for Porsche, anyway. The only reason the German carmaker chose a 911 body to test the new drivetrain in is that it has plenty of engine bay room for convenient experimenting and swapping parts.