Malaysian GP 2014

I won't bother you with details, guess everybody should know by now that Hamilton/Mercedes is on pole. But did you see Vettel and Red Bull at .055 from pole? And that's with Vettel getting the checkered flag when he was out for another fast lap, a rare mistake and lack of timing from Red Bull. OK it was raining you might say, but when Renault overcomes reliability and finds some extra ponies I predict Mercedes will be in trouble soon, the Red Bull chassis seems to tick all the boxes and to be very fast in the turns. The fact they're still running in the top places with a powertrain package that fails to deliver says it all. Damn those flow meters! :)

Jaguar F-Type Coupe R. 550hp on Street and Track. - /CHRIS HARRIS ON CARS

Four Cylinder Boxster Engines for Porsche

Porsche going back to it's original Beetle roots? Or just the continuing trend of downsizing these days? Expect some kind of forced induction to claim those 400 PS and somehow I smell a special 911 4-Cylinder China version.

This is 6 cylinder engine by the way,  but could be a rare sight at Porsche someday.


Here's an article with some more insider information from Autoweek,

Future versions of the Porsche Boxster and Cayman are in line to receive a four-cylinder boxer engine, according to a German media report quoting CEO Matthias Mueller.
In an interview with Germany's Auto Motor und Sportmagazine published on March 20, Mueller said Porsche road cars would follow the lead of the company's hi-tech 919 Hybrid racecar in receiving four-cylinder engines.
But while the 919 Hybrid runs a unique V-4 engine, the unit being readied for the Boxster and Cayman will follow the lead of Porsche's classic six-cylinder with a 180-degree horizontally opposed layout as part of a modular engine strategy.
"We will continue with the downsizing strategy and develop a new four-cylinder boxer engine, which will see service in the next-generation Boxster and Cayman," said Mueller, adding, "we will not separate ourselves from efforts to reduce CO2."
When queried on the output of the new four-cylinder boxer engine, Mueller suggested it would boast "up to 400ps [395 hp]."
Today's 3.4-liter six-cylinder powered Boxster and Cayman models develop up to 325 hp and 335 hp respectively in the new GTS range-topping models revealed last week.
For more coverage, go to the Web site of Autoweek, an affiliate of Automotive News Europe.

BMW Triple Turbo Diesel (N57S)

A One of the small, high-pressure turbo chargers with variable geometry creates boost during low engine revolutions
B The larger, low-pressure turbo is located on the bottom and joins in with the smaller turbo located directly above it during medium engine speeds
C When the engine gets higher in the rpm band, the final, small, high-pressure variable geometry turbocharger joins in with the other two
D The Diesel catalytic converter is located close to the engine to take advantage of its heat; the oxidation-type converter oxidises hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide using the oxygen present in the diesel exhaust
E The EGR cooler prepares exhaust gases for reintroduction into the combustion chamber, which limits NOx formation

The Ultimate Driving Machine is a Diesel
The only thing we don’t like about the new BMW N57S triple-turbocharged Diesel engine is that it’s not available in the United States. Although it hasn’t physically reached our shores, the idea of a high-performance diesel that can dominate its gasoline challengers in every measurable way has sent shockwaves through the spark-ignited performance community. After the 127hp/liter diesel bomb went off and the dust settled, some automotive journalists with affection for gasoline engines took offence to the diesel onslaught and tried to downplay its high performance numbers by complaining about its lack of noise and unfamiliar feel. Others, such as former Motor Trend editor Angus Mackenzie, get it. And he offered an opposing view, expressed in a 2011 article titled, “BMW’s Best Six Is…A Diesel.” Perhaps the only ones not shocked by this high-performing diesel are the editors and readers of Diesel Power, who welcomed the news as confirmation of something we already knew.

BMW M Performance Diesel
Engine type: All-aluminum 3.0L diesel I-6
Displacement: 3.0L (2,993 cc)
Bore x Stroke (in.): 3.30 x 3.54
Compression ratio: 16:1
Fuel Delivery: Common-rail direct injection (31,908 psi) (2200 bar for us Europeans)
Aspiration: Triple-turbocharged
Valvetrain: 24-valve DOHC
Mfg.’s hp at rpm: 381 at 4,000
Mfg.’s torque (lb-ft) at rpm: 546 at 2,000 (that's 740 N.m for us Europeans)


Source: www.dieselpowermag.com


  • And of course the compulsory video:

991 will be remembered as the hottest Porsche

I still struggle to understand how a big issue like this wasn't picked up by Porsche during testing , I could understand Ferrari or Lamborghini as is my believe they don't do extensive durability testing as other "lesser" OEM's but Porsche?! The new GT3 engine is longer the Metzger engine but an upgraded version of the current direct injection flat-6 you can find in other 991's, was this the reason this problem went under the radar? Porsche believing that the modifications did not require extensive testing and deadlines for launch? Or just plain unlucky? I'm sure we'll never know exactly and this will haunt the boys from Stuttgart for years to come and probably add to those automotive dogmas like the 996 engines. One thing's for sure with the "interweb" at least we're getting loads of details and insight on this issue, you can find loads and updated info on the Pistonheads site.

Also people seem to forget earlier on there was a fire with a 991 prototype in Germany back in 2011, according to the article that car was running an engine specific for the Chinese Market. Related?