PH meets Porsche's Wolfgang Hatz - Detroit 2015
911 range to go fully turbo, GT3 RS will be "extreme", Sports Series rivalling supercar seemingly confirmed
Wolfgang Hatz is definitely not one of them. Porsche’s head of R&D is a man who tells it like it is, frequently letting slip the sort of details you suspect that PR managers would far rather he kept under wraps. And a half-hour round table interview in Detroit gave us more juicy details than spending a week in the presence of one of the yes-men would…
RS will be a bigger step over GT3 than before
Despite internet rumours, we didn’t see the 911 GT3 RS in Detroit – anticipate it making its official debut at the Geneva show in March. Hatz promises that the new car will be a bigger step over the 991 GT3 than the 997 GT3 RS was over its equivalent GT3, and also that it will be the first outing for a new engine. This sticks with natural aspiration (in contrast to the rest of the 911 range, see below), and although Hatz wouldn’t be drawn on power figures it’s a fair assumption that it will make at least as much as the 500hp of the last RS 4.0.
“Customers love the GT3, but the RS has to be more to the peak,” Hatz said. “The 991 GT3 was very much a surprise for everybody because it’s really usable for everyday, the GT3 RS will be more extreme.”
He also confirmed that – as expected - the car would be launched with a PDK gearbox, but also dropped the welcome news that offering a manual ‘box as a later option is still under active consideration. And although Nordschleife times aren’t being talked about yet, Hatz promises the new car will substantially quicker than the last one, which posted a 7min 24sec. “It will be above seven minutes, but it will be a big [improvement].”
Second-gen 991 update to get turbos
Hatz said this RS’s engine is an “intermediate step” on the way to the launch of all-new engines for lesser 911s later this year, and he all-but confirmed that the facelifted 991 range will switch to turbocharged induction for all but the GT3. “We have to respect the legal requirements [for CO2 numbers],” he explained, “but don’t worry, if you have a turbocharged engine it will rev, it will deliver.”
Although Porsche is part of Volkswagen Group for CO2 figures, it has committed to reducing emissions on like-for-like models by at least 15 per cent, meaning a move to forced induction. However, Hatz confirmed that the 911 will be powered by flat-six engines for the foreseeable future, and that the new turbocharged four-cylinder that’s being developed for the Cayman and Boxster won’t be used to create a latter-day 912.
“We don’t have a problem with a four-cylinder sports car, but never on the 911. The 911 has to remain flat-six.”
GT2 next? Maybe not…
There’s still no official green light for a 911 GT2. On one hand it would seem odd for Porsche to abandon a previously successful niche model; yet on the other Hatz suggests the more extreme (and presumably more expensive) GT3 RS will do much the same job. “We are in a situation where we have so many variants already, at a certain moment we have to decide if we’re going to do it, yes. But not yet.”
Cayman GT4 will be a proper 'GT' car
Ahead of the mid-term refresh and the arrival of flat-four turbo engines, we’re going to see a hotter GT4 version of the Cayman. This has been developed by Andreas Preuinger’s team and is therefore a proper ‘GT’ car in Porsche’s brand hierarchy, with Hatz assuring us that it’s “moved a little bit up from the Cayman R, it will be more sporting.” Spy shots have confirmed the car is carrying some serious aero – and Hatz confirms it will be the fastest Cayman or Boxster yet, with an engine delivering around 400hp. Oh, and will also spin off a racing variant…
Handbags with Bentley
Porsche’s unveiling of the Cayenne Turbo S – and the announcement that it had posted a sub-eight minute Nordschleife lap – was seen as many as a dig at Bentley’s stated aim that its new Bentayga is going to be the fastest SUV in the world. Something that Hatz didn’t confirm, but did nothing to deny. “Our Cayenne is always very, very quick. It is still doing 300km/h. I think if he [Bentley boss Wolfgang Durheimer] is doing 2-3km/h more then why not – he’s doing that with a 12-cylinder. But our car will be much quicker on the road.”
Cayenne Turbo S - cash cow keeps on giving
And a few more tantalising details. The next-generation 911 – i.e., the one we won’t see until 2019 or 2020 – looks set to switch to part-electric power as the only way to make sufficient cuts to its emissions levels.
Despite that, Porsche is engineering an all-new V8 for the next generation Cayenne and Panamera.
And as for plans for a dedicated sports car above the 911, but below the megabucks 918? “I think in the medium term we need such a car,” says Hatz. Which we’ll take as a yes.
Cayman GT4 pic: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
Looking forward to the 991 Unicorn RS - this is the second interview where Herr Hatz suggests a NEW engine for the RS. Perhaps due to the September deadline they could not use the GT3 engine because it is only Euro 5 compliant, so they have gone with the Euro 6 block.
Exciting times...
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