Porsche’s next supercar will have an eight-cylinder engine
The upcoming Porsche ‘S1’ supercar will break from tradition, retaining the brand’s flat engine design but with an extra two cylinders.
It’s no secret that Porsche is in a period of recovery, turning back to its core products to try and kick some life into its bank balance, and it appears a new flagship supercar will help drive profits.
Earlier this year, Porsche CEO Michael Leiters announced the brand’s plans to offer more models in a bid to cover a wider market, with vehicles at a higher premium than the 911 and Cayenne expected to lead the charge.
At the top of the range is expected to be a new supercar, with insiders telling German publication Handelsblatt the flagship model – reportedly codenamed S1 – will be powered by a flat-eight engine, representing the first time Porsche has done so in a production car.
Porsche’s most recent successful attempt at a flat-eight was in the Porsche 908 race car of the late 1960s, though since then its boxer engines haven’t ventured higher than a six-cylinder count.
Earlier this month, Automotive News reported the next Porsche supercar would likely use the platform of the Lamborghini Temerario and Audi Nuvolari to save costs.
The Temerario was unveiled in 2024 and launched last year as the new ‘baby’ Lamborghini supercar, taking the place of the V10 Huracan, now with a twin-turbo V8 engine and plug-in hybrid system.
Earlier this year, Audi revealed the Nuvolari as a pseudo successor to the R8 supercar, based on the Temerario – just like the R8 was related to the Gallardo and Huracan – but limited to just 499 examples.
With a supercar platform already existing, it’s an easier business case for Porsche to create a supercar, given the reduced development costs and time, however it has traditionally gone its own way for its flagships.
The 959 (twin-turbo flat-six), Carrera GT (V10) and 918 Spyder (V8 hybrid) were all bespoke vehicles, sharing next to no parts with other models from the Volkswagen Group, or even from within the Porsche model range.
Like its spiritual predecessors, the Porsche S1 is expected to borrow design cues from the 911, which remains the brand’s poster car.
While it’s been a long time since Porsche launched a flat-eight engine, one of the brands it’s synonymous with has already started to make one.
In July, Ruf – the brand previously dedicated to building its own cars from bare Porsche bodies – unveiled the Ruf B8 Erprober, a test vehicle based on the existing Cayman-related Ruf CTR3, but with a flat-eight engine.
Combined with twin turbochargers, Ruf says the ‘B8’ 4.8-litre engine will be capable of producing more than 745kW and 1000Nm, all of which is sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission.
