Porsche Killing Its 3.0 Turbo Boxers And Replacing With N/A, Report Claims

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost five years now since the 992 generation Porsche 911 came to market, meaning it’s about time a facelift was due. That’s reportedly coming next year with some wide-scale engine changes, including the unexpected increase of naturally aspirated models.

According to Car and Driver, the Carrera GTS is set to drop its current 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six in favour of a brand-new 3.6-litre N/A unit. Power is said to rise by 10bhp to 483bhp, albeit unsurprisingly with peak torque dipping by 7lb ft to 413lb fit.

While the twin-turbo engine will remain in the base Carrera and Carrera S at the 992.2’s launch, and with 11bhp increases for both, eventually that will be phased out completely with both models taking a detuned version of the new naturally-aspirated boxer.

If that wasn’t already enough mileage out of Porsche’s new 3.6, Car and Driver also reports that it’ll find its way to the GT3 in 2027. Though dropping 400cc on the existing 4.0-litre MA2.75, it’s said it’ll offer ‘near-identical’ power and torque figures while meeting upcoming Euro 7 emissions regulations. Even more interesting, the report claims the next GT3 will be a “more puristic piece of kit, kind of a modern interpretation of the minimalist 1984 911 SC RS”.

As has long been expected, it’s said a hybrid engine will also be coming “a little later”. Rather than being a plug-in, it’ll use a KERS-style fast-discharging system developed with Rimac.

A single electric motor is hooked up to a 2kWh battery, supporting a modified version of the existing 3.0-litre twin-turbo, good for 478bhp and 475lb ft of torque. A beefier version plugging the gap between the GTS and Turbo is said to be in the works, while an 800bhp+ GT2 RS will use some form of hybridisation too.

Turbo models will downsize a little too, with its 3.7-litre boxer swapped for a “more advanced and economical” 3.6-litre unit. No details on performance are shared, however.

Certainly, then, the 992.2 is shaping up to be an interesting iteration. If nothing else, it sounds as though Porsche’s powertrain engineers have truly earned their salaries.