Porsche considering return of four-cylinder engines

The iconic 911 must be feeling like a bit of an outsider at Porsche. The German automaker keeps on throwing all sorts of different models into the mix to keep the 911 company, but the little rear-engined sportscar continues on as it always has. In recent years, Porsche has launched a mid-engined V10 supercar (Carrera GT), a mammoth SUV (Cayenne), a pair of junior sportscars (Cayman and Boxster) that have encroached on its territory, and is even gearing up to launch a four-door sedan (Panamera). New reports indicate that Stuttgart is even considering trying its hand at four cylinders again.

Now before you go and cringe, realize that Porsche has a long history of four-bangers. The most recent were the 944 and 924 models of the '70s and '80s, but remember that even the original 356 had four cylinders. In any event, Porsche says it's not looking to launch a four-cylinder model anytime soon, but that should the need arise, it would be prepared to lob a couple of cylinders off the 911's boxer six to make a flat four with a likely displacement of (drop the remainder, carry the one...) 2.4 liters. With the current socio-economic climate, Porsche might find demand for a four-banger before it can say Zuffenhausen.

[Source: drive.com.au]