5 Most Iconic Porsche Engines Of All Time

5. Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS Flat-six Engine

I think the Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS belongs in any five-car 911 dream garage. It cemented Porsche’s reputation as a sports car manufacturer. While the car’s lightweight characteristics and balanced chassis had seriously contributed to that, it was the 2.7-liter, fuel-injected flat-six engine that truly gave it the grace and pace to dominate in racing - more specifically, Group 4, which is where the regular 911 struggled due to aerodynamic lift. The engine was developed by Hans Mezger and Valentin Schäffer, specifically for competition purposes, although road-going variants featured the same engine, in de-tuned form.

Mezger engines were inherently built to withstand prolonged drives at the limit, which is why the majority of Mezger-powered Porsches are still operational. Porsche won many races with the air-cooled 2.7-liter. It also allowed the Carrera 2.7 RS to be the fastest car in 1973. The last Porsche to feature a Mezger engine came out in 2011 and is one of the most iconic naturally-aspirated 911s ever. The Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS was produced across 1,580 examples.

4. Porsche 930 Turbo 3.0-3.3-liter Flat-six Engine

One of the most notorious Porsche 911s is also one of the most iconic. The original Porsche 911 Turbo was introduced in 1974, and it was so significant that Porsche gave it an entirely separate designation from other G-body 911s – 930. The BorgWarner KK&K turbocharged engine started out as a 3.0-liter, but in 1978, it grew to 3.3 liters. Regardless of the model year, the Porsche 930 Turbo developed killer tendencies, earning it the nickname "Widowmaker”.

Even U.S.-spec models, which were down on power, were a handful. Turbo lag was immense, and when the boost kicked in, it overpowered the chassis. As with any high-performance Porsche, Hans Mezger was once again involved in the 930. Ernst Fuhrmann decided to turbocharge the Porsche 911, giving it turbocharging initially developed for the 917/30 race car. Later, Euro-spec 930s developed up to 326 horsepower and 319 pound-feet, allowing speeds of up to 171 mph.

3. Porsche 911 (997) GT3 RS 4.0 M97.74

The last Mezger engine was featured in the 2011 Porsche 997 GT3 RS 4.0 - a limited-edition model produced in just 600 units. Mezger engines were built to withstand abuse. One notable feature was the gear-driven intermediate shaft. The M97.45 featured forged pistons and crankshaft from the GT3 RSR race car. The 4.0 liters of displacement were achieved through a larger cylinder bore. The M97.74 also featured a single-mass flywheel.

Then, there is the fact that Porsche’s new naturally-aspirated engines only managed to surpass the M97.74 in terms of specific output. Even more impressive is that this engine never featured variable-valve timing. It was only in 2016 that Porsche managed to match the power of the last Mezger engine. It is easy to see why as far as Porsche’s iconic boxer engines go, this one has to be among the best.

2. Porsche Carrera GT 5.7-liter V-10 M80/01

The Carrera GT is Porsche’s iconic mid-engine halo supercar from the early 2000s. It is also widely considered the last analog supercar and it didn’t have a plethora of nannies saving you. Its V-10 engine features one of the most evocative soundtracks in automotive history. This iconic powerplant has its origins in Formula 1 and was meant to power a Le Mans prototype. Development of the M80/01 V-10 engine started in 1998, but it never saw racing. It started out as a 5.5-liter unit, but displacement was increased to 5.7 liters for the production variant.

It featured a 68-degree bank angle, flat-plane crankshaft, four valves per cylinder (for a total of 40), and an 8,250 RPM redline. The car it powered was notorious for losing traction easily, but Porsche recently provided Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2, tires free of charge, for all Carrera GT owners.

1. Porsche 917 Flat-12 Engine (Type 912)

The most powerful Porsche engine was developed as part of Porsche’s efforts to dominate the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 1960s. None other than Hanz Mezger was put to the task. There were a few variants of the engine that powered the Porsche 917 Le Mans monster, the first one being a 4.5-liter naturally-aspirated flat-12. It was actually made of two 2.25-liter flat-six racing engines. One of the car’s many iconic characteristics is the horizontally mounted cooling fan atop the engine, which protrudes from the body.

The 1972 Porsche 917/10 was the first to feature a turbocharged version of the engine. However, turbo-lag was an issue. Eventually, engineers solved the problem by replacing the big single turbo with a parallel twin-turbo setup. The most powerful variant of the engine came in the 1972-1973 Porsche 917 Can-Am, where it developed up to 1,580 horsepower, but was usually de-tuned due to racing regulations.