There Porsche did not abandon the idea of remaining in the Circus, even after the advent of atmospheric engines with the 1989 regulation. In fact, Mezger’s team put in place a 3500 cc 12-cylinder aspirated unit, which however found no financier willing to bring the project to tender. The engine called 3512 and characterized by a strange PTO in the middle of the cylinder block, was revived in 1991 from the Footwork-Arrows who mounted it on his FA12. Unfortunately, being very bulky, the team had to use the old 1990 car (the A11C) for the first few championship races, as the FA12 body had to be redesigned to accommodate the bulky German V12.
Once put on the field, the Arrows Porsche duo produced only that disappointing results (no finish in six GPs) for various reasons. Even though there were experienced drivers like Michele Alboreto and Stefan Johansson at the wheel, both with a racing past in top teams like Ferrari and McLaren, the package could not be developed. First of all, the team’s resources weren’t huge and then the Porsche engine was really too much ancient, as the basic idea dates back to 1987. Weight was its main enemy, in fact compared to the Ferrari, which was then the lightest, it weighed a good 50 kg more (189 versus 139). Furthermore, Metzger’s revolutionary method of supplying energy to the center of the engine also led to numerous e continuous oil pressure problems. Unreliable and very heavy, the Teutonic V12 was discarded in mid-season, when the British team showed up at the French GP at Magny Cours with the lighter and more reliable Cosworth DFR V8. However, Porsche did not give up and for the following year thought of a V10 that was easier to manage and obviously less heavy. Unfortunately, the leaders of Stuttgart after yet another failure, decided to retire from F1 in a timely manner and the new engine was converted for use in Endurance. Another project that failed before leaving and so, the ten-cylinder initially designed for the Circus, became a series product when mounted on the Supercar Carrera GT.
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