New details emerge on the power unit that will equip the Porsche car in LMDh. According to the German manufacturer, the engine used in the shakedown that took place this month is a twin-turbo V8.
This engine will also be adopted by its “sister” Audi, another Volkswagen Group brand, and according to the brand’s new motorsport manager, Thomas Laudenbach, it is based on a production unit and was not designed specifically for racing.
“We were spoiled for choice for the engine of our LMDh prototype because the existing product range offered several very promising base units.”
“We opted for the twin-turbo V8 because we believe it offers the best combination of performance, weight and cost.”
The only V8 currently present in the Porsche range is the 4.0-liter twin-turbo direct injection adopted on both the Panamera and the Cayenne. The new engine met expectations during the first tests at the Porsche test center in Weissach.
First images of Porsche X Hypercar by Porsche Penske Motorsport
Photo by: Porsche Motorsport
Urs Kuratle, general manager of the LMDh program, confirmed that everything went smoothly at the debut.
“During these first days of testing in Weissach, the twin-turbo V8 impressed us in every respect. We are convinced that we have chosen the right unit ”.
Porsche has declared that the maximum power of the engine that will equip its LMDh will be in the range between 480 and 520 kW, in line with the regulations for the new category.
The combined power of the combustion engine and the 40 kW hybrid system, developed by Williams Advanced Engineering, Bosch and Xtrac, is limited to 520 kW for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 500 kW for the other races.
Porsche: the V8 engine weighs 180 kg
Among other, few information provided by Porsche, it became known about the maximum number of revolutions that can be reached by the engine, 10,000, and the weight of 180 kg of the unit complete with induction and exhaust systems as required by regulation.
The Porsche engine is also fully compatible with the new biofuel that WEC supplier TotalEnergies will introduce in the 2022 season.
The German manufacturer also revealed that the Penske team will manage operations in both the WEC and IMSA from next year.
Frédéric Makowiecki, Porsche LMDh
Photo by: Porsche
“The team worked well from the start,” Kuratle continued. “This demonstrates a high level of professionalism in all areas. The operational requirements for the safe operation of a hybrid vehicle are high and in the next releases we will focus on deepening the required processes and procedures ”.
According to the plans provided by the Stuttgart company, the next tests are scheduled on a real race track by the end of January.
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