- Porsche has registered a patent for new air-cooled engine technology.
- The system won’t be fully air-cooled, but it would be a drastic change to current Porsche systems.
- The engine would sit inside a nearly fully encapsulated air duct, while a large fan channels air over the radiator, engine, turbochargers, and exhaust.
An air-cooled Porsche remains a dream collector’s item for many a car enthusiast. Porsche built air-cooled 911s right up until 1998, as the 993-generation 911 gave way to the water-cooled 996-generation car.
Interestingly, Porsche purists might have some intriguing news for those looking to get back into an air-cooled setup. The German sports car maker has filed a patent for a whole new air-cooled setup, and it brings the old-school tech into the modern day.
Photo by: Porsche
Porsche would like to stuff an entire engine into a nearly fully enclosed case, which is then fed directed air. This airflow would cool the engine, radiator, turbos, and exhaust. Then the air would be directed out the back of the car. A set of cooling fins would sit on the outside of the case to further aid in cooling, while also looking old-school cool.
The idea here is to reduce the number of radiators required, which cuts down on packaging requirements, plumbing, and even the drag on the nose of the car.
Photo by: Porsche
According to CarBuzz, which uncovered the original patent filing, there would be a rear fan to help extract the warming air from the enclosed engine. Any at-home mechanics are likely sweating at the thought of such a setup.
For now, this is just a patented Porsche idea. It will be quite interesting to see if it’s put into practice, however.
Motor1’s Take: The tech is definitely interesting. But it feels a bit like Porsche is trying to solve a problem it doesn’t have. Still, knowing the obsessive nature of the brand’s most ardent fans, there could be serious appeal from those who pine for the older air-cooled era.
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