Report: Porsche Mulling New Mid-Engine Supercar To Rival 458 And Gallardo

By Viknesh Vijayenthiran

1 846 views Mar 25, 2011

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Porsche 918 Spyder clay model production teaser

No we’re not talking about the limited edition 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid, which recently went on sale but is only due for release in late 2013. The latest Porsche model said to be under consideration is a brand new mid-engine supercar that would be positioned above the 911 range but slot in below the 918 Spyder.

Designed to compete against the likes of the Ferrari 458 Italia, Lamborghini Gallardo and the new kid on the block, the McLaren MP4-12C, Porsche is reportedly waiting on approval for the car by parent company Volkswagen.

The information was revealed by Porsche CEO Mathias Muller during a recent interview.  

“We’re looking to extend the range,” Muller told the guys at Autocar. “We’ve got an idea to do another mid-engined model. We’re thinking above the 911 but below the 918 Spyder.”

It’s thought that the project is currently in the styling and design stage, though as mentioned there is no green light as of yet. For it to be feasible Porsche is reportedly looking at production numbers of around 2,500 to 3,000 units per year, about half that of the high-end 911 Turbo.

The news is not completely surprising. With a bespoke mid-engine platform already engineered for the 918 Spyder, which will be built in a limited run of only 918 cars, Porsche understandably would be keen to recoup the expensive development costs by spawning other models from its platform. Of course, this latest supercar would almost certainly miss out on the advanced plug-in hybrid gadgetry that the 918 will feature. But both a coupe and roadster would be launched, however.

Another school of thought is to use a new aluminum spaceframe architecture being developed for the next-generation Audi A8 and Lamborghini Gallardo replacement, the latter being the rumored ‘Cabrera’.  

To be competitive with its rivals, output for the new mid-engine supercar would need to be around the 550-600 horsepower mark. Possible engines could include the twin-turbocharged flat-six from the 911 GT2 RS or even a production version of the RS Spyder race car’s 3.4-liter V-8.

[Autocar]