For decades, powerful eight-cylinder engines have been as much a part of the Porsche story as the traditional flat-six. Indeed, whether propelling grand tourer, hypercar or SUV, Porsche’s eight-cylinder combustion engines enjoy an outstanding reputation, simultaneously embodying luxury, comfort and unbridled sportiness. In the wider motoring arena, the primary reason for the popularity of the V8 is simply the fact it need only be slightly longer than an inline-four with the same cylinder spacing, therefore having only minor impact on engine bay packaging — the slight increase in a V8’s required structural length is due to the offset of the two cylinder banks. The design has proved a successful ingredient for Porsche’s hybrid drivetrains, complemented by an electric motor fitted to the crankshaft flange, as per the mighty 918 Spyder and Porsche’s forthcoming LMDh competition car, set to compete at Le Mans in 2023 following completion of active testing and rollout this year.
In a four-stroke V8, there are four power strokes per crankshaft revolution. The distribution of the engine’s displacement among many cylinders results in uniform torque output and thus smooth running, but in terms of the host vehicle’s architecture and axle load distribution, a higher number of cylinders (and
