Time flies. It’s been about three years since Porsche launched the 992 generation 911 sports car, and even though Porsche is still fleshing out that 992 lineup, the brand is already planning the 911’s mid-cycle refresh. And, according to a new report, it could bring a change that will be very popular with Porsche fans.
British outlet CAR magazine, among others, isreporting that Porsche will offer an enthusiast-preferred naturally-aspirated engine in the updated 911. It’s likely to be the same 4.0-liter flat-six powerplant Porsche uses in the Cayman GT4 and Cayman GTS 4.0 — which means there’s a good bet it will be paired with an available manual transmission, as well. That sounds like an absolutely perfect lower-level 911. CAR expects the new naturally-aspirated 911 will exist alongside a model using the current turbocharged 3.0-liter flat-six.
The current Porsche 911 does offer a naturally-aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six as an option…but you have to level all the way up to the GT3 and its $161,100 starting MSRP to get one. Offering that desirable engine type in a more accessible trim would make a lot of sense — especially because you can get a 4.0-liter flat-six in a Cayman GTS 4.0 starting at $87,400, which is $13,800 cheaper than a base 911.
A naturally-aspirated version is not the only incredibly cool 911 Porsche may have in store for us. Porsche was spied testing what may be a super-powered hybrid version of the 911 Turbo. Porsche has also been spotted working on what may be a rally-inspired 911 Safari model.