Word has come this morning from Automobile that Porsche is hard at work on a new model called the 960, which aims to take on Italian automaker Ferrari. The project managers at Porsche have come to calling the fledgling supercar “FeFi,” short for Ferrari Fighter. Although the name FeFi sounds rather decrepit, the 960 will likely be anything but.
Early rumors had Porsche placing a high-output flat six in the engine bay of the 960. No longer. Now Porsche aims to shoehorn a boxer eight-cylinder into the middle of the 960.
This mystical 3.9-liter boxer eight will be fitted with, according to Automobile, four turbochargers, two intercoolers, four adjustable camshafts, a multi-stage intake manifold, and dual-stage exhaust. Porsche aims to achieve the 650 horsepower mark with the 960 and reach 60 from a dead standstill in 2.5 seconds.
Porsche plans to mount the boxer eight low and in the middle of the vehicle, connecting it to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, which will send power to all four wheels. A rear-wheel drive only version could follow with a GT designation.
If the boxer eight seems outright fanciful, don’t be so quick to judge. Automobile claims that Volkswagen Group chief Ferdinand Piech currently drives a Porsche Cayman that has been fitted with the boxer eight in question. If that rumor is true, perhaps Porsche is just crazy enough to build it after all.
Excitingly, the 960, if produced, won’t be a limited run or a one-off supercar, no. Porsche hopes to sell 3000 to 4000 960s each year globally for at least a six-year run. If it all comes true, we likely won’t see a production run until 2017. That leaves us wondering, is Porsche capable of producing a Ferrari-fighting world beater? Be sure and sound off with your opinions in the comments section below.
