For years, it's been a pinnacle of extreme German engineering which other performance cars are held up to. It's the Porsche 911 Turbo, and now it's found a place in Popular Science Magazine.
Every year, the well-read publication showcases the top 100 tech inventions in 10 categories, with a grand winner in each. This award was granted to Porsches 911 Turbo in the automotive category because of the technological advances it employs.
The technology that impressed the magazine's editors had to do with Porsche's Variable Turbine Geometry (VTG) setup, which the carmaker developed closely with Borg Warner Turbo Systems.
Used successfully since the 1990s in diesel applications, the system is designed to create a broader and flatter torque curve, while delivering the benefits of both a small and large turbocharger. Throttle response is also quicker than the previous 911 Turbo, partly thanks to a complicated control algorithm that keeps watch over the system.
It's not the first time the system has been used in a gasoline engine. Briefly in the 1980's such a system was employed in a production engine, though problems with high temperatures created reliability issues. Production was cancelled after a short time.
Porsche, using aerospace grade materials for 2007, has created a far more reliable application of the technology which can deal with the excessive heat created by the engine and provide reliability in line with a conventionally turbocharged engine.
The result is an exercise in efficiency and power: a 3.6 litre engine with 480 horsepower and 457 lb.-ft of torque from just off idle to 5000 rpm.
Look for the new 911 Turbo at your favorite dealership, and the award to be highlighted in the December issue of Popular Science, on sale next week.
Every year, the well-read publication showcases the top 100 tech inventions in 10 categories, with a grand winner in each. This award was granted to Porsches 911 Turbo in the automotive category because of the technological advances it employs.
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| Porsche's Variable Turbine Geometry (Photo: Porsche) |
Used successfully since the 1990s in diesel applications, the system is designed to create a broader and flatter torque curve, while delivering the benefits of both a small and large turbocharger. Throttle response is also quicker than the previous 911 Turbo, partly thanks to a complicated control algorithm that keeps watch over the system.
It's not the first time the system has been used in a gasoline engine. Briefly in the 1980's such a system was employed in a production engine, though problems with high temperatures created reliability issues. Production was cancelled after a short time.
Porsche, using aerospace grade materials for 2007, has created a far more reliable application of the technology which can deal with the excessive heat created by the engine and provide reliability in line with a conventionally turbocharged engine.
The result is an exercise in efficiency and power: a 3.6 litre engine with 480 horsepower and 457 lb.-ft of torque from just off idle to 5000 rpm.
Look for the new 911 Turbo at your favorite dealership, and the award to be highlighted in the December issue of Popular Science, on sale next week.