Car Parts 2011

"Win on Sunday; Sell on Monday" is a phrase that's been used since the inception of motorsport.  It gained huge popularity with marketing departments in the 60s when muscle cars ruled the dragstrip and NASCAR's ovals were filled with cars that were close to showroom stock.  There are still cars like the Porsche GT3, Corvette Z06, and Viper ACR that abide by this marketing scheme.  However, these are all quite expensive and extensively modified for race duty.

In the world of motorcycles, this old adage still holds true. Although Honda didn't reach the top step of the podium at Daytona this weekend, this wasn't always the case.  One man has held two very rare Hondas in their original shipping crates for nearly 20 years.




Novices to the sportbike world will just see these two bikes and think of old graphics schemes and square tubed frames.  For road racing enthusiasts, these were the cream of the crop.  Their engineering at the time was second to none.

The RC30 (VFR750R) was a race homologation used in superbike series around the world.  It housed a 90 degree V4 which displaced 748cc.  Redline was achieved at 12,000 rpm with the help of titanium connecting rods and power figures are listed as anywhere between 86-112 horsepower depending on the country of sale.  All this was wrapped in a 420lb package.  Those are on par with today's inline-4 600cc supersport bikes.

The NR750, on the other hand, was primarily a road bike because its concept had previously failed in Grand Prix racing.  The NR's 747cc V-four motor used oval shaped pistons to increase the cylinder size and therefore fit eight valves per cylinder instead of the conventional four.  Of course the reasoning was that more valves resulted in better flow and more power.  It's value lies in this quirky technology and exclusivity.  Only 200 were made with a $50,000 price tag.

Here are a few more videos for your viewing pleasure:

I'm going to be honest with you right now.  I'm not a fan of Porsche.  Yes, I respect the engineering, the racing pedigree, and the history behind the marque but they just don't tickle me in any particular way.  I guess you could say Porsche is like "Sex Panther" cologne to me.  "60% of the time it works, every time."  Today, I'm in that 60% zone...

Porsche 918 RSR Concept on autoblog.com

Today seemed to be Porsche day around the intertrons and I couldn't help but look at that chunky rear end with its flat 6.  After looking over various incarnations of the same car over and over again with nary a difference that my untrained eye could detect, I started to grow fond of these backward engineered cars...to an extent.  The stock 911, GT2, GT3, Turbo, and the like don't do anything.  All these are supercars but none of them stand out to me.  To get my attention, Porsches need to be hardcore like the 918 above and purpose-built cars below:

1968 FIA Group 2 911 on motoringconbrio.com

From our friends over at motoringconbrio.com is this Group 2 racer.  It's currently for sale in the hundreds of thousands range.  Head over to their site for some great pictures of this car including its perfectly restored interior.

These insane Porsches were modified by RAUH-Welt Begriff (RWB) and they are the widest, most imposingly demonic 911s that I've ever seen.  They weren't created just to look crazy, either.  This group gathered to make a trip to Tsukuba to throw down some fast laps while there and on the way.  These cars are currently being documented on speedhunters.com in a two part series.  Click through that site to see some of the most spectacular photography in all of motorsports.

The RWB guys actually reminded me of the infamous R Gruppe, an international Porsche owners group that prides itself on modifying a car to individual tastes.  Read up on them here or just look at these sweet vintage 911s.

automobilemag.com

autoworld.files.wordpress.com

This year Porsche released their GT3 RS, which pumps out 450 horsepower from a 3.8 liter flat 6.  This is the latest version of Porsche's horizontally opposed 6-cylinder range.  It has evolved over the years more than a Pokemon.  Any motor that produces 100 horsepower per liter of displacement is a marvel of engineering.  Complete this thought with the fact that this motor doesn't have forced induction or direct fuel injection and this motor seems to be the pinnacle of Porsche's legendary engineering pedigree.  Although, I can't help but think that the limits of the iconic 911 may be drawing near.

In the world of high performance cars, it seems like having about .5 liter of displacement per cylinder is the Holy Grail of engine design.  This allows the pistons to remains small with an oversquare bore.  An oversquare bore in itself contributes to an engine's ability to reach stratospheric rpm.  Take for example the Honda S2000 and the current BMW M3.  They each have a displacement of .5 to .6 liters per cylinder.  The BMW hits its redline at 8400 rpm while the S2000 will shriek to a staggering 9000 rpm (in its 2 liter form).  The skyrocketing rpm allows a small capacity motor to make great horsepower due to the equation:
                                           
                                              Horsepower = (Torque X rpm)/5252

So, while these engines don't produce the torque of a small block Chevy or 8 liter Dodge Viper V10, they are still able to produce amazing horsepower numbers due to their ability to rev higher.  What does this all mean in terms of Porsche's engineering?

3.8 liter courtesy of cartype.com

For the 2010 model year, Porsche developed a new motor to replace their aging 3.6 liter powerplant.  The new motor displaces 3.8 liters and makes 450 horsepower without a supercharger, turbocharger, or, to a lesser extent, direction injection.  As stated above, this is phenomenal!  However, this is getting further and further away from that beautiful .5 liter/cylinder ratio.  Not to pooh-pooh this motor, it is an award winning mill after all but I am hesitant to believe that this motor can evolve much past its current state.

The addition of direct injection will definitely improve combustion efficiency for better fuel mileage as well as horsepower.  After that, the only solution to making more power is higher engine speeds to comply with the formula above or to bore out the cylinders to increase displacement and torque yet keep the oversquare cylinder ratio for high revs, which are a necessary trait for sports cars.  Either way, a weight loss program needs to be enacted for everything from connecting rods to valves.  To increase engine speed, lighter materials like titanium and magnesium need to be employed or the engine will tear itself apart due to the reciprocating mass.  The same can be said about option 2, enlarging cylinder diameter.  Increasing the bore would necessitate a bigger piston diameter as well as larger valves to accommodate the needed air, fuel, and exhaust flow.  These larger parts would not change direction as easily as the smaller bore siblings and also require lightweight materials.

The lightweight approach would work but it would also cost a premium for the consumer.  Maybe this new motor is part of a tiered approach to improving driving dynamics and efficiency.  Take a step back and look at the whole picture.  Perhaps the goal isn't to increase power but to maintain it in the most efficient manner while reducing the overall weight of the car.  Reducing overall weight would maximize performance across the board as opposed to just acceleration properties.

Porsche has been a powerhouse in the automotive world for close to 80 years.  I'm sure their engineering group has its wits about them.  If not, they should call me for a job.