Porsche RS Spyder gets Direct Injection

STUTTGART, Germany — Porsche introduced its direct injection technology on the Cayenne and 911. Now the automaker has taken it a step further by applying it to the 3.4-liter V8 in the Porsche RS Spyder.

The Porsche RS Spyder competes in the ALMS LMP2 class and gets output bumped from 476 horsepower to 503 hp with its remapped fuel curve — but the most notable feature of the DFI version of the 3.4-liter V8 is reduced fuel consumption, an important bonus for an endurance-racing vehicle.

"After reaching a very high level with the previous engine we raced, we had to put considerable efforts into the development of the direct fuel injection unit in order to significantly improve performance and efficiency. In order to achieve revs of up to 11,000 with DFI technology, it meant stepping into totally new territory," says Thomas Laudenbach, Porsche's motorsport development chief.

Another feature of the engine is its ability to run extremely lean at partial load — for example, during caution phases — which was not possible with the previous intake manifold fuel injection method.

The engine celebrated a class win during its maiden race at Mid-Ohio earlier this month with help from drivers Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas. They will be gunning for the win again in the American Le Mans Series next week at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

What this means to you: Porsche should strengthen its top position in the ALMS with the addition of DFI technology.