Take it from our friends at rennlist, Porsche has built some truly remarkable engines over the years. The air-cooled 911/83 engine that powered the 1973 911 2.7L Carrera RS is just one example. But if you were asked to go on and list the ten all-time greatest Porsche engines there is a good chance the list would be dominated by various Mezger engines.
The 12-cylinder found in the Le Mans-winning Porsche 917? That’s a Mezger. The 3.6L flat six in the 996 GT3? That’s a Mezger. The 4.0L in the 997 GT3 RS 4.0? That’s a Mezger.
How about going all the way back to the original 901/911 engine? Yup, that’s a Mezger.
But what is a Mezger engine, and why are they so special? That is what we are going to discuss here today. We have come up with 9 reasons why the Mezger engine is so special. And there is no other place to begin the discussion than the legendary man behind these engines, Hans Mezger.
1. Hans Mezger
A single slide can in no way capture all that the legendary Hans Mezger accomplished. He joined Porsche back in October of 1956. He loved Porsche sports cars, but his first job was working on diesel engine development. In 1960, he began to work on the type 753 flat-eight engine for Porsche’s first Formula 1 car. Soon after he designed the 6-cylinder boxer engine for the 901/911. He was then promoted to the head of race car design. He was responsible for the 917 and the 12-cylinder engine that powered it to Porsche’s first Le Mans victory in 1970. He then was responsible for the turbocharged 917/10 and 917/30 cars that dominated Can Am. He designed and developed the six-cylinder turbo engines for the Type 935 and 936 race cars.
Mezger designed the 1.5L V6 engine known as the TAG Turbo that powered the McLaren Formula 1 cars to championships in 1984, 1985 and 1986. His engines would eventually be found in the most performance-oriented Porsche road cars such as the 996 GT3, GT2 and Turbo. Mezger remained closely connected with the Porsche brand until he passed away on June 10, 2020, at the age of 90.
2. Motorsport Pedigree
Mezger built engines for the most demanding races in the world. His engines that were put into Porsche road cars have the same engineering approach. These engines are designed for long-term high performance. They are essentially overbuilt for road use. These engines were not designed to meet a certain price point. They were designed to provide the best performance. There were no corners cut with any Mezger engine.
3. Birth of the GT3
Many people view the 911 GT3 models as the pinnacle of the 911 range. One of the main reasons why is because of the track-focused, high-revving flat-six engine out back. It all started with the M96.79 engine found in the 996 GT3. The European market got the GT3 a few years before us and had the M96.76 engine, but the point is the same. The GT3 legend began in large part because of the incredible engine that powered it. This dry sump engine could rev to 8,200 rpm all day long. The engine was derived from the Porsche 911 GT1-9,8 which happened to win a little race called the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The street version of this engine is nearly bulletproof,f and the GT3 legend was born.
4. Turbocharged Versions
If the GT3 was just not powerful enough for you, Porsche had a solution. The GT2 and Turbo also used Mezger engines, but with a pair of turbochargers. They are not as high-revving as the normally aspirated units, but they offer more power and a lot more torque. And these engines are just as reliable.
5. Reliability
The Mezger engines are not just more powerful but also more reliable. The knock on the M96 and M97 engine series has long been the IMS bearing. But the Mezger versions don’t have the same design. Instead, they use plain bearings that are pressure-fed engine oil for lubrication. These bearings don’t fail. That alone makes the Mezger significantly more reliable.
6. Sound
Even if these engines were not more durable and powerful, people would buy them for their sound alone. It is not just their high-revving nature in naturally aspirated form. But the design of the engine itself, with features such as dual timing chains that give these engines a more characterful sound. They are more gravely and “motorsporty” sounding than the non-Mezger engines.
7. Power Upgrades
These engines were overbuilt and as such, are typically able to comfortably handle more power if you want to modify them. The turbo versions can easily be tuned to reliably make more power. Of course, every engine has its limitations, but the Mezger engine is robust enough to make more power without hurting reliability.
8. The 997 GT3 RS 4.0
Many people consider the 997 GT3 RS 4.0 to be the best Porsche 911 road car of all time. It just so happens to be equipped with the last Mezger engine. A 4.0L jewel making nearly 500 naturally aspirated horsepower. The engine revs to 8,500 rpm and has more character in it than an entire truckload of new 992.2 Carreras. The 4.0L marked the end of an era. It is the last and possibly the best road-going Mezger engine ever produced.
9. Rarity and Desirability
Not every Porsche got a Mezger engine. Technically, all the air-cooled 911s have a Mezger-designed engine, but they have been out of production for over a quarter of a century now. Only a small percentage of water-cooled Porsche engines were a Mezger design. And Porsche is not building any more of them. So, what is out there today is all that will ever be out there. These engines are found in the most desirable Porsche models, and these cars are collectible today and will continue to be collectible for the foreseeable future. If you buy a Porsche with a Mezger engine today, the chances are good that it will be worth the same or even more tomorrow. For the Silo, Joe Kucinski.
Porsche is well known for a love of details and colours. And if the normal option list just isn’t enough, the experts from Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur, Porsche Classic and our Sonderwunsch programme are happy to help.
In this article we will cast the light on some of the recent special editions and look at the illustrious career of Michael Mauer, Vice President Style Porsche, who celebrated his 20th anniversary with the brand.
As if that wasn’t enough, two extraordinary events took place recently.
While the Formula Student Germany brought together top students and motorsport enthusiasts, Porsche once again attended the Gamescom in Cologne, the world’s biggest trade fair for computer games.
Something extraordinary does not just happen somehow, somewhere. It happens at a very particular place. Hand-crafted. With experience. With passion. And through the inspiration of customers. Experts in their profession pass on these ideas and the personality of the buyers to the vehicle – and thus make a Porsche your Porsche.
What starts with special paint colours and a stylish leather interior can be topped with one-off cars from the Sonderwunsch department. Here, the highest level of customisation has been offered for more than 70 years. There are technically no boundaries other than the specific budget and the existing rules and regulations to get road approval for the vehicle in the country of the respective buyer.
The Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur is also responsible for special edition models that are either offered worldwide like the new 911 Turbo 50 Years** or only for a specific market like the Taycan Turbo K-Edition***.
Let’s have a look at some of the recent special editions.
During the recent Monterey Car Week in California, Porsche celebrated the debut of the new 911 Turbo 50 Years** edition to mark the 50th anniversary of our top-of-the-line sports car.
Paying tribute and reinterpreting the Turbo heritage
The 911 Turbo 50 Years** anniversary model is based on the 911 Turbo S**** introduced in 2019. It pays a special tribute to and reinterprets this heritage:
Limited 911 Turbo 50 Years** edition to just 1,974 units worldwide in honour of the year in which the first 911 Turbo made its debut.
When it was introduced in 1974, the Type 930 Porsche 911 Turbo shifted the boundaries of what was possible. It brought the benchmark turbo technology from the 917/10 and 917/30 racing cars into a production sports car with superior performance and combined it with a unique design and unprecedented day-to-day usability.
Combining outstanding performance and the finest materials with exclusive design elements, the 911 Turbo 50 Years edition is available with an optional Heritage Design package. Those who prefer a minimalistic look can dispense with some or all of the graphic elements on the outside.
The standard side vinyl graphics are a nod to the historic livery of the Porsche 911 RSR Turbo presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1973, itself a forerunner of the 911 Turbo*****.
It features the current Porsche Turbo-exclusive colour Turbonite, which makes its first appearance on a 911. Turbonite is also used on inlays in the rear engine cover, the fuel tank cap and in the Porsche crest. It is also being used as a contrasting colour in the Turbo 50 model logo.
One of the further highlights of this year’s Monterey Car Week was the premiere of a one-off car based entirely on the personal vision of designer and Speedster collector Luca Trazzi.
He made his dream of a 911 Speedster come true via the Sonderwunsch programme.
“In this form, and with this vast range of modifications, the 911 Speedster is our first Factory One-Off for an end customer. This one-off car shows what’s possible with our Sonderwunsch programme – based on a classic Porsche 911 from 1994.” Alexander Fabig, Vice President Individualisation & Classic at Porsche
It took more than three years to create this one-off car based on a 911 Carrera Cabriolet (Type 993) from 1994.
The two-seater with the characteristic rear lid underwent comprehensive technical modifications.
Out of passion, Trazzi designed what this model might look like. He wanted the project to unify the stylistic elements of all previous Speedster models.
Taycan Turbo K-Edition***
Next to special editions, the Sonderwunsch department and Porsche Exclusive are also working together with teams of specific Porsche markets to create unique editions only offered to customers there.
One example is the new Taycan Turbo K-Edition***, which is heavily inspired by Korean culture. It marks the 10th anniversary of 포르쉐코리아 / Porsche Korea and is available in five different exterior paints from the ‘Paint to Sample’ programme.
Designed exclusively for the K-Edition, a unique logo is based on the shape of a historical royal stamp. Within this symbol, the name ‘Taycan’ is written in traditional Korean characters.
The Style Porsche designers have also integrated a racetrack into the abstract representation of the logo and the specialists in the Sonderwunsch team hand-paint this logo in a high-gloss black onto the charging port door on the driver’s side.
Another unique selling point of the K-Edition is a special skyline graphic, created in close collaboration with Porsche Korea. The silhouette combines the characteristics of Korean cities, buildings and landscapes. It is also hand-painted in high-gloss black on the rear spoiler and the key housing.
Elsewhere on the car, the graphic is also milled into the front door entry guards (which are made of brushed black aluminium) and is revealed when the door sills are illuminated.
Inside, the skyline logo is embossed in the lower part of the leather dashboard on the passenger side.
Taycan Turbo K-Edition***911 S/T****** in Dani Blue
Some customers contact their Porsche dealers with special requests. Often, they would like to order a new car in a colour not offered in the current sample. If it is a paint from an earlier Porsche model, many of those can be found via the ‘Paint to Sample’ programme.
But sometimes an owner would like to have his or her personal colour of choice – maybe inspired from jewelry, a model car or just from imagination. This is where the Sonderwunsch team comes in with its ‘Paint to Sample Plus’ programme, as in the case of Porsche enthusiast Jorge Carnicero
As part of the Porsche Sonderwunsch programme, a comprehensively customised 911 S/T in Dani Blue****** has been created.
During the configuration of his 911 S/T, Carnicero asked the colour experts at Porsche to create a special blue that would suit the sporty, puristic character of the limited anniversary model.
The colour concept of the exterior is carried on in the interior, where it strikes a balance between the sporty, puristic S/T look and high-quality individualisation. The most striking feature is the tricoloured pepita pattern on the seat centres.
The sports car collector from the US state of Kentucky named the colour exclusively developed for him after Colour & Trim designer Daniela Milošević.
“Giving the paint my nickname is an overwhelming sign of gratitude for me and my work,” Daniela Milošević, Colour & Trim designer
911 S/T****** in Dani Blue
The hybrid design process at Porsche
With all these special models, did you ever wonder how the vision of a new Porsche actually becomes reality?
Innovative software – from the gaming sector, for instance – supports Style Porsche during the design process. But even in the age of digitalisation, our design department still values the design quality of classic sketches and labour-intensive clay models very highly. Along the path from vision to reality, the designers combine the best of both worlds.
Figure of the month:
20 years: That’s how long Michael Mauer has shaped our design as Vice President Style Porsche.
Continuity is an important aspect of the company philosophy at Porsche. As a luxury brand, Porsche is not about constantly inventing new things, but rather continuously refining things that are already good.
Last month, from 12 to 18 August, the international construction and design competition Formula Student Germany (FSG) took place at the Hockenheimring.
Racing teams from 20 different nations competed against each other. After intense months of preparation, the teams competed in the electric vehicle (EV) class and the so-called Driverless Cup (DC). The best overall package of design and performance as well as financial and sales planning is what counts.
911 GT3 RS*******
Porsche was also on site this year to exchange ideas with the young talents. Employees from some of our specialist departments and recruiting not only cheered on the students, but also advised them on career opportunities at the Porsche Careers stand.
“As Porsche, we have been involved in Formula Student for many years and have access to many talented engineers of tomorrow. The students put a lot of heart and soul into preparing for this competition. We experience an impressive team spirit.” Lena Siegle, Employer Branding
As a special highlight of the cooperation, Porsche invited its sponsored racing teams to the Porsche Experience Centre (PEC) at the Hockenheimring during the competition. A barbecue in a relaxed atmosphere provided the opportunity to talk to the experts from our departments and our recruiters.
“The dialogue with the students was extremely valuable for us. Getting to know their wishes and needs and meeting them at eye level at such events is essential for our work.” Sandra Knittel, Recruiting Young Talents
JOIN THE PORSCHE FAMILY: Interested in joining Porsche for an internship, thesis or dual studies? Find all our current vacancies here: https://porsche.click/NLStudents
Macan Turbo Electric********
With more than 300,000 visitors, Gamescom once again was the biggest get-together for the worldwide gaming community. For the second time, we were present at the trade fair with our own stand. At our exhibition space in Hall 9.1, visitors could dive into the world of the popular game Overwatch 2®.
“At Gamescom, we have created a special multi-sensory experience of the game with a special Porsche touch for the community to enjoy.” Deniz Keskin, Head of Brand Management & Partnerships
In the spring of 2024, we cooperated with game developer Blizzard Entertainment® for the first time on the successful Overwatch 2®. For the duration of Gamescom, the digital Porsche package was once again available in the game, with players being able to use it to equip the characters D.Va and Pharah with skins inspired by Porsche.
Further, our recruiting colleagues were also present with an additional careers stand on site to advise you about our dual study program, our apprenticeships, as well as other career opportunities.
