Talk about a Porsche rival to the Ferrari 458 Italia isn’t new. As a matter of fact, Porsche boss Matthias Muller revealed back in 2011 his desire to create a so-called Porsche 988 supercar. However, the project remains on the backburner as the German firm focuses its energy towards other cars and developments.
According to reports about the Porsche 988, it should have utilised a brand new 4.0-litre eight-cylinder engine to deliver over 600 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque and consequently rival next year’s twin-turbocharged Ferrari 458 Italia facelift. It was even believed the car would draw heavily on the Porsche 918 for its design but according to Autocar, nothing has materialised so far.
While Porsche is reportedly still keen on creating such a car, it is instead focuses on arguably more important projects namely the design and development of the next-generation Porsche Panamera, Cayenne and the new Boxster and Cayman duo. What’s more, a new range of flat-four cylinder engines are in the works alongside new gearboxes and final preparations for the facelifted Porsche 911 range are also underway.
[Via Autocar]
