The forthcoming mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette may face some stiff competition from its old foe the Porsche 911. Speaking with Car and Driver at the Geneva auto show, Porsche?s GT model line director, Andreas Preuninger, revealed that a mid-engined variant of Porsche?s classic sports coupe is ?absolutely? a possibility. Nevertheless, Preuninger was quick to note that such a vehicle is ?not something that?s in the making at the moment.?
Although the 911 has traditionally been a rear-engined vehicle, Porsche has tinkered with the sports car’s engine location in the past. Porsche notably crafted the 911 GT1 road car in the mid-1990s, a mid-engined 911 model that served as a homologation special for the brand’s mid-engined race car. Today’s 911 RSR race car positions its engine between its axles because of racing series rules that both work against the 911?s standard engine location in terms of weight balance and are vague enough to allow for the powerplant to be moved. (They dictate that the engine must be in the same location as in the production car, but get no more specific, which means Porsche can say the engine is still behind the driver and be legal.) While Preuninger seemed hopeful that future rule changes could bring the German race car’s engine back to its rightful place aft of the rear wheels, he acknowledged that a street-legal, mid-engine 911 model is an open possibility if racing rules continue to advantage a mid-engine setup. (Or...