has to be in our cars. We define the
characteristics and driving dynamics the
cars need to have and go from there.
“But the concept that we pursue in all
our segments deserves turbocharged
engines and that’s what we are focused
on. So, no more atmo.”
It’s the continuing quality and cost
improvements of turbocharging that
are cruelling atmo engines. The cost
of turbochargers has come down
dramatically in the last decade and their
efficiency continues to climb.
Turbos of today aren’t like yesterday’s.
They can change the geometry of
their vanes to ward off lag. They are
so precisely controlled that the power
delivery is more or less instant. They
deliver hard, early, then happily fade out,
with sequential turbos then climbing in
to help with higher revs.
The packaging isn’t always easy, with
extra space needed for cooling circuits,
intercoolers and the turbo itself. BMW,Audi and Benz have all migrated the
turbos inside the vee of the their V8s.
One Audi engineer told me for all the
talk of shorter tracts and better throttle
response, the real reason was packaging.
Then there’s the noise. Once a cruel
joke on turbocharged engines, you figure
that if Ferrari’s using them, they’ve got
the sound thing sorted out.
But the beauty of the turbocharger in
context is when it’s not being boosted,
the car can deliver (almost) the fuel
consumption of a smaller engine. Then
punch hard like a big one.
The possibility remains that someone
might do a cut-price Porsche 918 and
combine an atmo motor with electric
power for low speeds, like a lag-less
turbo, though it’d be a long-odds bet.
The tantalising prospect is an electric
‘turbo’ might save the atmo engine. Or
at least its characteristics. It still force-
feeds air into the engine, but operates
instantly and with fewer heat andpackaging constraints.
The V12s are the last holdouts at
Ferrari, as they are at Lamborghini.
The relatively low volumes mean the
V12 model cycles run far longer than
the smaller motors, so they will stand
longest without turbos. Them and,
probably, Chevrolet’s V8.
There is development left in the
Lamborghini Aventador’s V12 (it has yet
to adopt even direct-fuel injection) and
some left in Ferrari’s V12, too, though
Aston Martin doesn’t have the funds for
its V12. It will, inevitably, be replaced
by something from AMG, which owns
five per cent of Aston.
But nobody is spending resources to
design a new atmo engine from a clean
sheet of paper. There might be some
upgrading of existing hardware, but
don’t expect much more than that. Not
only is that fairly sad, but there’s never
been a greater reason to appreciate NA
engines while they’re still around. MTHE V12S ARE THE LAST HOLDOUTS. THEM
AND, PROBABLY, CHEVROLET’S V8
Thankfully, atmo V10s
will be around for a
little while, with the
Huracán and new Audi
R8 set to continue
using the current cars
5.2-litre donk
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