This Is The Last Remaining Production 4-Liter 6-Cylinder Engine In The US

The last 4.0-liter six-cylinder engine that is still in production for U.S. consumption is not made here, but it is sold here. Of course, the engine in question is Porsche's 4.0-liter, naturally aspirated flat-six. It has found a home in a few different Porsche models, most notably the 911 GT3 and its many variants. Its current version has an output of 502 horsepower, which is sent to the rear wheels via either a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic or a six-speed manual transmission. Our look at a recent example, the 911 GT3 S/C, shown above, revealed that it is Porsche at its purest. 

Performance is standard equipment with the Porsche 911 GT3, as you might expect from its prodigious power output, achieved without the use of a turbocharger. Testing of the 911 GT3's performance by Car and Driver generated a 0-60 mph time of 3.2 seconds, a 0-100 mph time of 7.1 seconds, and a quarter-mile time of 11.3 seconds at 127 mph, while also achieving an impressive 1.13g on the skidpad. This is the car you would likely use to turn hot laps at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, as evidenced by Porsche's production of a special edition of the 911 GT3 for the German market, celebrating the famous track's 100th anniversary. 

The only issue keeping more people from having a Porsche 911 GT3 in their garages is the considerable price of entry. Porsche 911 GT3 pricing starts at $239,850 without options. This includes both delivery charges and a gas guzzler tax.

Some features that separate the engine used in the Porsche 911 GT3, known as the MA1, from other Porsche engines include solid valve lifters, individual throttle bodies, plasma-coated cylinder liners, and direct fuel injection. These innovations give the MA1 the ability to rev to 9,000 rpm while remaining responsive and efficient. As well as the regular GT3, as regular as those are, there's also the even more hardcore 911 GT3 RS.

The MA1 engine first appeared in 2015, in the 911 GT3 RS 991.1, which had a slightly lower redline of 8,800 rpm. Since then, it has also been used in various different 911 and 911 GT3 derivatives, and also the Speedster, the 911 S/T, the 718 Cayman GT4 RS, and the 718 Spyder RS. If you are considering the latest edition of the 911 GT3, the amazing engine is accompanied by a unique control-arm front suspension, adaptive dampers as standard, and adaptive steering.

The 4.0-liter naturally aspirated flat-six represents the peak of Porsche's development of this type of engine. In spite of emissions regulations, noise regulations, and fuel economy standards, Porsche has found a way to keep this engine on the market, even with a gas guzzler tax being imposed. For those who can afford a high-performance sports car of this type, that's a small price to pay for the sheer amount of horsepower it can produce, and the sound it makes as it approaches its 9,000 rpm redline.