A common complaint that I have heard about new 911s is that you cannot see the engine at all. You raise the little engine cover in the back and are greeted with—nothing. Just some plastic. You have to remove the whole back end just to work on it. The good news is that there is totally a way to see your engine and it’s this: Saw the damn car open.
During the 2020 Porsche 911 media drive, there was a 911 cutaway on display. It showed off the car’s frame, wiring and most importantly, how the engine actually looks back there.
Like Bigfoot, I didn’t think a modern 911 engine actually existed, but I have now finally seen one with my own eyes.
And to my utter lack of surprise, there barely any room in there to fit even your hand. How does anyone work on this car? Maybe they have elves do it. That would explain why the service is always so expensive.
And it’s not like that flat-six is small, either. On another stand was the bare engine on its own and it gets quite wide when you get down near the bottom of it. The two turbocharges stick off of the sides, pretty much right near the rear wheels.
Packaging must have been a bitch, though. You need the new car to be faster, more powerful and more efficient, but you can’t have it get much heavier or bigger. So what do you do? You cram stuff in there in any way that you can, all while making sure that it still works.
Anyway, if you wanted to see the engine in your 911, just take a saw to it. It’s fascinating to open stuff up. Bring a couple of friends around, crack open a beer. It’s not like you’re doing surgery.