Quote:
Originally Posted by Overdrive
...what the heck is up with the driver's side intake?  Looks like the ram air scoop that comes out on aircraft. I'm sure it pulls in more air, but not too great for aerodynamics, and could pull in more undesirable stuff than usual.
I'll have to come back on here and comment on the sound when I can get to a computer where I can hear it. 
EDIT: Definitely sounds like a nice V8, and I'll give them credit for not putting an SBC in there and sourcing an engine from the same company & country...but I really have to wonder what that does to the nice balance this car had as it was built... |
I can't say definitively what it does to the balance, but I can tell you that I did all of the measurements on the 4.2L V8 and compared them to my 986S. The V8 is *very* close to the overall volume of the 3.2L H6. It is a hair taller, but it is of course much narrower. Also, I know that we all think of boxers as having a low center of gravity, but comparing our engines to that V8 side-by-side, I just don't see it. The heads on the boxer are halfway up the engine and the 90 degree V8 seems to actually have quite a bit less metal in the block (because the sides of the V share a large portion of the block whereas the boxer has two completely separate banks of cylinders). Keep in mind that the Audi V8 is a 90 degree V8, so it's not very tall compared to other DOHC V8s.
In short, according to my (non-expert) eyeballs, the 4.2L V8 is likely the same weight or lighter than the 3.2L H6 and does not seem to have a lot of weight higher up.
I might also mention that oiling is easier to do right on a V8, but of course that does not mean that this particular V8 design will have no issues on the track.