For those with Discovery HD Channel - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Chills · 07-04-2007, 03:53 AM

Crap, I just saw this thread. I hope they show it again!

1JB · 07-04-2007, 05:36 AM

I caught it last night. Great show and great commentary on Porsches. At one point they mentioned that one of the or was it the original Porsche engine was called the Carrera. Did anyone catch that or have any more background?

Ronzi · 07-04-2007, 07:27 AM

To the best of my recollection, Porsche first used the name "Carrera" on a series of 356s, both coupes and Speedsters, fitted with the four-cam type 547 engine developed for the 550 racing Spyders.
I don't believe any of the 550s were called Carreras.

FrayAdjacent · 07-04-2007, 09:44 AM

Nice! I just went and set my DVR to record it later this afternoon! W00T!

1JB · 07-05-2007, 05:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronzi

To the best of my recollection, Porsche first used the name "Carrera" on a series of 356s, both coupes and Speedsters, fitted with the four-cam type 547 engine developed for the 550 racing Spyders.
I don't believe any of the 550s were called Carreras.

Thanks Ronzi. If I heard them correctly they said the first engine was nicknamed the Carrera. They weren't referring to the car, just the engine.

Ronzi · 07-05-2007, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1JB

Thanks Ronzi. If I heard them correctly they said the first engine was nicknamed the Carrera. They weren't referring to the car, just the engine.

I saw that program yesterday, and I agree that the 550 expert did refer to the 4-cam engines in the 550s as "Carrera" engines.
Far be it from me to take issue with information provided by an acknowledged expert in this area ... but I will anyway.
There is reference in Porsche historical literature to some type 547s as "Carrera engine(s)", but only in the context of them as the engine installed in the 356 Carrera and Carrera GT cars. The 550s were never called Carreras, even though the origin of "Carrera" in the Porsche lexicon refers to Porsche's success in the Carrera Panamericana road races of the early '50s. Much, but by no means all, of that success was attributable to 550s equipped with the 547 engine. The result of that success was the application of the Carrera name to a series of street cars, the aforementioned Carrera/Carrera GT models, most of which were equipped with type 547 engines.
In my view it would be more accurate to say that the Carrera and Carrera GT cars were equipped with "550 engines", than that the 550s were equipped with "Carrera engines."