Geneva 2014: Porsche 919 hybrid racer debuts

Radical V4-engined Porsche to contest World Endurance Championship and will head to Le Mans in June.

 

The first pictures of the new Porsche 919 hybrid racer have hit the web prior to the car's reveal at the Geneva motor show.

 

Porsche's 919 Hybrid will be driven in the World Endurance Championship this year, including at the Le Mans 24 Hours race in June. The 919 is powered by a radical turbocharged 2.0-litre V4 engine, but gets extra assistance from its KERS and exhaust heat energy recovery systems.

Energy stored by the 919 can then be used to power an electric motor, which drives the front wheels. Porsche's hybrid setup is similar to the system used by Audi, but different to that used by Toyota's LMP1 cars.

 

Amongst the drivers scheduled to drive the 919 is ex-Formula One star Mark Webber.

Pictures of the 919 show the car alongside the 911 RSR, which reportedly features a six-cylinder 4.0-litre boxer engine with 454bhp, connected to a six-speed sequential gearbox.