Porsche has hinted the naturally-aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six engine in the 718 Cayman GT4 and Boxster Spyder could be used in other models.

Prior to their introduction, it was believed the cars would use a detuned version of the flat-six that powers the 911 GT3. However, the company went a different route.

Instead, the flat-six powering the duo is actually based on a comprehensively modified version of the turbocharged 3.0-liter engine that powers the 911 Carrera.

“Actually, it’s a bespoke new engine – it’s from the 9A2 family and we call it the ‘Evo’,” Porsche GT division boss Andreas Preuninger told Car Throttle at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. “We made a new crankcase, new cylinder heads, new pistons, new crankshaft, new rods.”

Also Read: 2020 Porsche 718 Boxster Spyder And 718 Cayman GT4 Debut With New 4.0-Liter Boxer Engine

“It’s a massive effort [to develop the engine]. We believe in normally-aspirated engines, especially for cars in that niche – puristic cars. To be frank with you, we can use this engine in the future for other models maybe as well,” Preuninger added.

Quizzed about whether this meant the new engine could be used by non-GT models from Porsche, Preuninger responded “We have to see.”

Porsche could have theoretically used the 911 GT3 engine in the new Cayman GT4 and Boxster Spyder but, according to the GT division boss, doing so wouldn’t have made sense.

“The GT3 engine, you cannot compare it [to the 9A2 Evo] – we can’t use it here…you can make it fit in with a hammer and take sheet metal out, but that’s not fit for mass production,” he said, adding that you “don’t need a titanium conrod set on a car with 414 hp” like the GT3 features.