Porsche is bringing its new 919 hybrid to Le Mans

Porsche 919 Hybrid (Courtesy of Porsche)

Porsche unveiled this week its very latest hybrid supercar, the all-new 919 Hybrid. Making its debut at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Italy, the 919 Hybrid is a Le Mans prototype that's been comprehensively updated and now develops a total system output somewhere in the region of 900 PS (662 kW).

The German automaker certainly has high hopes for the new car, as it's aiming for what would be an extremely impressive hat trick of successes. The bar for the 919 Hybrid is set no lower than winning the Le Mans 24-hours race which takes place over June 17 and 18, as well as then also delivering the FIA World Endurance Championship titles for Manufacturers and Drivers. Porsche achieved this feat in both 2015 and 2016, so the new car certainly has plenty to live up to.

A range of innovative enhancements have been made to the car for the 2017 season, which include improvements in aerodynamics, the chassis and the combustion engine part of the hybrid propulsion system. The combustion engine is an incredibly compact 2.0-liter V-4 unit utilizing turbo downsizing and efficient direct fuel injection technologies to deliver close to 500 horsepower (368Kw), which makes it the most efficient combustion engine Porsche has ever produced. The hybrid system employs two different energy recovery systems -- a front-axle braking energy recovery system and an exhaust energy recovery system. Unsurprisingly then, the 919 Hybrid will compete in the highest energy efficiency class as prescribed by the current regulations.

There are nine six-hour races as well as the Le Mans 24 Hour in the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship, which concludes with the 6 Hours of Bahrain race on November 18. Le Mans is therefore an altogether more rigorous challenge at four times the length of the other races in the Championship.