THE BIG IDEA By Csaba Csere
It’s 120, Bro
Why Ferrari and McLaren both debuted 120-degree V-6s at the same time. The hot-V layout is a turbocharging setup that allows short and direct exhaust plumbing out of an engine’s center valley to improve turbo efficiency and response. Applying that approach to your standard 60-degree V-6 leads to fitment problems, because there’s not enough room in the valley of the V to efficiently mount turbochargers. It also won’t work with a 180-degree (flat) six, as in a Porsche 911, because packaging a turbo close to the engine and exhaust manifolds would mean mounting the engine higher, negatively affecting the car’s center of gravity. But consider the 120-degree V-6. Both McLaren and Ferrari have, and soon we’ll be seeing the outcome in the McLaren Artura and Ferrari 296GTB.
CAR A N D DR IV ER ~ NoV EM bER 202 1
The McLaren M640 neatly cradles two turbochargers in the valley between widely spaced cylinder heads in a hot-V setup.
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