❤️ Val' Day Flashback: Porsche celebrates 45 years of V8 models

This story was first published for Valentine’s Day 2022 – and we’re thinking we might just have to keep reviving it until Porsche’s got a 50th anniversary video for us all…

February 2022: Porsche has penned a love letter to the V8 on the 45th anniversary of its 928’s release.

Launched on Valentine’s Day, a short video was posted to the manufacturer’s YouTube page, looking back at the history of V8 engines in its models over the years.

It all started with the debut of the 928 in 1977 at the Geneva Motor Show, becoming the first eight-cylinder model from the Stuttgart marque – but far from the last.

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Next came the Cayenne in 2002 – a controversial car at launch as it signified the beginning of sports car manufacturers turning to SUVs for a quick buck, but 20 years on from its debut as Porsche’s first four-door, it still tops the sales charts for the brand.

Following it was the Panamera, an equally eyebrow-raising machine, which slotted in to the line-up as a modern, low-slung GT car amongst the ever-growing sports car and SUV models.

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Porsche doesn’t forget the specialist models either, from the RS Spyder – a four-time championship winner for Team Penske in the American Le Mans Series between 2006 and 2009 – and the 918 Spyder, its first attempt at a hybrid hypercar from 2014.

Lessons learnt from the 918 will be used in its next Le Mans challenger, with the 2023 LMDh hybrid prototype racer set to be powered by a twin-turbocharged V8 from its current Cayenne and Panamera, albeit heavily modified with a hybrid system further boosting its output.

Although Porsche is investing heavily in electric vehicles, such as its Taycan and a partial ownership of Rimac and Bugatti, it has also been pouring money into synthetic fuel development, wanting to keep internal combustion engines alive well into the future.

Here’s some other reading for you, too.