Why the NAMI-4123 engine is not a Porsche

Many, if not all, have already heard or read more than once that Russian Aurus cars are equipped with German engines developed and manufactured by Porsche, and those who claim this, as a rule, refer to official sources, where we are talking about the cooperation of the Research and Development Automotive and Automotive Institute “NAMI” with Porsche Engineering. At first glance, everything is logical, but Porsche and Porsche Engineering are not exactly the same, which is why the statement described above is incorrect, but let’s take everything in order.

What is Porsche Engineering

Porsche Engineering is an engineering office founded in 2001, which is a division of the German sports car manufacturer Porsche.

However, it is worth noting that the history of the modern engineering bureau Porsche Engineering began with the design bureau Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche.

What does Porsche Engineering do?

Porsche Engineering provides consulting and engineering services, including the development and testing of all types of engines, gearboxes and chassis components, as well as electronic systems, security systems and their software.

In addition, at the request of a particular car manufacturer, Porsche Engineering specialists conduct research in the field of aerodynamics, thermodynamics and sound insulation.

In fact, this is far from a complete list of Porsche Engineering services, and so that you understand how huge it is, I can only say that the specialists of this engineering bureau develop and test not only individual components and assemblies, but also entire cars, moreover, from scratch and, as they say, turnkey.

The most famous developments of Porsche Engineering

1931 – development of torsion bar suspension

1934 – Development of the Volkswagen Käfer, aka the Volkswagen Beetle.

1937 Development of an engine for the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow racing car.

1981 – development of a cabin for wide-body passenger airliners Airbus.

1983 – development of an engine for the McLaren MP4 / 1E Formula 1 car

1984 – assistance to Soviet engineers in the development of the VAZ-2108 car, also known as Lada Samara.

1984 – development of an engine for the SEAT Ibiza car.

1990 – assistance to Mercedes-Benz engineers in finalizing the Mercedes-Benz 500E (W124).

1994 – development of the brake system and suspension, as well as refinement of the engine for the Audi RS2 Avant

1996 – assistance to the engineers of the European division of General Motors in the development of the Opel Zafira A car.

2002 – development of the engine and gearbox for Harley-Davidson V-Rod motorcycles.

2014 – assistance to Russian engineers in the development of an engine for Aurus cars.

As you can see, the services of Porsche Engineering are used not only by mediocre, according to some, Soviet and Russian engineers, but also by eminent automakers, and all because this is one of the few engineering bureaus that has unique ultra-precise and very expensive equipment.

For those who still do not understand, I will explain with an example. Let’s say that you need to hang a locker in your apartment, for which you need a puncher, but you do not have one, because you do not need it enough to purchase one. But your neighbor, who is professionally engaged in apartment renovation, has a puncher. So, to hang a bedside table, will you buy yourself a new puncher and hang the bedside table yourself or ask your neighbor to do it inexpensively? Obviously, the latter option will be much more profitable!

Porsche Engineering and Aurus

The engineering bureau of Porsche Engineering did take part in the development of the NAMI-4123 engine, which is equipped with Aurus cars, but it did not develop this engine from scratch. The NAMI-4123 engine was developed by NAMI engineers and developed a very long time ago, and the task of Porsche Engineering was to finalize this engine to modern standards, find components for it and suppliers of these components, then assemble, test and, in case of deviation from the technical assignment, NAMI refine it again.

That is why the NAMI-4123 engine has foreign components, most of which are electronics, but the engine itself was developed and assembled directly by NAMI.

Moreover, engine blocks, cylinder heads and base plates are cast in Russia, in particular at the Kama Automobile Plant (KamAZ), and turbochargers are designed and manufactured by the Russian company Turbokomplekt from the city of Protvino, in the Moscow region.

Therefore, the statement that the NAMI-4123 engine is a Porsche engine is incorrect. In the end, no one calls the VAZ-2108 car Porsche.