Another report has emerged confirming that Porsche is developing a new supercar, above the 911 GT2 RS, to compete against the likes of the Ferrari 458 Italia and the McLaren MP4-12C.

The new car would be larger than the current 911 but would be priced between the range-topping 911 variant and the 918 Spyder.

"It always irritated me that the (most expensive) 911 tops out at €250,000 ($360,000) and then the 918 continues starting at €750,000," said Porsche CEO Matthias Mueller in an interview with a German newspaper. "In between, Ferrari moseys around relatively comfortably and without any competition. That is where we need to be. There is still space for a larger sports car, one like the 959 that we built in the 1980s."

Muller said the future model would be priced between €250,000 and €400,000.

Muller did not relate any details on what such a model would look like but it will surely be larger than the 911 to compete with supercars such as the aforementioned McLaren and Ferrari models.

- Porsche is considering engineering a flat-eight boxster engine for its Ferrari-rivalling supercar, company bosses have admitted.

At the first unveiling of the new 991-series 911, Wolfgang Hatz, Porsche head of Research and Development said such an engine was ‘possible’. He told Autocar: "We have to go into that market properly equipped.".

Porsche engineers have long been frustrated by the fact that the company’s iconic flat-six engine cannot be extended much beyond 4.0-liters. It’s also felt that in the Ferrari-dominated market, eight cylinders are a pre-requisite.

Moving to a larger engine would also differentiate the new model from the new 911 and next-generation Cayman range. It’s thought that the creation of such an engine has been made easier by the engineering working currently being done on the new turbocharged flat-four engine, which will be offered in Porsche’s planned entry-level roadster. This all-new motor is thought to be modular, allowing it to be extended into the next-generation flat-6 and a flat-8.

Hatz also said that a development of the Carrera GT’s ultra-compact transmission could be used for the new model. Such a transmission would free-up space for the use of the longer eight-cylinder engine.

"We could develop it, of course, One of the key issues is where we put the differential, but it is a possibility," he said.

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