Porsche is known for flat-six engines, and it's no wonder why. Just think of the epic cars that have used the six-cylinder boxer configuration. Every production 911 has had a flat-six engine and, until recently, so did all Boxsters and Caymans, as did the 914/6.

But Porsche has also made some awesome eight-cylinder engines.

While the first images that pop into your head may be the V8s available in the Panamera or Cayenne, Porsche's eight-cylinder history goes much further back. It all started with the legendary 904.

I can hear you now saying that the 904 only had four cylinders. Well, this isn’t 100 percent true. While most 904s did get fitted with a flat-four, a few were also built with six cylinders or eight cylinders.

Only five 904/8s were produced by Porsche for factory use. This was during the time that the 906 was in development, and these coupes received 904 chassis numbers. The 904/8 was instrumental in testing as Porsche prepared their 2.0-liter air-cooled eight-cylinder engines for Formula 1. The resulting power plant would output 225 horsepower, and it would propel the 804.

The Porsche 804 produced 180 horsepower at 9,200 RPMs. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

The 804 briefly took Porsche into the F1 scene in 1962, managing a victory at the French Grand Prix. The flat-eight produced 180 horsepower at 9,200 RPMs. While the 804 is a footnote in Porsche's racing experience, the 906 played a bigger part in bringing Porsche more Motorsport notoriety.

The Porsche 906 was the successor to the 904, and it received a fiberglass body with a tubular space frame mated to the unstressed fiberglass body. This replaced the boxed-steel structure used in the 904. Thanks to this, the 906 weighted 250 pounds less than the 904.

While most 906s received carbureted flat-sixes, the factory teams either received a fuel-injected flat-six or an air-cooled flat-eight. The 906 had some racing success: winning the 1966 Targa Florio, winning its class at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona and finishing 4-5-6-7 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Le Mans finish was noteworthy as Ford took the three top spots with their Ford GT40 MK IIs, but Porsche finished before the Ferraris, which had dominated Le Mans the previous year.

Replacing the 906 was the 910, and it was even lighter than the 906 and sat lower. Two engines were available for the 910, the 2.0-liter flat-six engine, which made 200 horsepower, as well as the 2.2-liter flat-eight, which produced a strong 270 horsepower. The 910 had a short Motorsport career, with the 1967 1,000-kilometer Nurburgring victory being Porsche's first at their home track.

In the Nurburgring race, six factory 910s competed, three of which were powered by eight-cylinder engines (and the other three by flat-sixes). Two of the air-cooled, flat-eight-powered cars had engine failure problems, and the remaining eight-cylinder car finished fourth. The 910s with the flat-six power plant managed a 1-2-3 finish.

Two engines were available for the 910, the 2.0-liter flat-six engine, which made 200 horsepower, as well as the 2.2-liter flat-eight, which produced a strong 270 horsepower. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Succeeding the 910 was the 907, which initially was only produced with the reliable six-cylinder engine. However, rumors of rule changes in mid-1967 due to the dominance by the 7.0-liter V8 Fords set Porsche to work on taking the 2.2-liter flat-eight and modifying it to all the way to 3.0 liters.

While the 907 would get the modified eight-cylinder engine, the 908 that came later would get an engine designed as a 3.0-liter unit to begin with. The 907 still managed some good wins, including a 1-2 finish at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1968.

The 908's 3.0-liter flat-eight had a massive 350 horsepower output. The 908 managed a victory in the 1968 Nurburgring race. However, the engine of the early 908s proved unreliable, and it didn't get the results that Porsche expected.

The 908 was replaced by the more powerful 917, but in 1969 a 908 managed a second-place finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, behind a Ford GT40 — aided by gearbox issues for the 917s.

Porsche hasn't just used the eight-cylinder configuration for the race track. They have also built a few road models powered by eight-cylinder engines.

In 1969, two Porsche 914/8 prototypes were built. The first was by request of Ferdinand Piëch, who was at that time the head of the racing department. This first 914/8 received a 3.0-liter, 350-horsepower, air-cooled flat-eight sourced from the 908 race car.

The second 914/8 was a gift for Ferry Porsche's 60th birthday. It also received a flat-eight from a 908, but a carbureted detuned unit. The result was a 300-horsepower power plant in a street legal car that weighed less than a postage stamp.

While all early eight-cylinder cars had a flat-eight engine, more recently Porsche has made V8 models. From the late '70s through the mid-'90s, the Porsche 928 was the V8 poster child from the German performance automaker.

The 928 is still one of the best GT cars ever made — if not the best. Over the years, the 928's water-cooled V8 power output grew all the way to 345 horsepower in 1995, which was quite a bit for the time. While never the quickest car you could buy, it was one of the most refined and was very fast. Plus, it handled like a dream with its near perfect 50/50 weight distribution.

The 928 is still one of the best GT cars ever made. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

In the late '80s, Porsche also toyed with the idea of a V8 in the rear. They built a 911/959 prototype with a water-cooled V8 in back. But the idea didn't take hold, partly because of the V8 having its mass higher than a flat-six engine.

For a short time in the mid-'90s, it looked like Porsche was done with the eight-cylinder engine, but that all changed when the Porsche Cayenne came to the market for the 2003 model year. While the entry-level Cayenne used a V6, the early Cayenne S, GTS and turbocharged models used a V8.

The result was an SUV with performance to rival many pure sports cars. Largely due to government regulations over emissions and fuel economy, the Cayenne S and GTS would later be powered by a turbocharged V6. However, a V8 still powered the Turbo models.

The Cayenne has been a huge success for Porsche, so it came as little surprise when the Porsche Panamera came to the market for the 2010 model year. Similar to the Cayenne, the performance sedan initially used a V8 for the S, GTS and turbocharged models.

For the 2013 model year, the Panamera received a facelift, and the S model now used a turbocharged V6 instead of a V8. The GTS and Turbo models have continued to use a V8.

The Porsche Panamera Turbo models continue to use a V8 engine. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Porsche may be best known for their incredible and reliable flat-six engines, but as we have seen, some of their eight-cylinder engines have also been quite good. The history of eight-cylinder-powered Porsches goes back nearly as long as the 911, and we will wait eagerly for how they continue to improve their eight-cylinder engines in the future.