Porsche's clean-sheet replacement for the troubled M96/M97, introduced from the 997.2 generation onward — a direct-drive camshaft design that eliminates the intermediate shaft bearing entirely.
This engine represents a genuine architectural departure from the M96/M97 family — the intermediate shaft and its bearing are gone entirely, replaced by a direct chain-drive arrangement to the camshafts. This single design change removes the defining risk that shaped nearly a decade of Porsche's reliability reputation, and the real-world track record since has reflected that: no issue of comparable scale or consequence has emerged on this engine family.
Not a guarantee, but a pattern seen consistently across owner forums and independent-garage reporting.
Core engine internals are routinely still original and sound on examples with documented maintenance, with no engine-specific chronic concern to report.
Beyond routine maintenance history, there's genuinely little else specific to flag on this engine — the direct, well-understood answer to the earlier M96/M97's defining concern.
Ask for documented service history, since this engine, like any high-performance design, rewards consistent maintenance.
A pre-purchase inspection remains sensible for any performance car, though the engine's own specific risk is low relative to its predecessor.
Model-specific pages, with notes on how it behaves in that particular car.