Ahead of the 2016 Le Mans 24h, Porsche has unveiled that part of the 919 Hybrid’s Le Mans specification is a new headlight system. The new design draws on Porsche’s range of road cars, with the four-spot light design still visible in daylight mode. Jens Maurer, head of systems at the Porsche Team, names the key factors of the new system: “We have managed to improve the performance regarding the range of lighting to the side as well as the reach to the front. We have saved almost 30% of weight, made the fitting easier and optimised the cooling.”
The system is equipped with the latest and handpicked LEDs from Osram and features three different modes of operation: pencil beam (ultra long distance light), main beam and side beam. Twelve pairs of LEDs and reflectors per headlight unit are split into seven individually controlled strings for long distance and cornering light. The control unit is integrated into the headlights. At an angle of 45°, the side light performance matches the quality of a good dipped-beam headlamp of a road going car. The flashing light is operated as a switchover between maximum and reduced operation mode of the LEDs.
In addition, each headlight has 20 of so called RGB-LEDs to make the two cars identifiable. The number 1 Porsche 919 Hybrid is illuminated in magenta, the number 2 car can be recognised by its blue light.
Compared to 2015, the number of LEDs has been doubled while the weight of each headlight unit was reduced by 1.1kg. The new headlight is fitted as a single component now. The pre-adjustment of the reflectors inside the headlight saves the fine-tuning procedure after fitting. The unit’s cooling is regulated by air that is channelled in from the car’s exterior.
