It's been a long time since the automotive world has bothered with the mixing of oil and gas of the two-stroke combustion cycle — but soon, it may come time to rid ourselves of four-stroke engines, if a set of patent filings from Porsche for a six-stroke engine are a hint of what's to come.

Just when you thought Porsche was phasing out internal combustion the Stuttgart sports car maker has decided to re-invent the whole process. Porsche has now developed a six-stroke combustion system which adds an additional compression and power stroke to increase efficiency and horsepower.

Porsche may be signaling a shift in automotive engineering with recent patent filings for a six-stroke engine, hinting at the potential move from traditional four-stroke engines. The development could mark a major evolution in combustion engine technology,