Although the majority seem to think that the 911 will never have a V8..... Did anybody ever thing Ferrari would have a 6 cylinder? Aka the Dino
A better question might be will the 911 ever be a real sportscar again. Since its now a bloated Gt car, probably a V8 is more likely and fitting.
Do you pose this question because you believe the car has deteriorated in performance? If so, in what areas has its performance deteriorated? Or perhaps you make the statement because you believe its weight and luxury have grown disproportionately to its performance gains? If you'd be so kind, please add to your previous post.....and thanks in advance for explaining your point of view a little further.
It has seriously eroded in terms of driver interaction. Like many modern cars it is now a carictature of itself. Yes on paper the performance around a given track with flappy paddles is better, but as a fun to drive direct tool it has fallen way off the stool. Its now more of a bloated luxury GT and this only a 911 in shape and engine layout. I couls also add theat the exhaust even the sports exaust lacks any sonorus tone, the sound like that of the Mclaren MP4 is more of a loud blare. The melding of driver and vehicle is probably one of the few areas that now sets a sportscar apart from say a lexus, porche has lost that. I would say the new 991 is more of an egg shaped Hyundai Genesis. Yes it has more performance, but on the street where is the fun and sense of occasion in this vehicle. You know in period the 928 had more performance than the 911, but the 928 was a Gt car and died out whereas the 911 ofered something more hard core more lithe more special and it survived despite porches best efforts to ignore it and kill it, now it seems they have suceeded. If the measure is perfornmace then why not just buy a GTR. Porche may fool the poseurt public who wants a car that looks like a "porche". But the reason the porche 911 is so iconic is because the true drivers always valued the experience and really DROVE them, and anybody else who drove one felt it was different/sporty. Now thats gone so all we have is the shape, and a bloated version at that. The 991 is a smoke and mirrors car, a pretender. My bet is that for the next gen porche will rediscover its roots and go small compact 911 again, and sell a 2 door panamera to everyone else..
That's the Porsche 804, 1962... doing the math, that was over 50 years ago... the 'first' flat 8. There were several others, including the 914-8 (only 2 of these).
I find my 991C2S w/7mt a much more involving drive than my former 993. The only problem is that it is so much faster and handles so much better that you have to reach a higher speed to appreciate it.
I think you make my point, if you have to go so much faster to appreciate it,by definition its not involving at road speeds. Its like most moderns anodyne, a compuer simulated car. My freind who has had porches for 30 years has one, I think he sums it up best when he said its a great car, just not a porche let alone a great porche. To me even the shifter feels nothing like as nice as the one on the 997, the steering might be sort of acurate but there really is zero feedback. Its not atalkative machine, more vette than say BBI.. As a daily I am sure its great, but why ruin the 911 to make a better daily, doesent porche have other products for that.. So its a Gt car, and nothing wrong with putting a v8 in a big Gt car. BTW its bigger than a vette with a longer wheelsbase. Put a 991 next to a 997, there is avast difference in size in every direction. Whereas you feel you are getting into a fighter cockpit when entering a 997 the 991 could be any number of larger Gt cars. In fact once thyee put a V8 in the 991, they can then move the V8 to the front for even better packaging and dynamics. Wait didnt they try this before, oh yes It was called the 928 which was meant to replace the 911. Somehow the 911 survived and prospered while the "superior" 928 withered, wonder why. One is timeless and a unique experience enhanced with updating, the other was a great car which was eventualy overshadowed by newer products that were better because they were more modern. Once you loose enough 911 essence what you have is a great car that is egg shaped, but not a 911. My opinion is that point nhas been reached. I would be only too delighted to be proven worng when the GT3 comes out. Undoubtably it will be fatser than the one before it, but will it recapture that true drivers car magic, based on my current 991 experience I have major doubts.
The 928 enjoyed a fairly long production run: 1978 to 1995. The continuing development of the car, particularly through its S4, GT, and GTS models, was not indicative of a line that was "withering." Rather, it was high prices, more than anything, that made the cars difficult to sell (especially the final GTS variant) and that ultimately hastened the end of this very interesting car.
