Porsche CEO Matthias Müller As long as I'm in charge of Porsche, the 911 will be the icon, he said. So far so good, then a year later The 911 is an attitude, a statement and a lifestyle, he said this year after the wraps came off in Germany. Another bland marketing excercise then, another one bites the dust.
The 911 is an attitude, a statement and a lifestyle, Is the 911 not supoposed to be a tactile alive highly responsive machine? This gobldygook (The 911 is an attitude, a statement and a lifestyle, ) is what harley sells to wannbe bikers. So I suggest the newer balnder number more GT 911(see autoweek road test) is realy now a gt fashion statement. Has the 911 lost its soul, quite possibly. That is my point, what were their priorities./
The way I see Porsche did not exactly have a lot of choices. If you are going to build a car that costs well above 6 figures your buyers are not going to be mostly hot rod 20 somethings. They are in most cases over 45 and they like comfort and style as well as the ability to go fast, but like most buyers of these types of cars (Ferrari, Lambo, Aston) they never ever, ever, go to a track. They just want to look good and be noticed. Do I like the fact that a 911 can be order with heated and vented seats, or that the interior looks like that 4 door thing, no but that is why they make all those different models. Or you just do what I've been doing all these years buy the car and then take it apart and make it the way you want it to be. The 911 grew up because it's buyers did.
I inderstand what they did and why. But porche has enough other models to fill the mom stockbroker needs. The 911 was pure in a way, it was the core of the brand, the sportscar that the other porches tried to attach themselvs to in order to appear as more than they were. Plus as a car fan it was really great, not just another car. Maybe the GT3 version will have the magic, but I fear not. Without a "real" 911 proiche becomes just anoter manufacturer or sporty cars. Maybe it does not affect them for a few years but over time the nmystique goes, plus there is one less great car to buy. For all their faultsa ferrari still makes the 458, which even in stock form is still pretty viceral and raw, then they ahve the cali 599 and FF for all the others, but the brand retains it core through the 458 and some specials. maybe, just maybe the cayman will get the right motor and become the hard core proche of choice, we shall see, but for now the 911 is neutered, sad.
I would argue that, when compared in their base forms, a 991 is more raw and visceral than the 458. Porsche doesn't force you to order the vented seats, or the heated steering wheel, or even the PDK. Just because the vast majority of pre-owned cars are equipped that way (implying that someone ordered them that way in the first place) simply shows Porsche is making what people like.
The 911 hasn't been pure since 1973, and the 911 itself was designed to be more of practical touring car than the pure Porsche, the 356. Maybe the '73 RS models were the pinnacle of "911-ness" before the cars were softened in the '70s and '80s to compete with the hot-selling Merc SL. The 993 was the last 911 that I would consider a very physical car. With the 996 (and Ferrari with the 360), electronics and comforts became part of the picture, probably because prices continued to rise. As to the 991, IMHO the styling is still distinctive and if the 997 is any measure the GT3 and GT2 versions will probably still pound anyone's spine into dust. I think Porsche, more than anyone other than Lotus, perhaps, has stayed true to the sports car playbook. Don't ask Ferrari for a manual gearbox.
Please read the "1st Drive" review of the new 991 Carrera S on the AutocarUK website. They have great things to say about it. This is not the first review to advise the new version is a great sports car. They look to be keeping the tradition of a great drivers car. Only Porsche and Ferrari have maintained the racing heritage over the long haul. If the press is good for the S, I look forward to what Porsche does with the new GT2, GT3, Turbo and Turbo S.
+1 In addition, a 991 GT2 could be the pinnacle. It will however, be an interesting convergence when they mix the 'grand tourer' style of the 991 with the brute force and raw handling of the GT2.
Autocar Uk "Over the years weve become accustomed to the joggling inherent in all 911s up until now. Anyone who has driven one will know what I mean. This inherent on centre movement of the steering wheel at the straight ahead, a measure of liveliness and feedback many consider part and parceled of the driving experience, has been eliminated entirely through the adoption of a new electro-mechanical steering system. It is certainly a big change in character, making the car feel almost anaesthetized on first acquaintance if only because its so unfamiliar to drive a 911 whose steering wheel does not constantly fidget, even at moderate speeds. But it seems the further you drive the more you come to appreciate the added calmness through the steering wheel."
For some reason, statements like this seem so arrogant to me, especially if a company has to tell you that their product is a lifestyle. I've had 4 porsches over the years and now a ferrari, and there has been no change to my life style nor would I expect/want there to be. It's so artificial to imply that buying a ferrari, porsche, or brand "x" is a lifestyle. This is the sort of message and way of thinking that often makes me embarrassed to tell people what type of car I have if it comes up in conversation- in fact outside of family, only "car people" know (no one knows at work, and it's not on my facebook page for example)
This is marketing from the Harley school. Anbd while a harley may be mnany things performance it is not. If this is their thrust, then the last of the mohecans has lost its cred. Funny hopw even Chevy is talking up the ZL1 as being hard core track ready, while a new porche is lifestyle. To sell lifestyle to poeurs you still need real product, and then the posurs figure out the lifestyle bit on their own.
