I like what I see so far. I realize the interior is drifting away from sporty minimalism and going toward upscale luxury, but IMO that's not completely a bad thing.

My 997 C2S that i sold a few months had a sticker of $103K, but since it did not have full leather, it had a plastic dash, console surround, door panels, etc... It really looked cheap in relation to the price of the car. I'm glad the new model will be more dressed up. And I would imagine that the vast majority of porsche owners would agree. The exception being the purists that want a simplified and lightweight version... but those people can get a GT version.

 

He clearly missed my post about all the new 911 variants that will be introduced with the 991 chassis.

 

Chris (form Cali), I totally agree. For the 991, they really need to make a car with a stiff suspension, alcantara interior, radio/ac delete, door pulls, light weight wheels, plastic windows, slight aero improvements but NO rear wing, rollbar, and a 350hp engine. Build that and slap "Carrera R" to the rear = My dream 991. In my opinion, that's what the GTS should have been.

You hit the nail on the fvcking head, jox! I totally agree. Most sportscar manufactures just say to themselves "Manuals are slow and inefficient, let's get rid of it and install this super fast flappy paddle POS!"

Porsche says "All new sportscars are getting rid of the manual gearbox and putting in superior flappy paddles. How 'bout we offer flappy paddles, but develope the manual transmission so it's almost as fast, and just as efficient!"

To Porsche! It show's that they will be one of the few manufactures to offer manual transmissions for the many years to come.

Fear not, while the front is wider, the rear end is now also wider. The 991 will not lose it's curves, but in fact gain curves. If you look at certain soy shots, the front fenders bulge, almost like the Turbo chassised Carreras of the impact bumper days. And the rear end, it still bulges out at the edges, nothing to worry about, it's still there.

And guys, I don't think the 991 is driven by marketing at all. How so? What are some of the features that make it market driven? It doesn't have THAT much more in terms of technology than the 997 had, it just has a more modern interior design. Looks can be deceiving, but actually study the center console, and you'll find that is has about 1/3 the amount of buttons that the Panamera has. It's still a sports car.

I can't wait to see the raw GT3, and what it will do in motorsports.

 

First Ride: 2012 Porsche 911

 

Another great article: the Porsche marketing machine is revving up! I find it interesting how C&D released so many more details about the car than InsideLine. This article has less details, but many more pics.

It does appear that the focus of each is the chassis and electric steering. Not the size, not the engines...but those two items. Until it's driven by the writers (and us), I guess we'll just have to expect good results.

 

Very 928 looking interior I agree with you guys!

 

Heh! I only really hate the number of 997 variants and the godawful Panamera. I've never said anything else.

 

Can somebody help me understand why Porsche would pick electric steering over hydraulic for the 911? I find it difficult that I will not be able to tell the difference between a 997's hydraulic system and the 991's electric one. Surely they have not followed BMW's (terrible) approach to having different settings for steering weight and sensitivity.

 

Electric steering buys a manufacturer 1-2 mpg over hydraulic steering. That's why. Plus with electric steering, the manufacturer can dial in steering assist, variable steering, lane correction, etc.

 

I don't understand their obsession with fuel economy, the car already has a smaller engine (for the regular Carrera) and weighs 100 pounds less than the outgoing model. As if that wasn't enough, they fit a 7-speed manual. Why would they not just make 6th gear longer on their regular transmission? Surely shifting into 7th will be... awkward... to say the least.

But I guess I am nitpicking, this 911 will be great. Can't wait to see what kind of power the Turbo, GT2 and GT3 make.