Slow day at work today guys, so not surprisingly my mind is drifting to cars....

Here's my very deep & meaningful question of the day......

Will Porsche build a successor to the CGT?????

I'm leaning towards no, given their recent acquisition by VW and the very different global economic outlook that is present today, versus 5-7 years ago.

In fact, I sincerely doubt that a bankrupt GM will build any Corvette as pricy or nasty as the ZR1, nor will Ford build anything as nasty as the GT. If I'm not mistaken, all three of these (CGT, ZR1, GT) were huge financial losers for their manufacturers. While they may have generated intangible benefits and favorable PR over time, from a dollars & cents standpoint they were losers. I just don't see there being the political will for manufacturers to commit to losing shareholder money by building a supercar in today's economic climate.

I believe Ferrari will continue to produce a supercar every 5-7 years because building exotic high end performance cars is their only business. Unlike Ford, GM, Porsche (fill in the blank), they don't build SUV's and sedans to absorb their fixed costs. In fact, since they are solely dedicated to high performance, dedicated sports cars, I would argue that it is essential for them to manufacture a supercar every 5-7 years.

Your thoughts?!?!??! I welcome all opinions & viewpoints.

Did I mention I am having a slow day at the office???

 

Nope - in the case of the CGT, Porsche didn't lose a dime. Dr. Wendelin Wiedeking, CEO of Porsche at the time, insisted that the CGT only be built if the project broke even or made money, hence the relatively high final production # of 1270 units. Porsche were unwilling to limit the car to 400-500 pieces ala Ferrari with the F50, Enzo, etc., because with those "low" numbers, they wouldn't be able to recoup their costs.

 

Yes,there are rumors about a GT1 which should produce up to 800 bhp....
I`ve read it somewhere...maybe D55L knows more about it

 

I know the ZR1 project made money....and I believe the GT did as well.

Corvette is one of the most profitable arms of Chevrolet (per unit....but it's low volume)....and anytime you can take an existing car, add a supercharger, change the suspension up a bit, add carbon fiber, and double the price, it's a recipe for success.

That being said....more on the topic of the Porsche "GT1".....there have been pretty strong rumors of something for almost 4 years....but the rumors also were that it would come out in 2010, and there has been no new information that I've seen. I bet Porsche will come out with something, but it will probably be 2012.

 

I'd like to see it.

 

The GT2 rs (kidding)

 

Speaking of the ZR1, I have read stories about how close it is the the Pratt/Miller version stock. I assume since you have a P/M on your floor you might be able to share some insight into just how different they are from each other.

Back on subject, I have also heard the rumors of a GT1 coming, but who knows if it will be built now with the new owners.

 

Car and Driver has something on it in the NEW issue.

 

concerning the Ford GT (lastest model). Wasn't the production of the car canceled after a year or two due to the fact it was recalled too many times for either suspension and fuel troubles. If thats the case I can not see how that would be considered a profitable car.

 

Ofcourse they will, the questions is just when. 4 years? 10 years? 20 years? Aslong as there are men there will be competition, and someone allways needs to be on top of the food chain.