That was really a very beautiful car.

 

Hi Spyderman,

fully correct, he didnt say it was dead..but what is sure that you wont see this car driving on the streets for the next 3-4 years..

By then environmental regulations will be Porsches main concern..I wish they would build it..but I dont believe in it..

 

Here we agree jumping horse. I also dont see this car being produced within the next 2-3 years. (if it is approved)

 

Porsche squares up to Ferrari with new 960



Mid-engined, 4wd, eight-cylinder boxer engines: Georg Kacher reveals how the new 960 slots in above 911...

You’re looking at the FeFi, short for Ferrari fighter. It’s Porsche’s first attempt to build a mid-engined sports car aimed at the ‘junior supercar’ market, currently dominated by the Ferrari 458 and more recent McLaren MP4-12C. Those two names may be giants of the genre, but neither is likely to be thrilled at the prospect of Porsche crashing their party.

Project 960 sits neatly between the forthcoming 580bhp 991 Turbo S and the 918 Spyder, complete with 583 V8-supplied bhp and 240 electric ponies.

It’s the first time Porsche has dabbled in this supercar sector: previously it’s stuck with racier 911s or proper top-end exotica such as the 959 and Carrera GT. And there are further reasons why we should all start salivating. Such as its eight-cylinder boxer engine. Or its four-wheel drivetrain and seven-speed PDK twin-clutch transmission. Not to mention its 2.5sec dash from 0-60mph.

It’s a brave move by Porsche, plugging a gap in its range which has let traditional supercar makers, and the likes of Bentley, make hay in the £200k-plus marketplace. Not for much longer.

THE FLAT EIGHT

Porsche favours a new flat-eight engine for the 960. A development of the trademark six-cylinder boxer, the quad-turbo 3.9 is mounted low down in the spaceframe chassis and features a central take-off which connects to a seven-speed PDK ‘box. CAR understands that VW boss Ferdinand Piech is already running a stealth Cayman fitted with a 4.0-litre B8 prototype. This engine supersedes earlier plans for a 4.8 V8 or 911-related flat six.

LIGHT WEIGHT

Porsche’s FeFi relies on an aluminium-intensive platform supported by steel, carbon fibre, magnesium, titanium and other composite elements. To ensure light-footed handling and supercar performance, the target weight is in the area of 1400kg. Light, compact and slippery, the 960 will accelerate to 60mph in about 2.5sec.

IT’S 4WD LIKE THE 959

To control the flat-eight’s 650bhp, the 960 will be four-wheel drive. This adds around 80kg to the kerbweight and is necessary to cope with the instant torque from the quad turbos. Our sources predict we may see a pared-back rear-wheel-drive GT edition later. Porsche’s own mannettino will let drivers flick from mild to wild.

THE OILY BITS

This will be the first Porsche to be spun from the VW group’s newest box of tricks: the sports car platform called MMB (modular mid-engine architecture). It’ll go on to underpin most of the group’s new sports cars, stretching, in some shape or other, from the replacement Boxster to the next-generation Lambo V12.

PRICE, AVAILABILITY

See the new Porsche 960 in the metal in late 2016 with production at the Zuffenhausen parent plant slated to begin in February 2017. This is no limited-edition: estimates run at 3000 to 4000 cars a year over a full lifecycle of six years. The new flagship will most likely be priced above €250,000; that’s slap bang in Ferrari 458 and McLaren 12C territory.

The junior supercar party: look who’s already here...

FERRARI 458 ITALIA
Vital stats: £179,000, 4.5 V8, 562bhp
Trump card: Beautiful all-rounder
Chink in armour: Ergonomics

McLAREN MP4-12C
Vital stats: £176,000, 3.8 V8, 616bhp
Trump card: Consummate all-rounder
Chink in armour: Too sensible!

LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO
Vital stats: £182k, 5.2 V10, 562bhp
Trump card: Brutal emotion on tap
Chink in armour: R8 better/cheaper

PORSCHE 960
Vital stats: £[TBD], 3.9 Flat 8, 650bhp
Trump card: First clean-slate Porsche for ages
Chink in armour: Is 911 just as good?

Source: Car Magazine (January 2013)

 

^^ Sounds promising. Especially the Flat-8 engine. Can't wait to listen to that soundtrack.

My guess is that it will be a hybrid-tech-stripped 918 or the like.

I just hope they offer the 7-speed manual from the 991. What a package that would be!

 

Flat 8. Quad turbo. Wow

 

Can't wait for this!

 

They need to bring the 928 back.

 

They are - it'll be a Coupe version of the Panamera

 

pics in the 'car' mag show it looking more like a ferrari 599 , not a potential 458 gt/ hard core racer! that i for one was hopeing for!!early days still and i'm sure those pics will not be nothing like the end result with it being so far away,guess they may be heading towards the aston/sporty bentley customer,so it doesn't tread on 911 toes!!