Porsche Special Edition Fatigue: Great Cars No One Can Buy
Porsche, Don’t Be Ferrari
I applaud Porsche for building these wonderful special edition cars. Now I just want them to build enough for everyone to enjoy. If collectors want to grab these cars and keep the miles super low, that is totally fine. If the Powerball numbers ever fall my way, I would probably be that guy. I would drive my collection of cars but can only drive one at a time, so miles will be low.
It would really be nice if Porsche would build enough of these cars that anyone who wants one can buy one. An allocation should not be treated like a golden ticket bestowed upon only the select few.
If I got a Sport Classic, and I woke up tomorrow and everyone in the world also had a Sport Classic, it would not diminish my love of the car at all. If someone wants to buy a high-priced car to just look at, we already have Ferrari for that.
I don’t want to see Porsche go down that path of only giving their tastiest morsels to those with 20 other cars in the garage. The special editions, and GT and RS cars go into private collections and for everyone else, enjoy that base Macan. Maybe if you buy ten of them, you too could get the next special 911.
Build More
Yes, supply chain issues are still making it tough to get any new vehicle right now. And with changing regulations the world is going all-electric. But why can’t Porsche make enough of these special edition cars to satisfy the needs of everyone who wants to buy them? If you want to serve your most loyal and best customers first, that is fine.
But what about the hard-working enthusiast that just wants to own one of the finest vehicles Porsche has to offer? Right now, those folks have little to no chance. And those folks are far more likely to actually drive them. It would be easier to get excited about these cars again if there was at least a chance of landing one. You may say that the whole point of a special edition car is that it is special and not everyone should get one.
OK, but when Porsche cranks out so many special edition cars is that really the case any longer? In just the last couple years we had the 911 Targa 4S Heritage Edition, 911 Edition 50 Years Porsche Design, Boxster 25 Years, 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series, and now the Sport Classic with others likely to follow shortly. I am not even including the hyper rare and expensive Porsche 935, and I am probably even forgetting a few others.
So maybe instead of all these limited cars that are so tough to get, Porsche builds what we want and builds enough that collectors and drivers can get them. I don’t care if my Porsche ever becomes a rare collectible that will be worth three times what I paid for it. What I care about is having a fun and engaging car. I am OK paying the money for the driving experience.
Am I Alone?
I am the only one that feels this way? Do others get excited when a new exclusive Porsche is announced? Or do you let the news just go in one ear and out the other as you know you will never get one? Years ago, I worked for a Fortune 500 company and the CEO came to our location and gave a pep talk speech to everyone.
He talked for 30 minutes about his recent month-long sabbatical where he went on an Australian Walkabout and how refreshing it was. He was addressing a room filled with warehouse workers that will likely never have that opportunity. It was the definition of a tone-deaf speech. In some ways I feel these Porsche reveals are similar.
I would almost prefer Porsche just build the car in secret, let the dealers know, the dealers can contact their preferred clients and the rest of us don’t have to read about cars that won’t be available to us. Maybe it is just me.
Maybe I am getting old and cranky. I would love to hear your thoughts. Let me know how you feel about all this in the Rennlist forums. Does a Porsche special edition really mean anything to you? Should Porsche build more? Can dealers do a better job of spreading out allocations? Let’s hear your ideas.
Photos: Porsche
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