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Me thinks I'd better be half assed drunk, so the pain will be tolerable.
So...if it were simply a disappointing Panamera without much more than two fewer doors and a better power to weight ratio...what would that do to the used 928 market? I could see it going either way.
Here are some models they are launching or working on:
- Panamera sport turismo wagon
- All new 2018 Cayenne, significantly lighter than current; a coupe version is possible
- Next gen 911 (2019), sharing some components with the Audi R8 and the small Lamborghini; a hybrid version is likely as an option
- Mission E production version
If I could transport you, blindfolded, to the 1977 introduction of the 928 to the air-cooled faithful, you'd be listening to the same kinds of comments I am hearing now.
Want a big surprise? Go drive a new Panamera S or Turbo S. The 928 feels instantly forty years old. Because it is. The Pana Turbo V-8's are rockets. The 2017 version is even more awesome, with a redesigned tail profile that doesn't look like they ran out of drafting paper at the butt, as the previous generation did.
Imagine they pull a trick like they did with the Boxter. Use the front end from the Panamera and redesign the rear to make a 2 seater coupe with lower roofline etc. Would be a cost effective way of stepping into that luxury GT segment.
Well, I would say the promo in the first post from Porsche was, to be kind - disingenuous. There was a 'coupe' presented, but it wasn't new, or earth-shaking, or out of the mainstream for Porsche like the 928 was. It's a 'new' rear-engine 911. Non-turbo, with a 6MT avail. Sigh,,,,
the Panamera still has four doors, so they just rebadged it as a 'gran turismo'. Meh - the most interesting thing about the reveal is that it was done in English. Maybe they did a German one before the English, I don't know.
I watched the press conference live. Zero excitement in the room. They saved the GT3 for last and played a fancy video intro before the models pulled back the cover...and....voila!...a car that looks just like a 911. Boring. I mean, yeah I'm sure it's an awesome car to drive but no need to keep it under a cover and do a reveal. We all know what 911s look like.
On Saturday and Sunday, CNBC showed a Porsche promo info-mercial featuring the latest Panamera, but no mention of an extended or kammback "touring" or GT version. They flashed through Porsche performance road-car history, from 356 through 911 and turbo models, pausing briefly at the 959, then the CGT and 918. No water-cooled cars from the early era were even mentioned, save a flash of a 968 in a staged model parade. Then driving impressions of the new Pana turbo, mention of the available 600+ total hybrid horsepower models, and some in-car video of Patrick Long and some amateur drivers as they paraded a couple examples around the Experience course at the Carson, California Porsche center. There was some good footage from the 'ring with Hans Stuck at the wheel, mention of the fastest-ever status of the new car there, etc.
As road-going Porsche performance cars go, the Pana is the logical successor to the 928. It's bigger, faster, handles better, way more luxurious. It's modern. Tons of driver-assist features to help manage the bigger ponies. All stuffed under a four-door four-seat shell. Go drive one.
I bet they are fantastic cars to drive. And I love the interior. But I gotta respectfully disagree, a Panamera is not a successor to a 928. A pure GT car for me will always be a 2-door coupe with the engine up front. And besides I think the term successor loses its meaning after 22 years or even 14 years when it was first introduced. My guess is that if Porsche brings back the 928 it will be because the prices of our cars have skyrocketed and interest in a modern version becomes marketable. But if that ever happens it will be so far in future that gas powered V8s may be extinct. Now if the Mission E evolved into a 928 shaped 2-door, that I would be on board with!
As road-going Porsche performance cars go, the Pana is the logical successor to the 928. It's bigger, faster, handles better, way more luxurious. It's modern. Tons of driver-assist features to help manage the bigger ponies. All stuffed under a four-door four-seat shell. Go drive one.
I don't think anyone is arguing the Panamera isn't a great car, it's still a 4-door sedan that's as long as a GMC Yukon.
There is something special about the long nose, European front engine GT's. Some of the best Ferrari's ever made fall under this category, every Aston Martin (except the two goofy four doors), Jaguar coupes, Multiple Mercedes models etc....
Porsche re-wrote the rule book in the early 70's with Project 928, and sadly we will never see another project like this again. Even if they do chop two feet and two doors off the Panamera, it won't be the same.
I still don't understand how Panameras aren't considered station wagons. That's what they look like, exactly, to me, and the Sport Turismo doesn't appear to be some ground-breaking evolution, just a marginally updated version. This is not intended as a criticism of the car, but people get their hackles up when I mention that it's a wagon and I don't get it.. And no, in no way is a Panamera a 928 replacement, no matter how fast or luxurious it is. I agree with whomever said that Mercedes AMG GT is the logical evolution of the 928. The Panamera is simply not competing in the marketplace with that car. Different markets altogether.
03-06-2017, 08:29 PM
I could see it going either way.
