Originally Posted by dr bob

A relatively prominent 928 enthusiast once mused that the only reason that fender flairs and side treatments are added is because the factory didn't do something right in the beginning. Any aero engineer will tell you that the big bumps with holes in them, glued to the side of a vehicle, cost a lot in terms of drag and directional stability. Look at the early 911 race efforts that migrated to the street cars because they looked cool. All so the factory could continue racing a homologated production platform. Fast-forward to the modern 911 variants. The tiny cockpit of the early cars is widened out to where the bulges used to be. Same frontal area but smoother sides, much more interior room, etc. More than a few folks consider the 993 the pinnacle of the air-cooled cars, appearance-wise. Clean, cool, no-muss sides. Yet folks still yearn for the S or turbo-look variants with the blobs hung on.

Look at the euro performance sedans and see that wheel blobs are rare and if they are used, quite subtle. The 928 GTS fits in this category, with the subtle treatments that just fill out the existing lines a little. I remember following Keith W's white GTS on a road trip, lowered a little with wheels and tires that filled the fenders nicely, and commenting to Karen how perfect the look was from the back. Nothing gaudy, just subtle tasteful improvements. I suspect that the Panamera is going to follow this same path over time. Is there any extra room in the wheelhouses for wider rubber without bending the outside metal? If not, is there a way to bend the outside metal so that a larger wheel and tire in there without extending past the existing beltline dimensions? Or do I need to sacrifice some rear seat width to get bigger stuff in there by adding to the inner fender buckets? I hope the latter describes the maximum interior space utilization. After all, it is a four-door GT, and it's anticipated that there will actually be passengers in the back. Four passengers and luggage will add another 1000 lbs to the curb wieght, but it will still haul and stop just fine I'm sure.

Originally Posted by Marine Blue

Considering the fact that most 928 owners go against the Porsche grain I'm really surprised that more of you don't like the Panamera.

I would argue that its not a timeless design but I think Porsche did put together a competitive package that exceeds most of the cars available on the market.