Tom in Austin

Setting aside the rear-engine cars (and derivatives like the Boxster [turn the 911 engine around and it's mid-engine]), what is Porsche's best "clean sheet of paper" car?

I think the choices are 928, Cayenne and Panamera ... which one represents the largest step forward in design, function and engineering for its' day?

Adamant1971

It can only be the 928

brutus

Have to say Carrera GT way too many exotic features. Awesome V-10 sounds , full carbon chassis. Few understand what a bargain it was at $440,000 plus. Plus not considering the 911 to be "clean sheet" ignores the fact that little from the 356 was carried over to the 911. Once you get past "the engine is in the rear" which is not really meaning full. Lots of cars have been rear engine and VW was not the first.
You can easy show that the 356 was directly evolved from and use the same basic design as the VW but when you start looking at the 911 and see that all the suspension is very different is design and function , engine design is also much different , transmission is as well. While it is fun to call 911s just big VW beetles, it really is not very accurate.

Tom in Austin

Has anything other than 928 won Porsche 'Car of the Year' recognition?

I don't know much about Cayenne and Panamera but they don't seem to represent any significant advances from similar cars when they launched.

Maybe 959 but you could argue it was a 911 derivative.

brutus

When you look at the "winners" of the voting by European Auto Journalists (writers) it includes "
Winners sorted by manufacturer



Manufacturer

Wins

Winning Cars



Alfa Romeo

2

156 (1998); 147 (2001)



Audi

2

80 (1973); 100 (1983)



Austin

1

1800 (1965)



Chrysler/Simca

2

Alpine/1307-1308 (1976); Horizon (1979)



Citroën

3

GS (1971); CX (1975); XM (1990);



Fiat

9

124 (1967); 128 (1970); 127 (1972); Uno (1984); Tipo (1989); Punto (1995); Bravo/Brava (1996); Panda (2004); 500 (2008)



Ford

5

Escort (1981); Granada/Scorpio (1986); Mondeo (1994); Focus (1999); S-Max (2007)



Lancia

1

Delta (1980)



Mercedes-Benz

1

S-Class (1974)



Nissan

2

Micra (1993); Leaf (2011)



NSU

1

Ro 80 (1968)



Opel/Vauxhall

4

Kadett/Astra (1985); Omega/Carlton (1987); Insignia (2009); Ampera (2012)



Peugeot

3

504 (1969); 405 (1988); 307 (2002)



Porsche

1

928 (1978)



Renault

6

16 (1966); 9 (1982); Clio (1991); Scénic (1997); Mégane (2003); Clio (2006)



Rover

2

P6 (1964); SD1 (1977)



Toyota

2

Yaris (2000); Prius (2005)



Volkswagen

2

Golf (1992); Polo (2010)
So not exactly much of an award unless you like Fiats design and engineering

IcemanG17

928 was a clean sheet design only by Porsche....same for Carrera GT.....Cayenne was joint with VW....Panamera was in theory a Porsche only project..but uses lots of Cayenne electronics....

86'928S MeteorGrey

This one is easy....

917

You didn't say streetcar...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_917

danglerb

914, gotta wonder what they were smokin.

jheis

Well, it's not the Hunchback - er, Panamera.

James

S4ordie

I think the 928 when introduced affected overall engineering and design elements more than any other car. Think back to 1977 and how the 928 was the first to integrated bumpers, Weissach steering, etc.

Jerry Feather

904

Jerry Feather

daddyov8

918: is there such a thing as green sex?

brutus

Bumpers ? "..In 1973, the front Corvette bumper was changed from a chrome arrangement to a urethane bumper cover in order to meet the new federal crash standards. In 1974, the new urethane covers were standard equipment on both front and rear bumpers. A new rear rubber bumper style with an integrated spoiler appeared in 1980 and continued through the 1982 model year. "
Pontiac Grand Am (look it up) also was a plastic nose and bumper in 1973.



Weissach passive rear steer who uses it now ?? Right variation on the 911 Try as you might it is really hard to find ANYTHING unique, new or exotic about a 928. The special alloy block was used in the Vega, rear transaxle, many including Pontiac Tempest, bumpers see above.

It is nice to love your car and think of it as special. Nothing wrong with that it is what it is. Just do not let the facts get in the way

yardpro

you are a buzzkill brutus...

the unique thing about the 928 is that it put together in one car.... the alloy block of the vega (except without the steel liners)..the rear transaxle, bumpers... all in ONE car that was magical.

brutus

The Vega was not steel sleeved as new that was how local machine shops "fixed" them after someone used a bottle brush hone to "deglaze" the cylinders. And it is real hard to define "Magical" in a meaningful way but worth mentioning that many car cults seem to share the feeling that the sum is greater than the total of the parts.
Bottom line is if you get smiles per mile the car works for you.