Mash

hf1

Wow, those 992 roof lines are so smooth. Looks almost like it’s not a cab at all. Have they achieved the same engineering feat with the 718 Boxster auto-top? Haven’t been paying attention.

The red looks close enough to be the same if you account for different lighting and color settings between the pics.

wizee

I’m in Stuttgart right now, and just saw a freshly made 718 Spyder come out of the Zuffenhausen plant and get loaded onto a truck. I wonder if this is already a customer car of if it’s for more press/show events. I also wonder if serial production of the GT4 and Spyder will continue in Zuffenhausen instead of Osnabrück.

Photos taken by me 5 minutes ago:

guab

Nice! That yellow looks sharp on the 718.

n4v4nod

Update on PTS and CXX...
I reached out to the Exclusive studio in CA, Philip told me to check back in a couple weeks after launch to see if he would get any more info on availability around PTS and CXX for the 982 Spyder/GT4.

This was his response:So for now it looks like no PTS or CXX... curious if it will open up later? Doubtful though... due to the specific reason why. Time will tell... but it'll be a gamble.

evilfij

Oh well. I’ll keep waiting.

Z356

Philip Mauney, the Exclusive Manufaktur representative being quoted above, can speculate about
the reasons for not offering PTS...but he truly doesn't know. Indeed the lack of an Exclusive work
shop at Osnabrück might prevent some CXX options from being offered....but what does that have
to do with PTS?

The VW (Karmann) facility at Osnabrück has a state-of-the-art paint shop that can easily do as
many Paint-To-Sample colors as Porsche desires to offer. And we have seen PTS come from
Osnabrück in the past (e.g. PTS 981 gt4s). So what is really going on? I believe that Porsche
is simply not interested in giving their customer that expanded color choice. Even in light of the
years of effort to explain/promote PTS to the enthusiast community, which for certain created
a markedly increased demand for this option, Porsche has continued to greatly limit the supply
of allowable PTS slots. Since I have been tracking PTS, I have seen PAG limit PTS to one
(PCNA Show Car) MY2011 987 Spyder, three MY2012 987 Spyders & 22/23 MY2016 981
Spyders (US market). And now we are hearing that we will not have PTS for the MY2020
Spyder.

There is a common trend here....and it's more than Porsche limiting their customers from
ordering many PTS Spyders in the model's three (to date) versions. What I really see
here is a disturbing trend to disregard their customers wishes & expectations with regards
an option that Porsche offers to customers in other models. We have only to see the
Rennlist classified ads to count the vast number of PTS 2018 gt3's that were built. Or
to read how the gt3 Speedster customer could order PTS from the very start of the
process. Sadly it is true that Porsche has forced it's loyal customers to jump through
complicated 'hoops' for the privilege of ordering PTS. I remember hearing when
Porsche doubled & nearly tripled the price of the PTS option in recent years that
some at Rennlist (perhaps you Evil?) saying that by charging more Porsche was
now committed to PTS on demand (& laugh all the way to the bank). But that
didn't happened. They raised the price & STILL limit PTS. So what is going on?

I maintain the PTS is totally mismanaged at Porsche. It is taxing/eroding the
'goodwill' of a lot of loyal Porsche owners that want PTS & are willing to pay
for it (even at the higher cost). The obstacle course that is PTS at Porsche
today - limited windows, limited slots, on-off availability - are an aberration to
an otherwise brilliantly-run automotive engineering company. The uncertainty
& unreliable nature of PTS at Porsche will eventually bring many negative
consequences for PAG as competitors (McLaren, Ferrari, et al.) continue to
expand market share in the luxury sport market by offering choices & doing
all they can NOT to frustrate their customers. That includes PTS on demand.

Porsche has been offering PTS since the 356 model in the 1950's. If by 2020
they can't get their act together to meet the demand for PTS, they should simply
not offer it. Increase the standard, metallic & special color offerings & stop the
abuse of its customers by submitting them to the pain & suffering of the PTS
as it is presently administered by Porsche.

I will not wait. I might still order a 718 Spyder in one of their limited color offerings,
but mentally I am moving on & away from a marque that I was faithful for a lifetime.



Saludos,
Eduardo
Presently in Portland, OR

evilfij

Eduardo,

I will have to go back and double check if it was me. I know I had some very optimistic posts and caught some flak for them, including from you , but I believe my point was on the GT3, given the price increase and the commitment PCNA seemed to have to it, anyone who wanted PTS would get it if they waited. That turned out to be essentially true. If you go back to the GT3 PTS thread, I don’t think there was more than one or two people who wanted it who did not get it. PCNA moved allocations back, gave frequent updates to dealers (and customers) when spots opened up (which we dutifully shared on RL so people could jump), locked builds so no late changes to upset PAG etc. All in, PTS was something like 15% of 991.2 GT3 builds in North America. That percentage is close to the color poll preference thread I posted on the 718 forum so the demand is there.

GT2RS and Speedster also seemed to have good to excellent PTS availability, albeit with a more limited set of colors available for the speedster. Again, for those who waited, or in the case of the speedster, those who put their order in right away, and then waited/had a later build month allocation. PTS also seemed to have good availability for turbos, Carreras, and 718.

On the other hand, I know people in North America that have been very disappointed that there are no PTS 991.2 GT3RS (and somewhat lesser disappointment with no PTS for 911T). True, the EU is now getting GT3RS in PTS in the same limited color choices as the speedster, but none seem likely to come to the US. Maybe the same will be true and there will be no PTS for the GT4 and Spyder, but it is very early and difficult to say what will happen (as you note).

I will tell you that when the touring package was announced on the GT3, contacts at Porsche said “no PTS available.” Guess what, there were 155 PTS Touring Package GT3 built for North America and I have one and am a happy [Color] camper. Yes, I got it in December of 2018, but I got it eventually.

One other note, and I may have actually learned this from you — I attribute my PTS knowledge to your posts as it is probably the source — that PTS cars used to be built “at the end of the line” so to speak. That is, PTS cars were built at the end of a model year, or often were late availability on a new model. This changed somewhat — speedster and 992 at least list PTS available from day one (even though we know they won’t be built until later). Nonetheless, I think porsche still backloads PTS later in production and often delays availability. This to me is smart as it tamps down the flippers a little bit more (as did the price increases). I think this is the explanation.

So I wait. I rather have the last car off the line than the first anyway. I know you don’t want to wait, so I think gentian looks pretty sharp from what I have seen. And it is ~$12k less than PTS.

n4v4nod

Eduardo, I hope Philip is wrong and he is misinformed. I’m just passing on the info he emailed me. I question his info specifically around the Exclusive Manufactur options... there are quite a few offered for the Spyder and GT4... It was my understanding that those are done post production at the workshop in Zuffenhausen correct? Plus they are obviously still building them at Zuffenhausen as the Racing Yellow leaving there posted above is proof. Then there was the green PTS GT4 spotted recently... might be an executive’s car... but it shows the ability to do so.

Eduardo, how long are you in town?

hf1

Porsche knows its target market well. S&M dungeons are full of powerful people paying large sums to get chained and jerked around. There’d be no PTS premium if PTS was easy to get, same as there’d be no Porsche GT premium if Porsche GT was easy to get. Jumping through hoops with Porsche is neither incidental nor a sign of their incompetence.

blackholescion

I believe production doesn't formally shift until August. The RY Spyder was probably a test car anyway.

Jamie140

For Canada, first round of orders have to be submitted by tomorrow. No PTS at this point, but I'm confident it will be offered sometime during the run. I have no cleaning lady info, just the confidence of the simple minded.

n4v4nod

Jamie, are you sure orders submitted or do you mean Allocations are due to the dealers? No allocations have been distributed yet for North America. I reached out to my SM at my dealer and he stated that Standard allocations are due in today or tomorrow, but he wasn't sure if that would include the 982 Spyder/GT4 or not. He is out until tomorrow... so maybe others can confirm this info?

Only1Buck

I had heard from a sales associate August for allocations

n4v4nod

FYI - It switches to English.