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We can't tell yet if the 982 roof is identical in all respects to that of the 981, but from initial appearances that seems to be the case. I draw some comfort from that because the 981 roof was obviously a huge departure from the 987's roof and if there were any design problems with the 981 roof that materialized over the last two years, one would suspect Porsche would remedy those on the 982 and modify the design accordingly. The fact that the 982 roof appears to be an exact carry-over from the 981 suggests that Porsche is pleased with how it has held up and hasn't felt a need to make any major modifications, at least that can be seen from these mules. If the flaps/buttresses on the 982 appeared to be different, if they attached to the rear clamshell in some other fashion, or if the rear window appeared to be modified, any of those changes might be an indication of a design improvement over the 981 roof, but, again, I can't see in the pics any discernible changes that stand out.
We can't tell yet if the 982 roof is identical in all respects to that of the 981, but from initial appearances that seems to be the case. I draw some comfort from that because the 981 roof was obviously a huge departure from the 987's roof and if there were any design problems with the 981 roof that materialized over the last two years, one would suspect Porsche would remedy those on the 982 and modify the design accordingly. The fact that the 982 roof appears to be an exact carry-over from the 981 suggests that Porsche is pleased with how it has held up and hasn't felt a need to make any major modifications, at least that can be seen from these mules. If the flaps/buttresses on the 982 appeared to be different, if they attached to the rear clamshell in some other fashion, or if the rear window appeared to be modified, any of those changes might be an indication of a design improvement over the 981 roof, but, again, I can't see in the pics any discernible changes that stand out.
Is it just me Nick or is the mule missing the small side "Spyder" plastic flap doors. This almost looks like it's attached to anchors in the clamshell. Could this be a hybrid of the 987.2 and the 981? Still a manual, one piece collapsing roof, but this time tensioned by the clamshell trunk. That is such a cool feature of the 987.2. Compare the 982 to my avatar.
The roof is the exact same design... not really a shock considering the 718 standard windshield, roof and rear hatch are direct carryover from the 981.
I think they are following Jeff Cherun and his mods, He had that piece painted black on his car vs. standard black plastic. It looks like this mule has the painted pieces, and no Spyder logo as of yet.
Is it just me Nick or is the mule missing the small side "Spyder" plastic flap doors. This almost looks like it's attached to anchors in the clamshell. Could this be a hybrid of the 987.2 and the 981? Still a manual, one piece collapsing roof, but this time tensioned by the clamshell trunk.
Joel, I assume you're referring to the black side trim pieces on the 981 with the chrome/silver "Spyder" script.
You are right that those are not visible on the mules, but I chalk this up to the fact that mules by their very nature are usually de-badged and devoid of any model-identifying nomenclature just as we don't see "S P Y D E R" displayed across the butt of any of these test car.
You do bring up a good point about the latching mechanism on the 982 possibly being different than that on the 981. Recall that on the 981, Porsche had to come out with a supplemental owners manual entitled Engaging convertible top fins instructing owners to make sure the flaps are locked and in place before driving off (duh), otherwise risk paint damage should they fly around at speed and bang up the clamshell and surrounding areas.
Thus, if there is one area of change between the 982 and 981 roofs, you might expect it to be with the latching mechanism. But I've been very keen to look at these mule shots closely and it appears to me the flaps on the 982 insert into the clamshell and lock in identical fashion to that of the 981. Donovan's top-down pic, above, leaves almost no doubt they are the same, although I guess we won't know with 100% certainty until the new car comes out and we see a demonstration on the roof or up-close pics of the ends of the flaps and the receptacles into which they latch.
Originally Posted by JAM2
I think they are following Jeff Cherun and his mods, He had that piece painted black on his car vs. standard black plastic. It looks like this mule has the painted pieces, and no Spyder logo as of yet.
Per above, I wouldn't expect any Spyder identifying info to appear anywhere on a mule, but suspect it will show up on the final version.
Let me remind everyone that Porsche will paint plastic pieces and use painted camouflage (wrap/tape) to hide things. Everything you guys are claiming is missing from prototypes is not missing at all. You can even see the Spyder logo under the masking:
these journalists all need to be fired. How about they do their job as journalists and instead of speculating, these so called journalists go down to the track while Porsche is testing two big releases (GT3RS, Spyder) or they talk to some witnesses they can quote. Instead they write ‘rumor has it’. Something, anything? Hello, Bueller?
^^^^^ True. Lots of regurgitation of stories already appearing elsewhere. Original content is almost non-existent.
I guess it's good work if you can find it simply taking whatever stories are already in print, rehashing them, and saying the same damn thing in a slightly different way.
these journalists all need to be fired. How about they do their job as journalists and instead of speculating, these so called journalists go down to the track while Porsche is testing two big releases (GT3RS, Spyder) or they talk to some witnesses they can quote. Instead they write ‘rumor has it’. Something, anything? Hello, Bueller?
Because it's all carefully orchestrated by the manufactures themselves... Nothing is "Spied". Each manufacture has their own private test facilities... They are intentionally seen whenever you see a mule in public. Most automotive sites are low budget as well. Most are fed "Spy" photos all at the same time by the same photographers and most don't have internal sources and feed off forums for their info.
FYI- I'm hearing Geneva (March) now for debut... Which means deliveries Summer/Fall of 2019. Reason? So they can avoid GT Car overlap in production. GT3, then GT3RS, next Speedster then shift to the 982! That is a long time away! We will see what happens. I was hoping for a LA debut... but with the 992 debut in Paris, they might focus LA for the NA debut for 992. It will be a big launch for them and they will keep the primary focus on that especially being the celebration year. Also think they are going to break the cadence of the 911 and Boxster/Cayman being so close with lifecycles. It's the reason they state the 718 is a "982". They will drift apart lifecycle and technology wise... which will be both a good and bad thing.
03-29-2018, 10:50 PM
