Word on the street is that the MY2017 Viper might be the last N/A V10 Viper ever.

I'm getting a deposit down for one. Final model year. Viper ACR w/Extreme Aero Package... Don't mind if I do.

 

I can't say that I'm not tempted myself, especially because I can get any color I want like Viper's version of Voodoo Blue. I'm typically a late adapter so I want to hear more about that car on the track (running costs, bugs, etc). And all for the mark-up for an RS too, what a bargain. My issue is garage space and time to drive each car enough.

 

the issue with sport classic was the double bubble roof - that change alone required the cars to get crash tested to enter USA market. given it was a very limited production of 250 units, Porsche decided to not do it.

the situation with 911R is different. first of all, it is not going to be 400 units - that is a fact. there is a minuscule possibility it will be 600 units. but if I were a betting man, i'd bet a lot of money on 9XX number of units produced: either 991 or 911

because of such large number of units produced (almost 4X the 250 number of Sport Classic), there won't be an issue doing crash testing on these cars to bring them into USA. in fact, if car is classified simply as a 911 without body panel changes, perhaps you won't have to do crash testing at all. anyways, that is beside the point. the main point is: with 991 or 911 units built, crash testing a few won't be an issue.

 

Everybody has their opinion. You clearly bought a 918 (congrats) and therefore think it is a great program. Where I differ from you is I do agree it is good business to reward your best clients, I don't agree that just because somebody bought 1 car , a 918 makes them a great long term client. I have had many dozens of p cars and many of the most rare, carrera gt, 959, 993 tts, 964 turbo S package car, early speedsters, vintage race cars , on and on. However, I did NOT buy a 918 and therefore need to get to the back of the line when wanting any future special edition behind somebody that bought maybe 1 car ever ? I think its a terrible program and makes porsche more similar to the silly games Ferrari plays.
Just my opinion.

 

I've got a deposit for an allotment it'll be lost to a local 918 owner/collector who purchase specific vehicle numbers.

I hope he drives it but I'm not so sure Porsche understand their fan base can go elsewhere.

 

Supposedly 918 VIP slots are independent of dealer allocations. Don't let the dealer play games with you on that one...

 

The only problem is, if production is limited to let's say 600 units worldwide.

Half goes to US. All 918 buyers want one. Game over.

 

it will be 911 or 991 units worldwide... but considering that the latest rumor is a GT3RS engine pushing out around 550HP-575HP it will still be very difficult to get this car, even with the planned increase in production.

 

No way does this get a NA engine more powerful that the current RS.

The point of this car, besides profit, is to satisfy the high-end Porsche clients who miss and want an analog 911 from Porsche, that comes with a manual transmission, and with minimal electronic aids, so no rear wheel steering, no torque vectoring, etc, and lighter for giving up some of the electric gizmos, and other interior parts.

Such a modern analog 911 will sell just fine without an engine that's more powerful than the current RS. Just getting the base GT3 or RS engine would be huge for such a car.

 

OK

 

Wow. THAT is news. Thanks. Let me guess--two spots in your new garage reserved for 911R parking only?

 

I think those horsepower figures are impossible for the current naturally aspirated flat-6. 125hp/liter is about the max for an n/a street engine given today's technology, so the displacement would need to be 4.5 liters or so. This is not feasible without an additional 2 cylinders.

 

Just saw a real photo of the car. Also I concur that 550-570 is not happening. Perhaps 470 or so which is regular GT3. Maybe your source transposed 450-470 with 550-570. Turbo S makes 550-570.

 

What can you say about this photo?

 

I concur. A lot of 918 buyers in the US (I can't speak for other markets) aren't necessarily die hard Porsche buyers / collectors, but are folks who tend to buy the latest hypercar that they can get their hands on (and believe me, it was pretty easy to get your hands on a 918 Spyder allocation back in the day). These buyers choose to simply consume their VIP allocations for rare 911's, and then either flip them (which I have yet to see PCNA do anything about), or toss them right back at their dealer, who in turn marks them up dramatically (Auto Gallery in LA does this a lot).

In retrospect, I should've bought one or two 918's when I had the chance. The car and I just didn't get along (I put a lot of miles on a demo on the street, and at the Thermal Club), and I don't believe in buying, or collecting, something I'll never want to drive just for the sole purpose of becoming a VIP.

Over the years, I've purchased ~20 Porsches, and yet I'm not a VIP. Some random person who might've never purchased a Porsche before buys a 918 Spyder, and they're suddenly a VIP? That's unfortunate. I spent more than $1 million on brand new Porsches. And I'm pretty sure the profits PCNA and PAG have made on me are greater than a single 918 Spyder sale.

Ironically, with Ferrari, you have to already be a VIP (i.e., you've purchased a bunch of Ferrari's) in order to qualify to buy LaFerrari... with Porsche, you simply had to buy the 918 Spyder, and now you can buy everything else as a VIP. It's a bit backward.

Am I slightly bitter? Yes. I absolutely am. I should've grabbed at least one 918 Spyder new -- but it would've been going against my beliefs of what I should be spending money on.