boyko23

Even the PDK in (maybe) your own Porsche was developed in the early 70's by Porsche for endurance racing... Now implmented in almost every car on earth. Then, 919 tech implemented in the 918 Spyder... Next year in the 992 and so on...

Sorry, but you know nothing about endurance racing and it's core. Not to mention marketing... Sorry!

ilovecarbs

The carrera gt utilized the defunct (before it even started) porsche LMP1 motor and the 918 uses the porsche rs spyder LMP2 motor. If those aren't two benefits from an LMP program then...

Archimedes

I'm not talking about development, I'm talking about marketing, and racing the 919 today is doing little to nothing to enhance Porsche's brand among it's targeted customer base. And I'm not talking about endurance racing in general, I'm talking about the prototype class. Reading comprehension is a learned skill I guess.

NateOZ

Great - so the next Porsche hypercar will be a 2.0L V4 powered something....

signes

Right, just look at the new MB hypercar whatever. F1 derived drivetrain.

BTW, the V10 in the CGT was originally designed for F1.

I personally enjoy the prototype battles, the 956/962 of the old Group C days being my favorite (where the frost PDK was used). Those years helped cement my love for Porsche and respect for the brand. Same thing when I think of McLaren and F1. I'd like to own one because of the racing success they've had in F1, not because it is directly applicable to road cars. I'd also add the successful F1 road car and sister race car program as another reason.

tcsracing1

You would be surprised by porsche customers as much as you are disappointed in them.

The blind customers you generalize do indeed exisit however you need to look deeper into why they actually arrived at the showroom in the first place. Marketing got the blind customer through the door.
They are there because of brand. They know nothing else other then the brand is supposedly good.
The brand was built on reputation of racing and winning which came from quality engineering. Without racing it wouldnt be the brand it is today.
The brand is still marketed as such.

People are still buying the brand because it is still doing well.
When they shop websites for vehicle purchase and they see the porsche website list the race car as a winner in some big race that tends to sit well with most customers. These customs tend to think that if Porsche can win a big race then they can at least build a decent street car with the same engineers and technology. Especially the Hybrid customer.

996FLT6

Probably mite change minds if Porsche get back into f1. Wouldn't be surprised they do well. The modern f1 cars don't share much with street cars. Ferrari sure knows how to market their street cars. Mike

tcsracing1

The hybrid technology they are currently developing (and using on street cars) is not stretching.

The prototype is marketing engineering and brand. They are not trying to sell customers 919s.
Porsche mostly sell SUVs.

hf1

Nothing against LMP1 or any high-performance/prototype racing, except when there's only TWO entries competing. "Winning" Le Mans by out-competing only Toyota? Meh.

tcsracing1

In order to see the benefit of the LMP win in terms of marketing you need to look past the 919 as the product. Do not focus on the prototype class being the product.
The product is the "engineering".
Porsche maintain their brand through motorsport and winning with their advances in technology.

Porsche have a growing line up in hybrid cars and alot invested in it. (look at the most expensive panameras).
Porsche can use the marketing from their hybrid win to showcase potential customers that their techology works and is the best.

There is strong marketing material from their LMP win. You just need to forget about the type of car used and consider the other spin off aspects.

It is good a marketing as any.

Unless the professional marketing team at Porsche are wrong?

tcsracing1

I wouldnt say "only" toyota.
They were very fast if not faster.

Both manufactures brought their prize fighters to the ring. It was still entertaining.

tcsracing1

exactly.
Ferrari market their brand as F1 champions.

They are not selling F1 cars.

same concept for Porsche in LMP endurance racing.

TopspeedPT

Guest89

There are no other manufacturers that have the capability to compete against Porsche and Toyota at Le Mans at this moment! Both have the key advantage of years and years of historical momentum and the expertise of key engineering personnel (as well as drivers with experience driving sophisticated LMP1 prototypes in traffic).

It's not as if they selected an "easy" category, which is the inference to be made from the tone of your post.

Aston Martin - Can't even build their own engines in house
Audi - Unable to compete with Porsche on track, inability to market diesel going forward
BMW - Unwilling to take the plunge after considering it
Ferrari - F1 only
Ford - Focused only on the Ford GT; zero performance hybrid cred
GM - Maybe they can get the Chevy Bolt team involved? Zero performance hybrid cred
Honda - DPi with Penske instead; cannot build an F1 or Indy engine to save their lives
Lambo - Lol
McLaren - Insufficient resources and poor F1 form
Mercedes - Will never race at Le Mans again after the 1955 and 1999 disasters
Nissan - Recall their COMICAL performance in 2015!
Peugeot - Too cheap
Renault - Busy floundering in F1

Perhaps I've overlooked an OEM capable of designing a clean sheet hybrid prototype that would compete at Le Mans? Who would run the team? Where would they buy the batteries? Who would drive the cars?

tqevo

Depends where you go. In some countries Porsche is known as a producer of high quality SUVs first and foremost.