Sadiq

The hp you need to approach higher speeds increases exponentially with speed. I was reading in Autoweek about the Koenigsseg (sp) CCX, and they mentioned something like the difference between getting 214mph and 215mph is something like 100hp. I don't remember if the exact numbers are right, but it's something along those lines. So yea, I wouldn't assume that 45HP is good for an extra 9mph up to 195mph.

Alan Smithee

No. Consider that top speed of the 997.2 S with 30 more hp only increases top speed by 2mph to 188, the 997.1 GT3 with 415hp does 193mph, and the 997.2 GT3 with 435hp is 194mph. Even the F430 with 483hp and the Z06 with 505hp don't reach 195mph.

As others pointed out, top speed isn't about weight. And these cars can't get much more aerodynamic; as power and speeds increase, wider tires and required downforce decrease aero efficiency (as do intakes for engine cooling, brake cooling, etc. that are required with higher power and higher speeds).

9elf S

I knew I should have stayed awake in Physics class.

bucking

The brief article on page 59 of the April 2009 issue of Parorama does NOT say the PDK will replace the 6-speed manual transmission. The article says "[A]nd a very efficient "seven-step" CVT (continuously variable transmission) MAY replace the manual." The PDK is NOT a CVT transmission; the PDK is a dual clutch twin-shaft geared transmission. A CVT is completely different in that it has no gears with gear changes or steps unless imposed artifically for purposes of feel.

Charlie C

If they ever did that, I'd NEVER buy another new one and I know I'm not alone.

djcxxx

Sounds like a good rumor to encourage sales of the current model.

OCBen

That will likely never see the light of day.

Think of the potential lawsuits from electronic glitch failures. Side mirrors are a safety feature. Eliminating them to potentially make a street car go faster is absurd.

There's a better chance of them doing away with the silly stickers on the sun visors - and that ain't ever gonna go away.

Those are mainly pipe dream speculations of the uninformed. Far from being facts at this point.

useridchallenged

How many of you actually have driven your cars at top speed? I think you're paying for bragging rights if you're focusing on top speed. I've driven both my 996 and 997 (non-S) up to 155 MPH, but I've never found an environment where I could take it all the way to top speed.

Bragging rights are important, though! Just be aware that top speed may not be something you get to do everyday with your car (unless you are extremely lucky!). Which is why I don't drive an S - I get plenty of ya-ya's out of the straight up Carrera.

Personally, I'd invest the extra dollars into racing school and experience (autocross or track) until you, the driver, are no longer the performance bottleneck.

Edgy01

I don't think that many 997 drivers are that immature to be concerned with bragging about hitting the limit on their cars. Most are responsible adults who simply appreciate the quality of the engineering and manufacturing excellence. I think the personalized plate of a good friend of mine summed it up well: "O2GO162" (He had a 1985 930 Turbo).

fpena944

I just read the Panorama article and did a search here on Rennlist to land on this topic. Do any of you think this is a Panorama April Fool's joke?

Seriously to potentially eliminate a manual transmission for a CVT that belongs on an economy car? And the electronic screens in lieu of mirrors? Sounds like someone pulling our legs. Anyone else think the same?

ADias

I don't know about the CVT but substituting cameras for mirrors and a longer wheelbase has been reported by several sources for a while. PCA is a serious organization and Panorama would not publish anything without some solid base.

Nugget

I think it's only a matter of time before side mirrors are gone from all passenger cars and trucks. Removing the side mirrors from a vehicle can make a dramatic improvement on drag coefficient which improves fuel economy and efficiency. It's not just to make the car go faster, but it's a useful technique for eking a few more mpg out of a car and improving range.

Several boutique electric and hybrid cars (like the Aptera) have this feature already, and I think they're just trendsetting. Even GM has incorporated camera rear view in prototype vehicles like the Cadillac Converj (built on the Chevy Volt guts). It's easy to imagine the next generation Prius or Insight doing it.

It's no more of a legal liability than drive-by-wire and I think we'd all better get used to seeing earless cars sooner rather than later.

gota911

Longer wheelebase on the 991? What wheelbase???

OCBen

Here's what the Aptera looks like (from their website), for those not familiar with this electric car.


Don't confuse camera enabled rear viewers with side view camera viewers. Honda's had rear view cameras on their SUVs for some time now, but they never did away with the rear view mirror. It was simply to improve safety by augmenting the rear view mirror with a rear view camera while backing up.

The point I was making is that just because something is technically feasible, that doesn't mean it will ever see the light of day, what with the DOT regulations auto makers need to conform to, hence my example of the obnoxious stickers on the sun visors.

If by drive-by-wire you mean steering by wire and braking by wire; again, just because it's technically feasible that doesn't mean it will ever see the light of day in our ever increasingly nanny-type of government we currently live in, especially with the gradual left turn (some might say sharp left turn) the government is now taking.

When it comes to automobiles, the government will always choose safety over economy. Remember that. And the government will always mandate such things as mechanical steering instead of steering by wire, hydraulic braking instead of braking by wire, and ugly stickers on your sun visors to remind you that your car is equipped with air bags.

Spyderidol

Not likely. The ACO regulation require the GT2 cars to be homologated to road going cars, so unless Porsche produce a road going mid-engined car, they can't race one.