I will go to the other side of the tree as I think the next 911 will be a mid engine. Reasons first few actually use the rear seats, second, word is they have been testing a mid engine race car. Third, ALMS GT2 class is getting more and more competitive and the current rear engine 911 RSR is about at the end of improved performance and handling they need to go mid engine. You could retain the traditional 911 body style and flip the engine and transaxle improving the balance and handling of the car. Early Porsche race cars were mid engine. This is far more Porsche traditional then a front engine car. Remember the CEO of VW is part of the Porsche blood family and he does support racing .... and winning. I like the Cayman and a mid engine 911 would be fantastic.

 

Just seems like this car is loosing it's 911 flavor,,, the wide hips (even on a narrow bodied car) and the bulging front fenders from the hood that hold the head lamps. The muscle frog look (964, 933, not the 996, better on the 997...less on the 997.2) that I tend to think about when I think 911. Dramatic bulges that brings with it a presence that combines style, power and an heir of performance... too smooth = lame IMO.

anyway..... my thoughts, bring back the muscle frog Who knows, car will look much different when the skin is off and car is actually released but what can be gathered from these pics is bad news....was it VW or Mitsubishi that scooped up Porsche? I agree with others comments, that this car looks more like a new Eclipse than a new porsche rendition....

 

The rear makes it look like the beloved 959 whose styling I have never been a fan of. (not a good sentence)

Maybe the fat *** is hiding an inline 8.

 

Everyone knows mid-engine is the way to go, but is Porsche ready to go there yet? Who knows. At this point, given how slowly they change the body, I think a hard-top convertible is a real possibility.

 

You're absolutely right about ALMS GT2 getting more competitive and the RSR is being pushed to the max but there will be NO mid engine 911. No one said Porsche is against mid engine. You will see a Cayman in GT2 before you see a mid engine 911 in GT2. Rear engine is part of what makes a 911 a 911. Good or bad that's in a 911's DNA. Porsche knows this. A 911 with a mid engine isn't a 911 it's a Cayman.

 

I really wish the manufacturers would start converting their soft-tops to hard-top convertables.

 

If Porsche continues with next gen 911's even longer and wider, it will become more of a sports coupe, less of a sports car.

 

interesting... two different exhaust tips... maybe two different cars... turbo intake decals make me smile... top and mirrors look very nice (hope top stays canvas)... overall looking like an AM V8 Vantage... but there is a ton of "extra" bodywork on the car... time will tell....

Matt (in MA)

 

My two cents:

A mid engine 911 is called a Cayman

Loads of people use the back seats for kids. Many Rennlisters included. Eliminating back seats would eliminate lots of buyers. I would not be driving a 911 today if I couldn't put my little buddy back there.

There won't be a hardtop because there's not enough room back there on top of the engine and also it is too heavy and upsets the balance of the car (I read that somewhere recently).

It is hard to see past all that fake body cladding, but I am confident the next 911 will look great and be a very minor change from the 997. Porsche has been committed to evolutionary, not revolutionary changes since the dawn of the 911 and I don't see VW fixing what is not broken. That car looks very 997 to me once I visually strip off the disguise.

 

This mule has been out for a long time....at least a year.

First time I saw it I posted that the canvas appears to be a covering over steel/aluminum top. could be a mockup for the Sport Edition.

It's all hearsay until the damn things shows up. Hope they clean things up nicely by then!

 

Interesting quote from Car and Driver:
http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car...rsche-car_news

"911: Perhaps the most difficult question surrounds the future of the iconic Porsche two-door. Today, the 911 comes in 14 different flavors, but since the 911’s engine went water cooled in 1998, the changes between one generation and the next have been kept small to ensure the happiness of 911 loyalists. But Winterkorn’s intentions are now to change the 911 more extensively by implementing new technologies faster—just don’t expect the 911 exterior or design to change dramatically."

 

Fixed it for you, Boo.

 

Now you want to add more weight and up top no less?