To paraphrase Mr. Goodenow of Ford, head of the design team of the Ford GT there are performance sports cars and luxury performance cars. Porsche, Ferrari, Lambos, Corvettes traditionally were commonly found in the former category. Astons, Jags, Mercedes more commonly in the latter.

The growth of the 911 in all dimensions is clearly targeted to a wider audience (no longer just the sports car enthusiast) as evidenced by it's deeper immersion into the " luxury" realm with it's Panamera interior. I'm concerned it's getting closer to a Jag or Aston in character and farther from it's traditional 911 roots in size and character regardless of how beautiful it is. Astons are beautiful too and hit the lust button too but they are not known as performance sports cars.

It appears that the 997 is the last of the line of the pure Porsche sports car and the 991 the first iteration of Porsche's luxury performance car.

It's growth is clearly noticable and to me unwelcome. I will reserve final judgment until I see it in the flesh.

 

You may have forgotten about the luxury performance car called the Panamera.

So let's compare cars:

Ferrari 458: Wheelbase 104.3 Length 178.2
Lambo Murcielago: Wheelbase 104.9 Length 181.5
Porsche 991: Wheelbase 94.5 Length 177.6

So which of these cars would be sports cars? The smallest one? None of them? Or all of them? Everything in perspective...

 

I love it!!!

 

What where the dimensions of the previous models?

 

Those drawings help a huge amount to see the difference in size and shape. I like the new slimmer glass side profile. It's a shame they had to make it longer though, if it was really just for extra rear leg room that's a bit pointless. Imagine how much lighter it would have been without increasing the size.

The picture of the silver one looks fantastic. Wheels fit perfectly in the arches, not sure if that's going to be the actual ride height. I'm not feeling the interior though especially the way the screen in the center appears to obstruct the lower part of the central air vents, like it was an afterthought when in reality it was intentionally designed like that.

I like the front side LEDs, makes the front look very aggressive, like a shark with a snarl!! However I don't like the separate rear reflectors, overly fussy and not necessary. I prefer them incorporated into the main light clusters like the 997 even if it means bigger lights.

 

My guess is a secondary fuse box. With all the added luxury comes electrical power demands to run it all. The driver's side fuse box was close to being tapped out. With a secondary fuse box on the passenger side they can still have reasonably accessible boxes. There is little growth potential for fuses in the trunk.

 

For those thinking that the Porsche rear badge is some new marketing detail, google image search "Porsche 356 rear". I noticed the rear barging on a recent Monterey Mechan auto auction on tv.

 

i cant believe they are not fixing the paddles for the pdk systems - i hate those things

 

dont worry, paddles will be an option. More $$$$ for P!!!

 

i hope they didnt lose the flippable arm rests on the doors. I luv those!

 

I wonder though if the 991 GT3 will be even more of a sports car if the 991 Carerra is less of one (compared to the 997). The lines seemed to get pretty blurred towRd the end of the 997 run.

 

my speculation is that there will be bigger difference b/w the GT and "reg" 911 models. For example, there's no way P will out those door cards in a GT3.

 

Like someone said. Everything is relative. Ferraris and Lambo always had a longer wheelbase then the 911 I think. They were longer with lower roof lines and more "aerodynamic" in appearance.

I think the 458 and Lambo are supercars. Raw performance cars. They have some comfort amenities but they are still raw exotic performance cars. They are clearly not intended as DDs. The 991 is not an "exotic". It is /was a performance sports car. It in my opinion has crossed over to the luxury performance side ala' Aston, Jag, 650i and the like. The Panamera is a performance sedan and the 991 to me is now the performance coupe with Panamera character and interior.

Unfortunately I think all or alot of cars are headed toward the "luxury" performance category based on what the majority of the public wants. I think luxury performance cars have a larger audience then performance sports cars. Thats where Porsche is headed IMHO...to the larger buying audience.

The pure sports car character of the 911 has been diluted. IMHO the 997 seems the last of the line for pure 911 sports cars before 911 transitioned over line to "luxury performance car side. It may go like stink and handle great but its stepped away from that aggressive stout, stubby, squat bug eyed 911 appearance that was what the 911 was all about...at least for me.

Its now low sleek and luxurious. Is that bad? No. It's just not classic 911.

 

So how nice the interior is defines "sports car" for you? Seems to me the exterior dimensions of the new 991 are very close to the 997 except they have reportedly been tweaked to provide even better performance. While marginally longer, the new car is also a little lower and wider, plus it has been reported to have lost some of the fat the 997 packed on (vs the 996). As for the longer wheelbase having some sort of negative impact on handling (as some have mentioned) keep in mind that the Boxster and Cayman both have a longer wheelbase than the 996/997 and they are widely considered to be among the best handling cars Porsche has ever made.

Here's a crazy thought. Before you proclaim the 997 last of the true sports car 911's why don't you wait until you've actually done more than look at a picture of the 991? You know, actually drive it.....

edit - just noticed you have a 2011 GTS in you sig, mayhaps that recent purchase is coloring your thoughts about a new model?

 

[QUOTE=Waxer;8813008]The pure sports car character of the 911 has been diluted. IMHO the 997 seems the last of the line for pure 911 sports cars before 911 transitioned over line to "luxury performance car side. It may go like stink and handle great but its stepped away from that aggressive stout, stubby, squat bug eyed 911 appearance that was what the 911 was all about...at least for me. /QUOTE]

You do realize we are talking about 2 extra inches here? So what is a sports car? Miata, Elise, and ...???