i would not think a person who was officially admitted to test drive under restriction would post his 'review' before an official message from manufacturer, as usually in such cases they do not hesitate to sue those 'reviewers' for quite substantial amounts. it works the same for any industry. no one would publish confidential material just based on 'assumption' that if pictures were posted it is 'OK'.

but who knows. it is an interesting world, plus, in 5-6 months we will see plenty of official reviews anyway.

 

+1

 

Porsche has shared embargoed information with me, and when they did that's not how it worked. Before I even agreed, and before any information was shared, I knew the exact date and time of when I would be able to publish the information. I followed that direction to the minute, and I even added 10 minutes to prevent clock accuracy errors or any misunderstandings. I didn't have to wait for an e-mail from anyone saying "Go".

 

 

What's most interesting, is that if this is a complete fabrication - which I firmly believe it is - he has not technically violated any embargo. Not so good for his credibility, but certainly not breaking any rules...

 

 

i was never involved into any of that with auto industry but i was in IT and it was not my experience when you deal with prototypes of yet to be marketed/renamed/adjusted products.
but, who knows. all I say i have my doubts but everything is possible.
all in all i liked how that 'review' was written and it is all what matters as before i test drive that car myself it does not matter much to me anyway. there is no reason to argue much about credibilities/etc.

 

I've been involved with automotive publishing, long-lead press programs and embargos for over a decade. There would be NO chance the exact date and time wasn't understood. In more than one instance we've been required to sign NDAs.

 

Everything is indeed possible!

If Mr. Smiley scored a 991 mule or pre-production 991 drive, that's quite a coup — one that deserves far more attention than it's getting. I do, however, find the realm of "possible" diminishing as I read about a "course" set up by Porsche for testing, etc. Whether it's worth arguing about is the right question (!), but I might not bother with mere debate were I working for PCNA or PAG. As someone in the business of information dissemination, I find this matter mildly interesting — and find the gauge posted above quite humorous!

pete

 

+1

 

+1

 

i didnt bother to read the full extent of the article..... but one thing is certain.

Porsche is trying to compete with the full size GT coupes while keeping the 911 shape. Hence the larger interior and exteriors...

trying to keep coupe buyers from swaying over to the likes of Aston Martin, Jag, Mercedes, BMW etc....

Is the new 991 too big? no.

will us 996, 997 owners want to upgrade? maybe. too soon to tell.........

 

Definitely.

Porsche originally set out to grab SUV market share with the Cayenne for their existing sports car customers. Now that they have sold far more SUVs, and now sedans, to new Porsche customers, they are going after market share of their new customers' 'other', less practical cars (SL, Vantage, XK, 6-series) with the sports car range (note the recent Porsche ad campaign).

Smart marketing. As long as they don't forget their original customers.

 

I think the 997 is already too big. The 991 is a pig.

Mull over this 991 vs 997 dimensions comparo:






Consider also this ridiculous sunroof:

 

No arguments here. It's one reason I got a Spyder instead of another 997...

BTW, your links to rennteam.com images are not visible for those not registered there.