slicky rick

yes the 991 looks sleek sporty more modern.. but is that the essence of a Porsche 911. these are descriptions of a new Ferrari or a new Lamborghini. but a Porsche? why is the 993 still a very attractive car so many sleek cars so many sportier looking cars but the 993 even the 911 bodies still look ohh so sexy. Porsche's value has been how to modernize without going overboard. one of the reasons why our cars have kept their value. except for the much maligned 996. but i think Porsche may be on a road trekked by so many modern modern modern equals value going down so much faster than before. i may be biased but i will keep the 997. a reinvention of the 993... can we say that the 991 is a reinvention of the 997? i dont think so. its like we cant say the 997 is a reinvention of the 996 though how similar the two cars are.

Mike in CA

So now we have reservations about the 991 because it looks too sleek, sporty, and modern and that's not the essence of a Porsche 911??!! Whoa, the rationalization of "why my car is better than the new one" just shifted into hyperdrive......

slicky rick

Love your own as they say, hahaha. only time will tell brother. in the meantime we share our take on this very nice comparo.. mybe we will all end up buying a 991 just like so many 993 owners moved on to the 996... but like i said time will tell... as for me looking at the past, and maybe with a lot of bias, 997 might be a keeper, not so much like the 993 but lets keep our fingers crossed... i kinda think about how bmws have become anyone noticed how korean they now look? thats the peril of going modern and loosing the "essence". sporty cars are starting to look so alike, sedans are starting to look so alike...i just hope Porsche keeps its character with the 991. is the 991 starting to look like an aston, or a lambo perhaps?

yemenmocha

More modern can be bad, as in futuristic... like the 996 mistake in Porsche's recent history (especially the front end). I'm hoping they're not making a 996 mistake again, with regard to people who prefer the classic looks of a 911. I'm not questioning that they may sell more to people with the cash, but they're not necessarily the folks with the sort of enthusiasm found around these parts.

The M3 used to be for a certain sort of enthusiast, and the cars were built for that sort of demographic. Now they're not, their demographic is boys or young men, and the car has morphed into something that the earlier M3's were not. Manufacturers can change things for the sake of making more money, rather than targeting the more classic-minded enthusiast.

Aesthetically this isn't a controversial topic. If you honestly prefer the 996 headlamps to the 997 or 993, then that's exactly what I'm talking about. If you're not sad to see the 911 interior disappear now and replaced with a Panamera copied interior, then that's what I'm talking about.

slicky rick

yah, that interior looks too busy for a sports car. i hope Porsche sticks to the "less is more" for the 911 line. the simpler the better. less buttons better. Ok with sedans and suv but i dont think with sports cars.. have you seen the cayenne with all options!!! damn im a porsche owner and i get lost in that suv with all the buttons.
Funny thought comes to mind some of us wonder why there is a bose sound system in the 911 when the sound of the exhaust is music to ones ears.. the last that had music was 997.1 with pse now starting to get muffled, next theres the Burmester sound system in the 911.... character, essence.. where is the 911 going

Mike in CA

If you could go to the late Sixties in a time machine, bring back a Porsche enthusiast, and show him a modern 997.2 he would absolutely freak out. Hugely longer, lower, wider, heavier, gobs more power, water cooling, giant tires, drastically updated interior, computer assisted; a virtual spaceship in comparison to his 911, modified in every way. OTOH, the 991 is a mild evolution of the car that came before it with changes that pale in contrast to the difference between the 997.2 and a "classic" 911. To say that the 997.2 is classic in the mold of the original 911 and the 991 is not, is to ignore the huge differences between the current car and the original, and focus only on the relatively tiny changes between the current car and the new one.

If the 911 has lost its classic spirit, then that train left the station a long time ago. I suppose it could be argued that at some point, there is a straw that breaks the camel's back and a new 911 iteration may no longer be identifiable as a 911. This iteration, IMO, definitely hasn't crossed that line. Anyone with any car sense, is going to look at the 991 and say, "that's a Porsche 911".

Waxer

Much of what you say is true, however, while the 911 has evolved from the 1960's and grown in size and ability it has always seemed to maintain that basic Porsche charm and character and proportions of the short small stubby bug eyed Hoover without the handle raspy sports car that went like stink. They were never sleek. They never tried to look long and low. They were never luxurious. I think their mystic lay in their Spartan German character and performance that rivaled the worlds best sports cars that were in most cases sleeker and slicker in appearance. I think the guy from the 60s would see the 997 as true to the original 911' s character. The 997 is not sleek in appearance. It is not luxurious. It holds to that original Hoover w/o the handle look and feel.

While I think the 991 is beautiful and will perform great (I would expect nothing less from P) I think to many the last "straw"has been reached. The new 991 is " sleek". Not a 911 traditional attribute. It has a low roof line. Not a classic 911 look. It looks long. Ditto. It has an interior taken from a luxury sedan. Double ditto. It now seems to have a full back seat. Ditto ditto ditto.

To me it has morphed in a luxury performance GT 2+2.

Is this a bad thing? No unless you like classic 911s like the 997 which I think the 997 has just become and the last of the Mohicans as they say.

mdrobc1213

Agree looks very sleek and stretched. Reminds me of the Lambo and Ferrari's so to speak in that they were alway low sitting to the ground with rakish profiles and windscreens. I don't necessarily like the way they did the front lights and running lights that wrap around the side...seem to end without thought IMHO. The rear looks okay enough...agree with those who say lose the double badging P-O-R-S-C-H-E and then Carrera or Carrera S underneath it ala Cayenne and Panamera like. I mean we know its a Porsche...do they need to spell it out? Interior...I love it in the Cayenne...think its pretty cool and nice in the Panamera's I've been in..but am not too sure how it sits in a sports car. Lots of buttons and 5 screens in the drivers cupola along with the large TFT in the middle? Will take some getting use to...I think it is a new direction. Must see it in person..until then holding final judgements.

yemenmocha

Agree - sleek & stretched, really low profile, big, all of which are not 911 attributes. Those are... M6 attributes, and that's far more towards the GT side of things than the sports car side of things. And wait... wait... there's an interior transplanted from a 4 door sedan, instead of a closely resembling one to those of each model through previous decades. Hmmm. Yeah, classic 911.

I wish people would be more sincere and just say "Yeah I like the 4-door sedan interior transplanted into the 911 now".

Edgy01

What I've learned from nearly 40 years of association with Porsche is that they have always been a trend setter. In time, I have always learned to appreciate what they have designed. I recall the days when Porsche moved to dynamic bumpers with the introduction of the 1974 911 and Carrera. What a terrible thing they did, changing the shape of the bumpers, eliminating much of the character of the car. But, in time, I grew to like the changes. Apparently, so did many others. Porsche is very careful with their Cash Cow. They know that they must not change things that will lead to a loss of customers--they must change things to broaden the appeal of the 911/Carrera. Recall that they have never been building more "911s" since they went to a water cooled engine. Apparently, all those little boys who dreamt for years about some day owning a 911 got to come true eventually. Is it the same car that they dreamt of in their early years? Of course not. But, it's close enough.

The 911 formula is really quite simple. Stick a 6-cylinder motor in the back, hanging over the rear wheels, make it a 2+2 seating arrangement, and keep making it fun to drive.

I predict that in no time we will be enamored with the new 991 version of the 911 and will flock to it like bees to a hive.

allegretto

I see. So you would not trade your current ride for a 73 S?

And please recall the hideous '74 bumpers were a product of Gov mandate, not some spontaneous styling direction of Porsche.

Mike in CA

I respect your opinion, but we're just going to have to agree to disagree. Look at my avatar; that car doesn't look low and sleek to you? It does to me. The original 911 at 163.9" was almost a foot shorter than the 997.2, but you're saying the 997.2 is still a "classic" sized 911 while the 2" longer 991 isn't? Really?

Full leather interior, heated/cooled electric powered seats, power windows, climate control, multi channel audio, Nav, power brakes and steering, and on and on; the 997.2 is far and away more luxurious than the original 911. The changes in the 991 are purely cosmetic and tiny by comparison. Yet the 997.2 isn't luxurious compared to the original 911, and the 991 is? Sorry, I'm not buying that.

I'm nowhere near ready to trade in my 997.2 S, but when the day comes I'll have no problem with a 991 variant. For your sake, I'm sorry that you may be taking a pass on the latest and greatest 911.

alexb76

+1

s329

For the money that it will cost me to trade in my 997.1 C2S and "upgrade" to a 991, i'd rather buy a 87-89 3.2 and have two great 911's with some money left over. having said that, we all know that when we start seeing photos of the 991 GT3 & turbo, we'll all be drooling, until then...i'm going to pass like steve nash~

spourreza

WOW +1