Cupcar#12

my reply was a bit of a joke btw...

marcb993

The rear engine is part of the character of the car and that which makes it fun and never boring. If they keep dialling out the rear engined characteristics that give the car so much flavour and charm, then in the end who cares where they put the engine ? They may as well just put in the middle and be done with it.. at that point it would just become a bigger 2+2 version of the cayman.

Rushman71

The rear engine iconic 911 isn't going anywhere. I just read Porsche has scrapped immediate plans for their mid engined Ferrari 458 fighter because VW wanted Porsche to use the Gallardo/R8 chassis and Porsche doesn't want to use a chassis they didn't design from scratch in-house. So they will wait until the 2020 model year to move into this segment because Porsche will be doing the engineering for that chassis and then Audi and Lambo can adapt it to their needs.

Ed Burdell

What I think this means is that PAG recognizes it will take this plus another iteration to get back to the rather perfect 993!

Turb-OH Brad

The only reason the 911 is still rear engined is because of "purists". As Porsche sells the 911 to more and more people that have never driven a 911 before, the fewer "purists" exist. If it comes to the point where the purists are the few and the "general public" are the many, the desires of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

As the 911 moves further upmarket, it will be expected to keep up with, or completely trounce a comparable Ferrari, Lambo, etc. IMHO, to do so, requires MR.

In addition to market trends, it is clear that the RE layout has nearly run it's course in a racing venue. The 997 RSR was not exactly the most competitive steed in 2011. Perhaps the rules change in 2012 will change that, but perhaps not. Given all variables being constant, a mid-engine car will outperform a rear engine car every time.

Franklin229

Funny -Porsche didn't start out modelling itself to what others were doing. I guess that's just too much of an effort these days. When there is no one else around to appreciate what the 911 was, there will be nothing left to separate it from anything else in the future.

Mike in CA

You may have a point about that, and the perceived need to compete with Lambo and Ferrari. OTOH, Porsche has a very strong sense of it's own history; in a sense, they are "purists" themselves. If you read Excellence Was Expected, for example, that comes across very strongly. A lot of what they do is in their own DNA, IMO, and the only way that will change is if they are dragged kicking and screaming by VW or government regulation of some kind.

Rushman71

Yeah, with a 1-2-3 finish today in the Rolex 24 in the GT class I don't think Porsche is going to be in any rush to change. They will build their 458 fighter in that price range in a few years, but the iconic rear engine 911 isn't going anywhere. To produce a mid engined entry model, mid engined bread and butter model, and mid engined high end model all at the same time makes no sense. Nice dream though.

ADias

You forgot rear seats, vestigial as they may be. No rear-seats in a mid-engine.

And re 'purists' - those are the ones who keep a classic alive. Trends-of-the-day come and go.

"So many creations today are just like all the rest... " - F. A. Porsche

Rushman71

That video is painful to watch knowing VW will probably complete its Porsche takeover this year.

Rushman71

The 911 doesn't compete against any of the those cars. Porsche will compete in that market segment soon, but not with a 911.

ADias

Don't worry - the Porsche/Piech clan owns 51% of the VW Group.

Years ago I was worried about it but not any longer. From a tech/design perspective I think Porsche will dominate. Besides Weissach designs most of the stuff VW builds anyway.

steerp1ke

Not to stir it up, but it seems like a 991tt (leaving questions of aesthetics side for the moment) at least equals the 458's capabilities? As I compare their numbers, it seems like the only area where the Ferrari crushes the Porsche is in the cost.

Dirac

And throw away the decades of the engineering evolution of the rear engine? Perhaps we'll see a rear engine Cayenne also.

STG

Boy this one got dug out of the thread graveyard!

I think they'll throw the engine in the frunk next generation. Long live the 928!