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great question- and the first part of the answer is that I've been a dealer for 7.5 years. I have been on RL for over 20 years. I don't think Porsche has ever blindsided their dealers by releasing anything, maybe disappointed some people by not offering an option- IE manuals on the 991 GT3/RS.I have been to weissach/flacht multiple times and saw some really wild stuff back in 2009 when I went with a few friends...namely that they were testing the PDK for GT3 engines. I have spoken about this before but they had a frankenstein Grun 997.1 GT3RS that was driving around flacht and on the track and clearly a different shifting noise, hilariously quick. I asked about it and said- is that a sequential? they said no that is double clutch. then we moved on. The most important aspect of this is that they work on cars FOREVER and way before we ever hear about stuff...so the stuff you see in R+D today (2024) could very well be stuff that is going to market in 2027 or later. That length of time is necessary so they can actually produce (mass produce) such a good product. There is a lot that goes into it.
What I have heard about a bunch over the years are some things that either come across as leaks or end up being projects that never materialize because of the production cycle, EPA, or board vetos. The board can DENY a project, or decline to spend the requisite funding- the big one that comes to mind is the 'R8/Mid Engined' supercar rumor from 5-8 years ago. I think there are threads about it on CGT forum or 991 RS forum...the 960 or something like that. Everyone was hoping it would get made, and it never did- basically GT2RS type power and a small v8 turbo... Meanwhile, Porsche/Lambo/Audi all selling various sports cars etc so the idea is 'why cannibalize our sister companies'- this is a very valid sentiment in my mind. Porsche is not a company in a vaccuum, it's part of a giant company. And yes, it's a public company now, so there is more 'independence' but shareholders in VW are PAG shareholders. This is very easy info to look up and realize that yes they all have a lot to lose. We are in a very weird place with hybrid performance needing buy in from an enthusiast standpoint- not just for daily cars like a panamera or Cayenne. They got a lot of feedback requesting 'any type of engine that will fit' in their MissionX concept hypercar. Everyone is raving about this 992.2 GTS. I have yet to drive it, but excited to see how it plays. I have a ton of experience with EV/Hybrid stuff from my other cars (P1, SF90, 296) so I think it can really work if it's applied well.
Anyway- from a timeline perspective...They showed us the GT4RS in September 2019 in Barcelona for the dealer meeting. The also showed us the Cayenne Turbo GT at that point, or maybe even earlier (thinking 992 launch at Palm Springs March 2019).
The hardest part of being on RL sometimes is having non-public information and not wanting to share it. What I have shot down in the past is stuff like the 992.1 GT3RS having a 4.25 L engine which was a very popular rumor in 2022. I shot down that the sport classic would be a GT2RS with a manual (liebermann horrible take on spike's podcast)- as I 'd already seen the car, seen the specs, seen the engine technical data... Another rumored car that never made it was the Cayman Rally car- they had been working on a tarmac rally car for a bit, lots of pics etc. I think the 4RS and Spyder RS cars are a better investment and brand pedigree builder so it worked out well.
Porsche telegraphs their intentions to the dealers MUCH earlier than the Audi and BMW dealers. BMW is usually 2-3 years ahead, Porsche is 4-5 years- we'd known about the Macan EV for as long as I can remember (2017? 2018?). Audi is 6-8 weeks and they ambush people all the time on the facelift cars. McLaren was 3-4 years ahead but I sold that store in 2019, so, totally out of the loop beyond cleaning lady stuff. I have seen some 992.2 stuff last summer at Tenerife and this year in Singapore. It's best to not get overly hyped too many cars into the future- there is great stuff on the ground now and we are lucky to still have cars like the GT3, the Dakar, the Gt3RS, spyder RS, GT4RS etc that are made for relatively hardcore people to have mega fun on road and track and perhaps in the dirt. Porsche has a super rich tradition of wild tech (959, CGT, Taycan) and wild world beating race car type stuff (turbos, Dakar rally, GT3RS ring domination). We are lucky. Look at the poor schlubs who have oil leaks and replaced engines in their 2023 and 2024 Zo6's. Ferraris are getting heavy- no manual option. Lambo ditched the V10 and their Revuelto is slower than a Turbo S despite having 1000hp.
I just want to sell cars, so it really comes down to making plans that parallel what they are going to do, to try and prepare my clients for stuff as early as possible whether that is for a Turbo GT Cayenne, a Dakar, or EV stuff. I don't know everything they are going to do- but they do tell us a lot and I don't forget that stuff.
So, anyone want a Taycan?
This is a great post and people here should understand that dealerships get the info a long time before something is launched. Most people here post that dealers are ignorant about new releases and so on but this is not the case at all.
When I was among the early ones at my dealership with a ST deposit, the well connected dealer hinted another car to leave money on, which he referred to as an Outlaw. To this day I don’t know if the ST and Outlaw are one and the same, or if the latter is a separate model.
What's going to debut in Monterey is a one-off project. That's what I can say for now.
Originally Posted by KSAF
It's defiantly not. Ok, let me give you another hint. It's something with a low front windscreen and not from the 992 generation.
Originally Posted by KSAF
I can't reveal more, otherwise the cleaning lady will stop sharing with me classified information. I said it's not based on the 992. So this piece of information should give you a hint about what type of Porsche I'm talking about!
08-08-2024 | 06:31 PM
