i hope porsche really bumps up HP & TQ of future 911s, so that 911s are known as beasts not boulevard cruising status symbols.. there's something wrong w/ family 4 dr German sedans like MB E55 or BMW M5 blowing doors off the world's most famous sports car!!

 

dakar34 summed up my thoughts perfectly.

 

I don't think most Porsche owners care about drag racing an EVO or STi.
The issue isn't about ownership either as we bought a Porsche for very different reasons. The issue is most manufactures are constantly increasing hp every model with a slight increase in price..
C5 vette stock 350hp, new C6 vette 400hp(non Z06)
01 Cobra 320hp, 03 Cobra 390 hp
04 STi 300hp, etc...
Porsche doesn't brag about hp as there is more to the car than just numbers. However I have been on the track with these cars and can outrun the EVO but the STi isn't that easy to pass on the straights and that's a little frustrating, trust me. Maybe I can get him in the turns but with a good driver it's not that easy. That's the problem, if I spend 60-80k on a quality car I want to have a superior car in all regards when compared to 30k cars. Sure there is the TT but for 100k it better be faster.

 

Johnie,
Don't worry, your car IS superior to those others in all regards. Although they might be able to hold you up on the track, on the way home from the track you'll get the last laugh. That's because you'll be enjoying the comfort of a Porsche, while they're bumping along in a stiff, loud, cheap little economy car.

Example: my buddy has a '93 RX-7, with heavy mods. On the track, its equal, if not a hair faster than my stock 996. But he has to trailer the car to and from the track, not because its not street legal, but because its so loud, stiff, and just plain uncomfortable, that he can't stand it. Especially on a long, tired drive home after a track day.

 

DP, I agre with you 100%, I wouldn't sell the Porsche and get a 30k Subaru anyway. I can go to the track and then go home and go out to dinner at a nice restaurant and pull up and be treated like a Porsche owner. The Sub and Mits guys can't say that. From what I have seen most of those guys aren't the 18 year old kids that drive the Civics but the 25-40 year olds that can't afford the Porsche but want to brag about the 300hp and how there 'rally driving' the car on the track. I followed one for 15-20 minutes at Buttonwillow and watched them drift the car through the turns, looked impressive but not the fastest or safe. The guy pulled up next to me on the straight and laughed as we were side by side, I gave him the corner as I didn't want to make contact with him. Turns out next to last lap he made a banzai dive into the hairpin and passed a car, a vette followed him lost control and wiped out the Subaru, the Vette and another car during a HPDE event. I guess he didn't get the last laugh!
Only point is most of use have plenty of power on the street, how fast can you go on the freeway anyway? On the track it would be nice to have that slight comfort zone of power for the extra $$ we pay. Maybe the 997 will have the extra hp now, I think the base model is around 345-350hp which will help. The funny thing is that the Turbo's are slower than my Carrera on that track. Sure they pull 2 cars lengths on the straight but lap times are slower due to the extra weight. The GT3 for sure is the way to go if you want to rule the track!!