fyi: 997 Story in Sunday NY Times Today
07-18-2004, 09:32 PM
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fyi: 997 Story in Sunday NY Times Today
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/18/au...es/18AUTO.html
July 18, 2004
BEHIND THE WHEEL
2005 Porsche 911: Top-Gun Redesign That Nearly Flies Under the Radar
By RICHARD FEAST
HAMELN, Germany
THE drivers returned to their base as wide-eyed and exhilarated as fighter pilots back from a combat mission. The topic of their bragging was not downed MIG's, though, but their heroics at the wheel of the revamped Porsche 911 Carrera, which goes on sale in the United States at the end of next month.
Most of these daredevils - actually, automotive writers from around the world - said their speedometers reached 220 kilometers per hour, or nearly 140 m.p.h. Another reported 250 k.p.h. One brave soul claimed 280 k.p.h., or 175 m.p.h.
That is flying, even if you haven't left the ground.
On reflection the next morning, speeds like those seemed foolhardy, even irresponsible, on public roads. Driving so fast would be unthinkable on the New Jersey Turnpike.
But this is Germany, where the right to travel at extremely high speeds on certain meticulously maintained roads (that one shares, it is important to note, with highly disciplined fellow drivers) is practically enshrined in the Constitution. Think of it as the German equivalent of Americans' legally protected right to bear arms.
There are long stretches without speed limits on the autobahns of Lower Saxony. The next-generation 911, which Porsche says is capable of reaching 182 m.p.h., was in its element. The new car was conceived and perfected in conditions like these.
A new car? It is hard to believe that at first glance, given the visual similarity of the 2005 model with the 911 that has been on the streets since the 1999 model year. But the company had no desire to radically redesign this automotive icon, the heart of its business for more than four decades. Evolution, not revolution, was the obvious course for the sixth-generation 911.
Porsche says the new model - known to Porschephiles as the 997, its corporate code name - carries over only one body part, its roof panel, from the outgoing 996. Under the skin, old chassis and drivetrain parts are mixed with new ones, but the exterior changes are subtle enough to fool many people on Main Street. Still, 911 enthusiasts can tell the difference.
The 997 is fractionally shorter and higher than the 996, and it is notably wider. The engineering formula remains largely unchanged: a compact, lightweight 2-plus-2 coupe with a flat-6 engine mounted in the rear. (The "+2" refers to the ridiculously small back seat, unfit for most humans with four extremities.)
The latest shape is mainly the work of Grant Larson, a Milwaukee-born designer who has been at Porsche for 13 years. He has produced a full-strength 911 rather than a 911 Lite, which is how the outgoing model was regarded by many devotees of the series. The new model looks more muscular, purposeful and squat, more like the 993 series that preceded the 996 (and was the last of the air-cooled models).
The most obvious change involves the readoption of oval headlamps, which replace the melted-butter shape of those on the 996 and the less expensive Boxster. A styling ridge around the bottom of the bodywork gives the car a road-hugging appearance. Wider wheel arches result in a pronounced waistline around the doors. The air intakes and door handles are different. And the graphic line from the rear wheel arch flares upward for a sportier line.
The interior echoes the 911's heritage as well. The traditional cluster of five dials remains in front of the driver, but there is altogether more hand-stitched leather and luxury. The interior materials, and their fit and finish, ooze class and precision.
For the first time since 1977, the 911 is being introduced simultaneously in two versions: the standard Carrera has a 3.6-liter engine that produces 325 horsepower, and the Carrera S, with slightly bigger cylinder bores, displaces 3.8 liters and pumps out an additional 30 horsepower. Customers may choose a five-speed Tiptronic S automatic or a new six-speed manual transmission.
The Carrera will carry a base price in the United States of $70,095; the Carrera S is $79,895. The long option list can quickly raise those prices by another five figures.
Only the two coupes are reaching market this year, but in keeping with past practice, Porsche is expected to stagger over several years the introduction of derivatives like convertibles, all-wheel-drive versions and the superfast Turbos.
The visual differences between the Carrera and Carrera S are limited to the exhaust pipes (twin ovals on the Carrera and two pairs of round ones on the S) and the color of the brake calipers (black on the Carrera, red on the S).
Among other changes from the predecessor models are bigger wheels (18 inches on the Carrera, 19 on the S), variable-ratio power steering, optional ceramic composite brake discs and an "active" adjustable suspension.
This system, standard on the Carrera S and optional on the Carrera, uses electronic controls to change the damping action of the shocks, effectively producing two suspensions: one for performance and the other for ride comfort. A button on the center console controls the settings.
Porsche says that during testing on Germany's famous Nürburgring racetrack, a car with the suspension set on "sport" was, on average, 5 seconds a lap faster than one with the standard suspension.
Drivers who intend to spend some serious time at the local racetrack can spend $920 extra for the Sport Chrono Package Plus. While this includes a chronometer atop the dashboard, for keeping track of lap times, it also lets the driver raise the car's limits: pushing a button results in a more aggressive throttle response, raises the threshold where the stability control kicks in, firms the suspension and sets more aggressive shifts for the Tiptronic transmission.
Porsches have enjoyed a performance edge over most competitors since the company began building cars in the late 1940's. The 911's ability to sustain very high speeds is a given. It is not hard to believe the claimed top speeds of 177 m.p.h. for the Carrera and 182 m.p.h. for the S, or the acceleration times from rest to 99 m.p.h. of 11.0 seconds (Carrera) and 10.7 seconds (S). The company estimates 0-to-60 times of 4.8 seconds for the Carrera and 4.6 for the S.
The tail of the car just squats onto - almost into - the road, and continues to accelerate strongly for as long as the driver has the nerve. The 911's high-speed stability is faultless and its huge brakes are exemplary.
The surprise is that Porsche has combined this level of performance with the 911's superb comfort and refinement, as well as driving dynamics that are more sporty than those of the model being replaced.
This is no easy trick, and few companies manage it. Compromises usually turn high-end cars into cruisers or racers, but the new 911 is both.
The car's steering has become more direct, requiring fewer turns lock to lock. Its new manual transmission has shorter shifter movements. Everything feels taut and solid, a tribute to the stiffer body shell and new mountings for the engine and suspension. The car could almost be hewn from a steel billet.
While older 911's sometimes felt a bit nervous or flighty, the new ones are faultless at high speed, seemingly broken free of the bonds of physics. The coarseness, vibration, tire noise and mechanical clatter that characterized some previous 911's have largely disappeared.
Some exhaust sound was deliberately kept - owners love it - but this is an otherwise quiet, sophisticated, comfortable car in which to cover long distances. A driver, freed of the usual mechanical limitations, has total discretion to determine the appropriate speed, at least here on the no-limits autobahn.
Are all the engineering and electronics worthwhile? Only entirely. After the 996, which some viewed as a digression from Porsche's heritage, it is hard not to see the 997 as a return to the company's core values. It is probably the best 911 ever.
July 18, 2004
BEHIND THE WHEEL
2005 Porsche 911: Top-Gun Redesign That Nearly Flies Under the Radar
By RICHARD FEAST
HAMELN, Germany
THE drivers returned to their base as wide-eyed and exhilarated as fighter pilots back from a combat mission. The topic of their bragging was not downed MIG's, though, but their heroics at the wheel of the revamped Porsche 911 Carrera, which goes on sale in the United States at the end of next month.
Most of these daredevils - actually, automotive writers from around the world - said their speedometers reached 220 kilometers per hour, or nearly 140 m.p.h. Another reported 250 k.p.h. One brave soul claimed 280 k.p.h., or 175 m.p.h.
That is flying, even if you haven't left the ground.
On reflection the next morning, speeds like those seemed foolhardy, even irresponsible, on public roads. Driving so fast would be unthinkable on the New Jersey Turnpike.
But this is Germany, where the right to travel at extremely high speeds on certain meticulously maintained roads (that one shares, it is important to note, with highly disciplined fellow drivers) is practically enshrined in the Constitution. Think of it as the German equivalent of Americans' legally protected right to bear arms.
There are long stretches without speed limits on the autobahns of Lower Saxony. The next-generation 911, which Porsche says is capable of reaching 182 m.p.h., was in its element. The new car was conceived and perfected in conditions like these.
A new car? It is hard to believe that at first glance, given the visual similarity of the 2005 model with the 911 that has been on the streets since the 1999 model year. But the company had no desire to radically redesign this automotive icon, the heart of its business for more than four decades. Evolution, not revolution, was the obvious course for the sixth-generation 911.
Porsche says the new model - known to Porschephiles as the 997, its corporate code name - carries over only one body part, its roof panel, from the outgoing 996. Under the skin, old chassis and drivetrain parts are mixed with new ones, but the exterior changes are subtle enough to fool many people on Main Street. Still, 911 enthusiasts can tell the difference.
The 997 is fractionally shorter and higher than the 996, and it is notably wider. The engineering formula remains largely unchanged: a compact, lightweight 2-plus-2 coupe with a flat-6 engine mounted in the rear. (The "+2" refers to the ridiculously small back seat, unfit for most humans with four extremities.)
The latest shape is mainly the work of Grant Larson, a Milwaukee-born designer who has been at Porsche for 13 years. He has produced a full-strength 911 rather than a 911 Lite, which is how the outgoing model was regarded by many devotees of the series. The new model looks more muscular, purposeful and squat, more like the 993 series that preceded the 996 (and was the last of the air-cooled models).
The most obvious change involves the readoption of oval headlamps, which replace the melted-butter shape of those on the 996 and the less expensive Boxster. A styling ridge around the bottom of the bodywork gives the car a road-hugging appearance. Wider wheel arches result in a pronounced waistline around the doors. The air intakes and door handles are different. And the graphic line from the rear wheel arch flares upward for a sportier line.
The interior echoes the 911's heritage as well. The traditional cluster of five dials remains in front of the driver, but there is altogether more hand-stitched leather and luxury. The interior materials, and their fit and finish, ooze class and precision.
For the first time since 1977, the 911 is being introduced simultaneously in two versions: the standard Carrera has a 3.6-liter engine that produces 325 horsepower, and the Carrera S, with slightly bigger cylinder bores, displaces 3.8 liters and pumps out an additional 30 horsepower. Customers may choose a five-speed Tiptronic S automatic or a new six-speed manual transmission.
The Carrera will carry a base price in the United States of $70,095; the Carrera S is $79,895. The long option list can quickly raise those prices by another five figures.
Only the two coupes are reaching market this year, but in keeping with past practice, Porsche is expected to stagger over several years the introduction of derivatives like convertibles, all-wheel-drive versions and the superfast Turbos.
The visual differences between the Carrera and Carrera S are limited to the exhaust pipes (twin ovals on the Carrera and two pairs of round ones on the S) and the color of the brake calipers (black on the Carrera, red on the S).
Among other changes from the predecessor models are bigger wheels (18 inches on the Carrera, 19 on the S), variable-ratio power steering, optional ceramic composite brake discs and an "active" adjustable suspension.
This system, standard on the Carrera S and optional on the Carrera, uses electronic controls to change the damping action of the shocks, effectively producing two suspensions: one for performance and the other for ride comfort. A button on the center console controls the settings.
Porsche says that during testing on Germany's famous Nürburgring racetrack, a car with the suspension set on "sport" was, on average, 5 seconds a lap faster than one with the standard suspension.
Drivers who intend to spend some serious time at the local racetrack can spend $920 extra for the Sport Chrono Package Plus. While this includes a chronometer atop the dashboard, for keeping track of lap times, it also lets the driver raise the car's limits: pushing a button results in a more aggressive throttle response, raises the threshold where the stability control kicks in, firms the suspension and sets more aggressive shifts for the Tiptronic transmission.
Porsches have enjoyed a performance edge over most competitors since the company began building cars in the late 1940's. The 911's ability to sustain very high speeds is a given. It is not hard to believe the claimed top speeds of 177 m.p.h. for the Carrera and 182 m.p.h. for the S, or the acceleration times from rest to 99 m.p.h. of 11.0 seconds (Carrera) and 10.7 seconds (S). The company estimates 0-to-60 times of 4.8 seconds for the Carrera and 4.6 for the S.
The tail of the car just squats onto - almost into - the road, and continues to accelerate strongly for as long as the driver has the nerve. The 911's high-speed stability is faultless and its huge brakes are exemplary.
The surprise is that Porsche has combined this level of performance with the 911's superb comfort and refinement, as well as driving dynamics that are more sporty than those of the model being replaced.
This is no easy trick, and few companies manage it. Compromises usually turn high-end cars into cruisers or racers, but the new 911 is both.
The car's steering has become more direct, requiring fewer turns lock to lock. Its new manual transmission has shorter shifter movements. Everything feels taut and solid, a tribute to the stiffer body shell and new mountings for the engine and suspension. The car could almost be hewn from a steel billet.
While older 911's sometimes felt a bit nervous or flighty, the new ones are faultless at high speed, seemingly broken free of the bonds of physics. The coarseness, vibration, tire noise and mechanical clatter that characterized some previous 911's have largely disappeared.
Some exhaust sound was deliberately kept - owners love it - but this is an otherwise quiet, sophisticated, comfortable car in which to cover long distances. A driver, freed of the usual mechanical limitations, has total discretion to determine the appropriate speed, at least here on the no-limits autobahn.
Are all the engineering and electronics worthwhile? Only entirely. After the 996, which some viewed as a digression from Porsche's heritage, it is hard not to see the 997 as a return to the company's core values. It is probably the best 911 ever.
