April 3, 2003
Will the Porsche 989 ever see the light of day?
The inside scoop

Will the Porsche 989 ever see the light of day?

Here’s what one of or European spies has to say…

The 989 (pictured from CAR Magazine) was a concept
that never really came into being because it’s
original idea of a true four seater, front-engined,
rear-wheel-drive 911 was flawed according to senior
management at the time. It was thought of as a
possible replacement and/or range topper for the 911,
but sales of the cheaper Boxster had not ballooned at
this time, and the board were uncertain that
front-engined coupe was the way to go (remember the
928?) in the light of an impending recession. Selling
7500 units of a car some £13,000-£17000
($21,000-$28,000) more than a 911 looked improbable,
so the red ink came out.

Porsche also needed to rationalise its models and
start making more money, so Harm Lagaay’s car never
got beyond prototype in the mid/late 90’s. The reason
it was killed is somewhat conscious and the real
reason may depend on who you believe. Some say that
Audi chief (later to become Porsche boss) Ferdinand
Piech discouraged its development as he saw a direct
competitor to more expensive offerings from the four
rings. Others say the Germans felt that it just
diverted that bit too far from Porsche’s core values.
Whatever reason, it was canned, so it was ironic that
a few months later the idea for the Cheyenne was
conceived - especially as designers Harm Lagaay and
Ulrich Bez drew a svelte SUV just under a decade
earlier, which was also discarded.

Initial development mules ran on Mercedes E-Class
chassis with the then newly developed 3.2-litre, 300
hp flat six from the 996, and a “new” 3.6 litre V8
engine (later to make it into the Cheyenne) both in
front-engined, rear-wheel-drive configurations. Even
in a rough state, this comfortable coupe (as big as a
5-serise inside) was able to hold the new Boxster in a
0-60 dash and pull a very impressive set of mid-range
and top speed figures even with a curb weight of
3500lbs.

Although this story has surfaced again, the proposed
NEW model is more a true 928 replacement than a 911
anything - offering front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
chassis with more a hint of Jaguar XK in it’s
packaging. The E2A is a 2+2 much like the 928S and
would be available with a smaller version of the
Cheyenne V8, probably 4.0 litres and 350 hp. On the
other hand, the E2B would be a very fast,
exceptionally comfortable four-door coupe (ala Merc
CLE) and would be powered by versions of the Cheyennes
V8 engines in both naturally aspirated and
turbocharged forms. All Porsches are now taking
interior quality and styling cues from the 4x4 and the
E2’s would be no exception. There would not be a great
deal of cutting-edge technology in the new cars and
they would probably not showcase any of Porsche’s
up-and-coming new gearbox systems or engines, so the
Germans are still undecided how to price this car.

The real problem is that unless Cheyenne sales
skyrocket like the Boxster did in 1996, the E2
concepts will die, which were originally discarded
because Porsche felt anything out of the ordinary
would not sell with existing customers. Unless people
convince Zuffenhausen officials by purchasing the big
4x4 on-mass, this spiritual successor to the 928 will
also be still born. Remember the fabulous Boxster
concept in 94? We could have had THAT car, but Porsche
couldn’t hold it’s wad, and watered it down. For that
same reason we may never see the 989.

 

Wasn't the 989 a rear engined, four door 911 concept? There's a big writeup on it in the recent 911 & Porsche World magazine. I always thought it was rear engined.

Officially announcing a front engined, rear drive V8 928 replacement, or a V8 M5 killer would be a good move right now. It might sway the judgements of the anti-SUV Porsche fans of the world. Maybe convince them that Porsche is not destined for a life of minivans and pickup trucks. Speaking of which...

Cheyenne = Chevrolet pickup
Cayenne = Porsche

 

Yeah, you wonder if Auto Spies can't get the Cayenne spelling right, just how much do they know. Maybe it's fiction!

 

I really don't trust anything I read on the internet unless it's an official announcement. I remember earlier this year, the Road And Track site still reported that for 2003, a 300hp Boxster coupe was going to be available. Yup, damn fine reporting there.