500

Direct injection boosting power/mileage, improved suspension/steering, directional lighting and the better interior materials...I'd be quite happy to have all those improvements right now. I'll reserve final judgement on the styling until I can see it up close and in person.

fer2367

I don't like it...don't see this as an improvement from the design standpoint. Both front end and rear end are plain ugly...

500

Remember these are just spy shots...

Alan Smithee

It's pretty clearly a lightly disguised car in finished form.

stubenhocker

It's uncanny how each time this subject is brought up, people who have one of the current versions always think that the new version is somehow not as good, pretty, functional or sexy as the version THEY own!

OCBen

Remember also how the spy pics we saw of the 997 Turbo ended up pretty much depicting how the production car eventually looked?

https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...ighlight=turbo

http://www.worldcarfans.com/spyphoto...01/country/gcf

boolala

Yep and how everyone was crying not only "photoshop!" but, even worse, "bad phostoshop!"

Alan Smithee

...and many times the original design is the best. Changes are not always improvements. There are plenty of examples of this in the automotive world.

Believe me...I would LOVE for the 2009 to be an improvement...the lease on my 2005 is up next year...but so far I'm not impressed.

nyca

I thought the changes were coming on the 2008 model? Well, maybe its better that they waited until 2009 - that gives them an extra year to clean this up, the current car looks better (and I don't own one, so I'm somewhat objective).

Alan Smithee

2008s will be here in September; the car in the pictures is at least a year away as a 2008.5 or early 2009.

rcg412

haha to Alan's point, check out the posts circa 2001 when the new 996 was introduced... very few fans!

Le Chef

I think it's funny reading all the comments on this and other forums. We are such a bunch of contradictions. We complain about the styling and not liking it...which is why the changes by any other manufacturer's standards are minimal to a point of invisibility. And why the 911 continues to be one of the most iconic shapes of the 20/21st century.

Yet we bitch and moan about the lack of change when it comes to the rest of the car. Not enough power, too many electronic aids, not enough electronic aids, too much weight, not enough comfort. etc.

Frankly Wendelin Wiedeking deserves every penny he makes for Porsche - we're not an easy crowd to please.

I couldn't care less about the changes. I think my 997 C2S Cab looks stunning. One of my neighbors thinks the same about his 964 Coupe. The beauty of the design of the 911 is that it's very liveable - you don't NEED to change cars in the way you do with BMW or Mercedes to feel contemporary.

If you're old enough you will remember the song "Love the one you're with" (Steven Stills?). It seems the perfect song for those of us who are already fortunate enough to own one of these cars, whatever its age.

500

I find it odd that Porsche will debut this facelfted car at Frankfurt this Sept in they plan on releasing the unchanged 08's in Sept.? Since this is all still speculation I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Leader

Man, Le Chef is right on. While it's human nature to always want "a little more" or "the latest thing," my 997 is the best car I have ever owned. I felt the same way about my '88 Carrera.
Porsche's (mostly) slow evolutionary changes to the 911 physique (and wardrobe) over the last almost 50 years, have managed to keep the car both iconic and always fresh at the same time. Quite a feat - when you think about it.

Alan Smithee

Not really...European debuts and sales are always at least a few months ahead of the US. If the European intro is at Frankfurt, the US debut will be at either the LA or Detroit show next winter, with cars being delivered shortly after.