If you look at the new rear light cluster of the 997 and flip it about the horizontal axis you will see it mimics the roof line of the 911 from windshield to tail.

And if you look at the new standard 18" wheels you will see the roofline (without windshield) mimicked again.

Can you find more examples of this about the car?

 

Can you please post pics? I can't quite imagine it.

Vic

 

If you stare closely where the A-Pillar meets the belt line for about 10 minutes you'll notice the mirrors closely mimic those of a Ford King Ranch pickup?

 

I think I see Elvis

 

Yep many Elvi in the shape.

 

If you start Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon when the MGM lion comes out in the Wizard of Oz the whole movie syncs up with the album.

The only thing I see with the new wheel design is that they resemble wire cutters.

 

I thought you REFRIGERATED those mushrooms!

 

Oh dear! does anyone ever look at design, or does it pass people by while they are slurping lattes?

 

It's staring you in the face...

 

I see that and I'm sure it's not accidental. The 911 design is timeless and its evolution with a few bumps along the way has maintained its soul.

Design elements that I think are key:

1 - Round headlights (even though they are not circles on the 997) - they only look circles when seen head-on.

2 - Raised front fenders (Ferry wanted to know where the front wheels were).

3 - Smooth fastback design.

4 - Driver position just a smidgen aft center.

5 - Unique rear window (narrower at the bottom than at the top - reverse of most other designs).

I just learned recently (reading the new book - Porsche Sixty Years) that the 7 reversed slats (pointing forward) on the 996 series were designed that way when the design team was threatened with the possibility that the rear lid might be fixed (for cost cutting reasons) and were scrambling to design a structure to increase downforce. The forward-pointing slats helped there a bit. Even though later they were allowed to design a movable spoiler the original slat design stuck. The new 997 undid that creating 4 slats open backwards as one would expect.

 

eye of the beholder

 

That is very interesting. I often wondered why the 996 slats faced forward, especially after the 997 was released with them facing the rear. I had thought it was to get more air flow to the engine, but never thought of additional down force.

The down side was thta it also allowed more water into the deck lid.

 

You guys drinking the cheap koolaid again? Sheesh! Never mind mushrooms.

Seeing the roofline in the spokes of the new wheels?

The spokes are symmetrical about their center line and appear to be parabolic in shape - i.e. a second order curve.

The roofline is far from being a simple, second order parabolic curve.



Guys, put down the koolaid long enough to sober up and realize that Porsche is in the business of making cars for a profit; they are not in the business of being cute and artsy by pretending to add value where none is needed. That would be wasted time and energy - i.e. it would not be profitable to force a design a certain way if money cannot be made from the extra expenditure of cost. Lowering costs is always an objective of a successful company. And raising them only when it's clear there will be more profits from a demand of the more expensive item is also a smart business decision.

So it would be absurd to think that Porsche would spend extra costs trying to incorporate vague design elements without at least mentioning it in their sales literature in the hope that some prospective buyers would be sold on this cutesy, artsy idea and buy a car. Otherwise it would be a wasted effort. I could be wrong, but I suspect Porsche is a highly profitable car company because of the smart business decisions they've made to date.

So if you're one of those who thinks he sees the roofline in the new taillight if you flip it about the horizontal axis, maybe you're also one of those who sees Jesus in tree trunks or garage doors or light patterns. In either case, put down the koolaid, your religion is making you see things that are not really there. Try the mushrooms if that's what you're really after.

 

Ben, you need to talk to designers. This is EXACTLY they way they think. Thankfully you're not a designer...

 

Thankfully???

For your information, I AM a designer - a design engineer.

The design of the wheels is likely farmed out.

See what you can find in the Lobster Fork design.