LlBr

No such thing as "console delete" on this unit.

Multifunction wheel makes all the difference too.

LlBr

OTOH, I like the cleaner, more civilized and updated look in my jet fighter cockpits. The "shifter" on the right is nice touch doncha think!

hockeyguy

I predict it's gonna be dynamite. There's a large segment of buyers who will be wowed by the new interior. After all, it's an emotional purchase for most, isn't it?
A modern sleek (Audi-like) interior is like "curb appeal" when buying a house...gotta have it at this price point.
How many buyers by a new 911 because they specifically ask for a rear-engined car on a short wheelbase?

ADias

I am afraid the answer is fewer every year, because more and more new buyers have no clue what an 11 is all about. And once those numbers become irrelevant, the 911 will be like any other car, perhaps an Audi platform, with just a nostalgic 911 silhouette.

Mike in CA

I understand your concern and agree that it would be a travesty if the essence of the 911 were lost. But here's another way to think about it. Porsche purists have worried for almost 50 years that Porsche was losing it's soul. They said it was happening when the 911 replaced the 356, when the air cooled cars went away, when the Cayenne was introduced, etc. And they were wrong each time. The 997.2 that we own is still unquestionably a 911 and along with it's variants, IMO, the best all around 911 built so far.

So I suppose I just refuse to believe that the same people who have designed, built, and raced these cars for so many years are ready yet to throw in the towel and just build cars for the masses. Someday they may be forced to, but not yet. My prediction; in 2 or 3 years all of this hand wringing about change and the 991 is going to seem pretty silly, just as all the previous worries about the "death of Porsche sports cars" proved to be. And that's because the best and most desireable 911 ever built will be on the road, it will still be uniquely a 911, and there will still be plenty of Porschephiles around who appreciate those unique qualities. FWIW, my $.02.

ADias

I see you share my concern. Yes the 997 still is a very good 911 and I love it. But does it have its original soul? Not entirely. A very good car, for sure, but a watered- down, more isolated version of the original. The 991's wheelbase will be extended in a fell swoop more than it has ever been in 47 years. A wheelbase is the hallmark of any car and defines its dynamics. The new 991 will be a superb sports car, but it will have even less of the 911 soul than the 997 has.

The original car required proper drivers, the new one anyone can drive it. And that tells a lot. I am not nostalgic, but I know what the soul of a 911 is and I see the changes. If one does not care about it, then why drive a 911? There are great sports cars out there - Vantage, R8, heck even the Cayman. When the current production 911 loses its last sense of the pendular dynamics and fast turn-in, the previous model will be, for me, the last 911.

rome

Are you sure those pics are not from a Panamera?

DRJMK

No new car for me. I have to agree that this 997 will be my last one and I am keeping it!

LlBr

Nah. They'll always be around as pre-owned vehicles.

IMO? I'd forget all about it if a mid-engined successor took it's place. Something like a bulked up turbocharged Boxster so to speak. I forget the reason the rear engine was there in the first place. Hitler wanted an easy-to-repair aircooled-reliable engine?

Now guys expect that engine to be back there for the status-recognition of a __PORSCHE__ 911. Yes the car has reached a level of perfection that is amazing to engineers. OTOH, if the Boxster had equal or more HP/Tq the Carrera sales would plummet. These are emotional and compromising reasons to keep the 911 engine configuration when you think about it.

If they replaced it, it would be like when Johnny Carson went off the air, "everybody" would be traumatized for ten minutes.

For financial reasons Porsche will NOT replace it of course, as long as we're alive that is.

texas911

BS. Porsche simply built the 911 to the best of its ability at the time it was built. Compared to other cars of its time, the 911 was pretty civilized. In fact, Porsche built its reputation as the gentleman's sports car. Heck back in the 70's and 80's every car required a proper driver.

ADias

Some more than others, and the original 901 (have you driven one? - I have) was far from the norm as a stable car in 1964. But I tend to agree with you, in general. That however does not change the fact that today's car is more sanitized and that classic 911s require skilled driving.

texas911

I think people mistake higher capability with "sanitized."

alexb76

On the flip side of the argument, it means that all of the 997s, .1 or .2 WILL BE the old 993! Specially the limited edition ones, like GT3 or the new GTS. Therefore, keepers and a bit of an investment.

We're still not sure how the engine is placed within that extra 4inch wheelbase, I can BET it has moved more towards the middle (maybe ~2"?), and what that could do to the dynamics of the car is unknown. I am sure it'd be faster and closer to GT-R Nubrugring time, but how much more fun it's to drive, is hard to tell right now.

Mike in CA

Simplified drivetrain, better traction over the driven wheels, more interior space, good aerodynamics (no radiators up front). In the '30's F. Porsche admitted to being influenced by the Czechoslovakian Tatra automobile which was a rear engine and air-cooled design.

ADias

Alex: re the 991 wheelbase apportionment please remember that the engine is in the rear and the rear axle is in front of the engine. Therefore a wheelbase increase will push the engine backwards re to driver position increasing backseat space. The latter will be the marketing angle.

I suspect that increase will allow homologation of a mid-engine version for motosports. It will not be a 911 but it will resemble one.