These figures are correct, I just came from my dealer and he showed me his allocations for 2008. They are the largest dealer in the US and they got 3 GT3's. Right now no RS's but he thinks they will get a couple.

 

Icon:
+1 from Florida. Just got news tonight my #4 position not stong enough (read not #1). Now I need to change my signature, rather a #$%^ way to start the week.

 

Maybe this is naive to ask, bit why is it that people have been able to walk away with multiple orders on these cars only to turn them for massive margins ?...why is it that profiteering on this scale is alowed to occur by the company, as the ethusiast are the heart and soul of a company long term marketing, and the lifecycle of a customer longer than any scalpers.....

It just makes me wanna vomit....

 

I seriously doubt the GT3 and RS are Porsche's most profitable models. Mass produced Carreras, Caymans and Boxters with $10K to $15K in options (which what I see on most cars) have to be far more profitable.

 

Brakenglate
Just ask a major US manufacturer of air cooled motorcycles. I went thru this type of &^% in the 90's when I was cycling now they are giving them away with a purchase of a home in my area.

I could arrange to have an 08 outside channels but I really wanted avoid being a part of the speculation problem. Lets see what 09 brings

 

Think about how much extra manufacturing cost and R&D goes into a US-spec RS over a GT3...almost none...at a 15% premium. A regular GT3 is a 40%+ premium over the base Carrera, yet they share most parts. Yes, there are some crazily optioned 987 and 997 variants out there...not to mention cheap-to-build Slovakian Cayennes...but I'll bet Porsche eats a lot of that profit on the back end of leases as well as dealer subsidies on the front end.

 

Alan,
Given the fact that PAG sold 100,000 cars last year, neither the GT3 nor the RS are particularly important to the company's financial picture. The halo effect on the marque, however, is very important (as was the CGT). How many articles have we seen on the GT3 or RS in the last nine months? I, personallly have about twenty of them, and the vast majority are cover stories. THAT buzz is worth a lot to PAG, When was the last time one saw P-cars selling for a significant amount over list? The last time I can remember was BEFORE the first CGT's were delivered and that didn't last long. The buzz these cars have created has been a singular phenomenon for PAG...one I haven't seen in the twenty years I've been involved owning Porsches.
I think the right question to ask (which is where I think PAG's head is at), is "How do I keep this going?"
I suppose we will find out which of us was right in a year or two...but not till then!
By the way, I love your user name. For those who don't know, whenever the director of a movie wants to disassociate his name from a movie that is released by a studio in a form with which the director is sufficiently unhappy that he refuses to have his name associated with it, the director is said to be "Alan Smithee".
Very cool.

Regards,
Ray
'07 RS

 

I tend to agree with you but the production numbers are sufficiently low that they are a blip in the overall profit picture.

 

A regular GT3 shares most of its parts with a base carrera?

 

Even more reason to preserve the connection with passionate people, rather than profit mongers

 

GT3/GT3RS sales are not insignificant. Let's keep it in perspective...if Porsche sells 35,000 cars in the US this year, and ~1,000 are GT cars (700 delivered to date according to MJones's post), then we're talking about ~3% of US sales volume and ~10% of 911 sales. Then consider that they sell for a 40%+ premium over a base 911...which is obviously already very profitable...that ~3% of sales volume is a good sized chunk of profit...not just a "blip". I don't see them giving that up as long as there is a market for the cars.

 

Yes, most parts (the Boxster, too). And of those that are not identical, most don't cost any more to make...a 19" cast wheel, for instance, a sport seat with Alcantara, a PASM shock, etc. Don't kid yourself...Porsche is making a bundle on these.

 

alan, you and grant need to compare notes.
grant says the gt3 is the least profitable. LINK

you both can't be right!

regardless they are looking at production numbers quite a bit lower than previously figured by some rennlisters.

ray havent had a chance to p/u a excllnce yet!

 

I'm certainly not claiming to be right about any of this...I used "IMO" in my first contribution in this thread...nobody can do anything but speculate here.

That said, if Grant or anybody else thinks the GT3 costs so much to produce, and demand is there for more cars, why not price it higher and take the speculators' profit? The cars will depreciate either way.

 

why not make more ???????

Perhaps male sure porsche club members (rennlist members etc) get first dibs, they did it for a recent x51 pack