Ford not a sport car company??? You haven't seen the latest on the GT40 that is approved for production. Looks better then the latest from Stuttgart if you ask me.

 

[quote]Originally posted by mike_la_jolla:
[QBSir -- You need to recalibrate. The company ‘Porsche’ that you think still exists, is dead. The race engineers have left the building and accountants are taking the trash out.[/QB]<hr></blockquote>

Quite the opposite is true I'm glad to say - If you took the the opportunity to visit the building and speak to the people at the the Factory you'd find that whilst many would like a return to top level motorsport, they worship the ground their Chairman walks on regardless.

Unsurprising when you consider the vast majority of Porsche employees have never been "race engineers". Rather they have been in the job of producing road cars and engineering solutions for a vast spectrum of applications. Because of the Chairman and recent Board they still have their jobs - something that was very much in jeopardy ten years ago.

Mention the word "Ferrari" and at best you get polite distaste - why? Because they don't regard them as daily useable road cars - Porsche still produces the best sports cars in the world by a long chalk and that means leaving them out in a Bavarian winter overnight and starting first time at minus 5 centigrade, driving them every day and faults being unusual rather than the norm.

Get used to the fact that Porsche defines itself not by motorsport success - instead by it's road cars, their quality and ability, both of which are as high as ever. Realise that the US marketing around the Motorsport heritage is Marketing - not the company ethos. Ferraris were always only produced by the Old Man as a necessary evil to allow racing. They still only produce 4200 cars a year worldwide. Porsche has always produced cars first and gone racing later. Nothing has changed.

 

[quote]Originally posted by John H. in DC Area:
<strong>My pleasure, Phil.

Whenever Brian comes out from hiding, we need to have a word with him about exactly what he meant by "yahoos." I'm not sure if we should be flattered or insulted.
</strong><hr></blockquote>

Don't be insulted. (Don't be FLATTERED, either.)

I originally wrote "Moldy Fig," a term we use over on the Boxster Board, but it occurred to me that I'd have to explain it, and I didn't feel like it. "Yahoos" was just the first other thing that popped into my mind.

Brian

 

[quote]Originally posted by mike_la_jolla:
[QB]" The Z06 is as fast as my TT and WAY faster than a Boxster. What am I missing?

QB]<hr></blockquote>


What your missing is class. The Corvette Z06 is a white trash car pure and simple. Sorry, but the 911 Turbo is not like a Ford or GM. Get real.

 

[quote]"If I say to somebody, `I own a Porsche,' I want them to think I'm a swinger," said Al Ries, a co-author of "The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding," and a founder of Ries & Ries, marketing consultants."[/QB]<hr></blockquote>

You have got to be kidding me. What era is this guy from. Yeah, baby.

 

Here is the latest Ford $35K sports car.
2003 Ford Mustang SVT. 390HP 0-60 in 4.3seconds. 60-0 in 120 feet............ALL that for $35,000!
DAMN!

 

[quote]Originally posted by Ibanez:
<strong>


What your missing is class. The Corvette Z06 is a white trash car pure and simple. Sorry, but the 911 Turbo is not like a Ford or GM. Get real.</strong><hr></blockquote>

While I may not like the Z06 vette and think the interior is really cheap for 50k car I cannot call it a "White trash car". I am smart enough to respect it for what it is... Purely the best American sports car produced today in any real numbers (I can't count the 5 saleens ordered and 1 delivered).

To me your post seem awful elitist. Now I know why you bought the Range Rover and were think about a Cayenne! Image.. Honeslty it is people like you that cause people to create jokes the the Porsche and Porcupine!

 

You have to look at the Cayenne as a snapshot in time and not try to make an assessment of Porsche as a company based on this brief period. Three years from now Porsche may be back as a dominating force in motorsport racing - would that make you feel better about your Turbo? Would you still call it just "another me-too company"?

For someone who bought his first car in 1999, how can you really comment on what Porsche was or what it will be?

As far as the corvette and mustang comparisons - spend a couple months in one and you will understand why Porsche still stands out above the rest. There is no mystique about it.

 

its been 5yrs, half a decade since Porsche went to LeMans, They said that they would only be gone for 1 year and here we are at year 5 without a Lemans prototype racer. One, two three years I could understand. But not 5years. PAG needs to get off their butts and get to racing!