Do we even know if it is going to be a NA motor? One dealership told me it was going to be a 3.8, the other told me 4.0.

 

I've been hearing the same.....recent videos seem to support the flat 6 theory, but WHICH one? Kind of a crucial detail, because I feel that it is a major distinction, and will make the car much more special, and deserving of the GT4 name, if they put a 4.0 GT motor in it.

 

I mean, what would be the point to get a GT4 or have people upgrade if they put the same 3.8L in it? Porsche would be dumb to not put a 4.0 in if it is going to be NA 6 motor.

 

The one thing you know for certain- you’ll get only what you pay for from Porsche. Porsche wants an entry level GT car, which means a price point significantly lower than the GT3, and the price point essentially defines performance. It would have cost Porsche next to nothing to give the 981 GT4 performance to crush the Carrera S- shorter gearing, the Carrera intake, headers that were not shared with the base Boxster. Of could that would have put the car in a performance class that would have required them to charge another 20k for it, and that wasn’t the plan.

Given this it’s partly a zero sum game. It’s folly to hope for a 4.0 that’s not de-tuned because the relation to the (now faster) Carrera S is largely fixed. Thus any advantage gained in torque will likely be countered elsewhere (ie tall gearing) to maintain the world order. What Porsche doesn’t charge for, however, are all those other intangibles that make cars great. Noise, feel, revs, suspension adjustability, track durability and warranty, etc- all free.

Given this I personally could care less if it’s got the 4.0 or not, and might even prefer it without. Porsche could clearly hit its performance targets with 3.8 liters or less (475 hp in the 991.1 GT3, remember) and neutering the performance with tall gearing is far worse than small displacement in my book. I’d certainly take its dry sump oiling system from the 4.0, though...

 

Even it’s not a road version, but I still hoping it will come with 4.0 NA

 

LOL, if Porsche didn't charge for these things, Caymen would be priced like V6 Mustangs. I'm guessing you mean, "Porsche doesn't list specific charges for these things on the Options sheet.

 

Not exactly. The below is from 2016, so now a few years old:


In a previous old post I expanded on the idea that Porsche uses a “value based” pricing model, where how much they charge is unrelated to how much something costs and instead is based on how much we, the customers, value something. And it turns out that Porsche customers value performance.

Porsche clearly charges a premium for its brand vs other makes, but within that brand you are free to choose your experience largely divorced from price. The 996 and 997 GT2s are good examples compared to the Turbos they are based on. Both the 4wd turbos and 2wd GT2s follow the price/ performance trend. The GT2s, being essentially de-contented turbos, should if anything be cheaper than their heavier, more highly optioned 4wd cousins, but per the “value based pricing” rules they are more expensive because they are higher performance. Thus customers can’t get a “deal” by buying the lighter, faster car even if logic dictates that they should. Customers can, however, choose the buttoned down executive jet for the autobahn that is the Turbo or the psychotic axe murderer that is the GT2.

Porsche’s most distilled, focused driving experiences are often not its most expensive. The Boxster Spyder, GT3, etc are not the fastest and hence not the most expensive, but bang for the buck based on driving experience they are tremendous value (in my book). So while wishing for spectacular cost/ performance is a fool’s errand, wishing for spectacular cost/ experience is not. IMHO...

 

Kind of a challenge to guess what the price will be when we don't even know what engine the car will have.

 

Okay, so you meant "within it's own lineup, Porsche doesn't charge for these things." Still debateable but the point can be made. But compared to the outside world, Porsche most definitely charges for these things, hence the $85,000 cost of a 385hp sportscar in 2016. "Noise, feel, revs, suspension adjustability, track durability and warranty" are not "all free". They are major components of why a base GT4 doesn't cost $45,000, like a base 450-ish hp Corvette.

Remember, GT4 only looks like a screaming bargain when viewed through the prism of Porsche pricing.

As for the "pricing not based on cost, but on what the market will pay," that is standard pricing formula for all car companies. Silverado pickups with leather interiors don't cost $60,000 because they cost 48,000 to build and GM wants to make a 20% margin on them; they sell for $60,000 because even though they only cost $25,000 to build, GM knows that a large swath of people will fork out sixty-large for a leather pickup without batting an eye. Greenlighting a car or a sub model consists of a) determining what the market will pay, and b) seeing if you can build that product for cheap enough that there is acceptable margin for you as the car company. Wrangler is a great example. Amazingly, the JK Wrangler model (2007-2018) increased sales significantly nearly every year of its life, at least through 2016. That is a remarkable feat. And during that time, despite doing essentially nothing to the line (one interior upgrade, changing out the corporate minivan 3.8 for the new corporate minivan 3.6), the price climbed tremendously, to where a 2018 base stripper 2-door was about 35% over 10 years -- simply because the market kept demanding more and more of them and Jeep said, "Damn! Why were we selling this for $18,000?"

 

Nailed it...

 

I see what you’re saying, and again I fully agree Porsche charges for its brand. But keep in mind why the GT4 is a “screaming bargain”- what you get with “the brand” varies wildly. Consider a 996 Carrera S vs a Corvette of the same era. The Porsche was the far more expensive car, but I’d argue that you’re getting very little in terms of track durability, suspension adjustability, warranty, etc over the Vette. Porsche charges far more, sure, and people might pay it because they believe they are getting all those things but the fact is that in many cases they are not.

Step up to the GT3 versions of the Carrera, however, and suddenly that all changes. You get a warranty that will be honored even if the car is tracked. Nearly all new suspension largely lifted from the Cup cars- new uprights, bigger wheel bearings, adjustable anti-roll bars, etc. A far more trackable engine with both a dry sump and more revs. Bigger, more track capable brakes, tires, downforce producing aero package, etc, etc. It’s a very different car overall, and yet when Porsche prices they essentially only look at the headline power and performance figures and throw all the rest in gratis. Which is why we see the GT cars as particular bargains, and why if you’re going to wish for stuff it should be that, not more power for free (which you’ll never get).

Porsche didn’t used to be this way- go back to the RS America days and Porsche actually charged less when they took stuff out and improved performance in the process. And these days others are obviously trying to emulate Porsche’s pricing model, but they still do it better than anyone else. You don’t get the be the most profitable auto brand on earth by accident.

 

Any day now I hope....

 

sorry some seem to be duplicated. Anyway just saw this on IG before going to bed . Georgia plates

 

/\ Doesn't your Android have an Instagram app? I think its time to switch to Apple

 

Haha. I don't have Instagram although my wife loves it and told me to get it!