Ochocoronas

I was talking to someone in the know and they have it under good authority that LWBS will not be offered in NA for the GT4 model in future. LWBS will be a GT3 or better option in NA. Supply was a big problem and caused way to many issues for dealers and PCNA. Not calling this fact or fiction I can only go by what I was told from a very credible source.

Many of us here know how angry people who could not get LWBS so it kind of makes sense. Of course having them an option in other parts of the world is a little odd.

drwuss

This wouldn't surprise me. I am also guessing the price will go up. FWIW I feel like they are overhyped. They look super cool, but the headrest really pushes my head forward and the non adjustable side bolsters are too wide for my skinny ***. I have them in my incoming car so NBD to me, but if I were to be serious about tracking I would get another throne.

golfnutintib

imo that's just idiotic and its total bullsh#t
with proper planning, lead time and supplier sourcing they can have all they want
there are office buildings full of procurement personnel at PAG and every manufacturer
they can easily do it if they want to, and with some leadtime they could sell every fu#king car they make with carbon buckets
we are not talking about rare earth metals or human stem cells here

the shortfall on gt3/4/rs/spyder lwbs was due to poor demand forecasting poor supplier management poor management period

they keep pouring the kool aid we seem to keep drinking it

neanicu

I personally don't believe in this scenario. I have seen too much speculation on this forum from sources that turned out unreliable. No disrespect to the OP and his source,but I'm going to pass on this info...
As cool as these seats are,they are not made of unobtanium and can certainly be produced on a larger scale. As always in these cases,their shortage was probably just a logistic problem.
I think Porsche will continue offering them in their GT cars at least,because they are part of the experience.


Just my 2 c...

zmon

This

Ferrarisimo

Define "future".

Ochocoronas

Next generation.

Guys I am just telling you what I was told. I am not proclaiming it as fact. This was not some porter. It was the same guy who told me about the GT4 before the GT4. Do not want to believe it I could care less. Not like I am know for posting falsehoods for fun.

Jimmy-D

This would be stupid and agree with Golfnut above. I know you are just reporting what you heard and I guess since this is a serious/sensitive subject I would rather know now than later so if it is true we can plead our case with Porsche. But - if this happens there is plenty of time for some here in the States to start designing a mold for future buckets. This is a good market and my bet is some one will find a way to make a comprable seat at a reasonable price

The Pope

Exactly! And, what's worse than the speculators here are the salesmen who will make-up any story in hopes that the customer will react in a certain way (i.e. buy a car now because the next model may not have bucket seats).

Bardman

Maybe they just came to the conclusion that the sofas are better.

(ducks the rocks thrown in his direction)

vantage

I have been discussing this with a lightweight car specialist that has experience in fabrication and engineering. I think the problem from a marketing perspective is will it be worth the engineering cost for a relatively small market, especially since they may not have the ability to deal with the thorax airbag. Airbag light / weight sensor on passenger side, etc. It's challenging to make a seat that works with both a 3-point and 6-point belts.

If you don't care about the thorax airbag or 3-point belt, it's already very easy to get a superior seat to the LWB. Get a Sparco or Recaro seat, have it trimmed in leather.

I wonder if there is a high rejection rate for the LWB? I mean at this point, the seat is being used in the GT4, GT3 / RS, 911R, and Boxster Spyder. Thousands of LWB units made. So there must be something about the supply that we are not understanding.

Can't remember who, but a factory Porsche driver said he'd take an RS with sofas! Makes sense because his office is a real race car with a real racing seat. Doesn't need the duality of the LWB.

taibo

I agree the LWB are super cool looking, but I opted for the sofas for comfort and durability reasons and am not disappointed. The sofas are sport "plus" seats.

Compared to the standard seats in my 991, they are not only more comfortable, but very well bolstered. Also the Alcantara keeps me from sliding around like I did in the 991 14-way standard sport seats.

I'm already concerned about scrunching the bolsters w the sofas, the LWBS would have been way more prone to deformation and abrasion on side and seat bolsters.

And with my platinum wheels and brushed aluminum interior, the grey seat backs actually look great!

24Chromium

Assuming it's a true carbon fibre shell (and I believe it is), then it could be a limitation of the vendor. CF is made up of thin sheets of woven carbon fibers. These sheets are laminated with resin into shape - pressed by hand into molds. The formed part is then placed in a vacuum bag and cured in an autoclave. The autoclave is a huge enclosure. I would imagine a large autoclave is not cheap.

It could well be that the vendor does not have sufficient capacity in the autoclave. Seats are pretty big and bulky. I don't know how many would fit in a large autoclave, but I can't image it's that many. It may be they need significant capital to invest in more space and autoclaves. Not to mention staff.

Archimedes

Earl Bamber, LeMans winning Porsche factory driver said that in Panorama two months ago. Said his personal car would be an RS with sofas and PCCB brakes. Kinda slayed two Rennlist sacred cows in one fell swoop...

The Pope

I have the Sport Plus seats in my GTS now and I agree with this 100%.