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A very provocative Porsche advertisement Z356! I would agree - believe it will be the new 960. Do hope it will look more like some the other renderings instead of what you posted above! Your one link does not work for me - BTW.
A very provocative Porsche advertisement Z356! I would agree - believe it will be the new 960. Do hope it will look more like some the other renderings instead of what you posted above! Your one link does not work for me - BTW.
Link to Mezger fire thread corrected. I believe now that 918 Spyders have ended production at Zuffenhausen & all 918 units have been sold & paid for, PAG will start becoming more open about plans for the 960/988. That will encourage new renderings & speculation on the model...something that has been missing for worry of the 918 Spyder sales for nearly a year plus!
Saludos,
Eduardo
Carmel
Originally Posted by Z356
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So trying to add to the entertainment value of this discussion, let me repeat what I posted on the other 'Porsche Wins LeMans' thread because we have room here for a larger discussion than just what caused the engine fires...
I am not expert. Just an observer of a trend...and this one is not a particular favorable one for Porsche Motorsport!
Here is the list of entrants in the GTE Pro and GTE AM on the year I attended Le Mans in 2011. Look at the number of Porsche RSR's competing at Le Mans as recently as 2011:
Eight private teams (paying customers) competing with Porsche RSR's!
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Here is the list of entrants in the similar lower classes at Le Mans in 2015:
Six RSR in the entire field. Two are factory owned (Porsche Team Manthey) holding up the corporate banner in the battle field! Only two paying customers - Dempsey/Proton and IAA - with two RSRs apiece. And it would not surprise me to learn that at least Dempsey was somewhat subsidized by Porsche...and with some borrowed Porsche factory driving talent too!
or Google:'Second Porsche Catches Fire at Le Mans 24hr'
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Those are the stats. You tell me if you think Porsche is making progress or gaining customers to their RSR racing motorsports program!
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The answer to this dilemma is to introduce the FeFi - the mid-engined 960 / 988 model! And I am a firm believer that Porsche will introduce such a model in the NOT too distant future...regardless reports of its demise due to 'Sudden Infant Death Syndrome' (SIDS) at some VW Group crib at a corporate board meeting in Wolfsburg!
With 918 Spyder production about to be completed soon at Zuffenhausen & those vehicles sold & paid for, PAG might not have to worry about finally openly talking about their next super car - a mini version of the 918 - but without the heavy hybrid batteries and at a price point under US$300,000! Yes, the FeFi is about to be unleashed on all of us...and for Porsche Motorsports, it doesn't come a moment too soon!
Saludos,
Eduardo
Carmel
PS And no, this 'Phoenix' will not look anything like this exciting old-timer Pontiac!
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Originally Posted by Z356
Originally Posted by NateOZ
FeFi will be a hybrid imo, falls in line with current Corporate messaging to investors and 919/918 investment.
Yes, I am sure that one of the street versions will sport a hybrid...the 'Green Party' and the tree-huggers will have to be appeased. But the 'Porsche Motorsports' competition / racing model will conform with whatever the regulations established by the ACO-FIA governing GTE.
And there Porsche will utilize anything they have to make their new model competitive without putting them at a disadvantage relative to their competition. All the ACO-FIA rules are not set yet...we will see what shape the power train will take. It will be most likely be a turbo(s)...
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Originally Posted by MaxLTV
Thanks, Eduardo - that was informative.
I, for one, welcome our mid-engined, potentially hybridized, overlords :-). Especially if it comes with weight reduction due to use of carbon fiber - Porsche is kicking butt without exotic materials, so I can only imagine how good this car can be with more optimized layout and new-age structural design.
Yes, I agree. That is why every time I see a 918 Spyder owner, I go up & kiss him or her. And I then profusely thank them for buying this expensive car and paying for the development work that all of us will benefit (at a discount) on the new FeFi model! That is why you don't hear me complain about all the priority buying privileges of the '918 Spyder Circle' VIP program!
If I understand it correctly, the new Le Mans / WEC class for 2016 will be named GTP. GTP stands for Grand Touring Premier. They will have increased performance over the GT3 class (today the performance between GTE and GT3 is rather close) and will be mainly the bastion of the manufacturers. Porsche has stated that they view the current FIA GT3 class of cars as customer racing and have stated that they are not interested in a works team effort in that class of racing.
The amount of 911s in FIA GT3 racing is more dismal then what you charted for Le Mans. Take a look at this years 24 hours of Spa race. Of the 80 cars on the grid - less then 5 will be a Porsche!!
06-19-2015, 04:36 PM
Next up...Fe-Fi!
