Why not resurrect a good old one?
12-30-2001, 09:09 PM
#1
Pro
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Carolina Motorsport Park
Posts: 659
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Why not resurrect a good old one?
I've always wondered why Porsche doesn't bring back into production the 911S from the early 70's. Is the engine THAT difficult to reproduce? I can't imagine it being more expensive or less profitable than a 3.6 motor. Why doesn't the company make a 2.7 liter that can pump out 300 HP and put it into a kevlar-bodied 911S body? I remember seeing a brand new orange Vasek Pollack 917 built ENTIRELY from spare parts in one of the concours events recently.
12-31-2001, 02:06 PM
#6
Pro
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Kent, CT
Posts: 700
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hmmmm..The biggest reason is that there too busy designing cupholders for 911's and making SUV's. While I agree that it would be nice to have a cool semi retro car out of Zuffenhausen, that is not anywhere on their agenda. I feel that there efforts should be put back into racing which is what got them where they are today.
James
James
12-31-2001, 03:36 PM
#7
Instructor
Join Date: Nov 2001
Posts: 225
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Another reason Porsche doesn't build a light-weight, unrefined, high-performance, street 911 is that there would be an extremely limited market for it.
While the homologation run of the 964 RS was fairly successful in Europe in the early '90s, the somewhat compromised 964 RSA didn't sell well in the States. Nobody here wanted an option-delete 911 that was devoid of creature comforts (well, to be fair, about 700 people wanted one).
Now, consider backing another 3-4 generations of refinements out of the car. The population of potential buyers would shrink considerably. Emissions/noise pollution/safety/etc laws notwithstanding, Porsche would never be able to profit from such a car.
Another thing worth noting... As raw and purposeful as those early 911S models seem today, they were really quite refined in the context of their time.
In 30 years, I bet there will be plenty of folks waxing nostalgic about the 996, "Man, that was a real "driver's" car. I wonder why Porsche doesn't build cars as unrefined and full of character any more." However, I'm pretty sure I won't be one of them.
While the homologation run of the 964 RS was fairly successful in Europe in the early '90s, the somewhat compromised 964 RSA didn't sell well in the States. Nobody here wanted an option-delete 911 that was devoid of creature comforts (well, to be fair, about 700 people wanted one).
Now, consider backing another 3-4 generations of refinements out of the car. The population of potential buyers would shrink considerably. Emissions/noise pollution/safety/etc laws notwithstanding, Porsche would never be able to profit from such a car.
Another thing worth noting... As raw and purposeful as those early 911S models seem today, they were really quite refined in the context of their time.
In 30 years, I bet there will be plenty of folks waxing nostalgic about the 996, "Man, that was a real "driver's" car. I wonder why Porsche doesn't build cars as unrefined and full of character any more." However, I'm pretty sure I won't be one of them.
Trending Topics
12-31-2001, 05:04 PM
#8
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Houston, Tx
Posts: 2,956
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hey, anyone see the Suzuki 'car' making the carshow rounds? It seems to be in the spirit of the Caterham kit cars - REALLY light, with a Hayabusa 1300 cc engine making, what, about 200 HP? Sounds like a gas.
12-31-2001, 08:32 PM
#10
Instructor
Join Date: Nov 2001
Posts: 225
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
<<A lot more than 700 wanted them, some of us just couldn't afford them!!!>>
Yup.
Tom, that's a good point. I certainly couldn't afford one at the time either. Instead, I bought my first Porsche, an '82 911 SC, which was slightly cheaper than the Eagle Talon I had my eyes on.
What I meant to say was, of those in the market for a new Porsche, very few chose the RSA. ...even though it cost $10K less than a 964 Coupe off the showroom floor.
Yup.
Tom, that's a good point. I certainly couldn't afford one at the time either. Instead, I bought my first Porsche, an '82 911 SC, which was slightly cheaper than the Eagle Talon I had my eyes on.
What I meant to say was, of those in the market for a new Porsche, very few chose the RSA. ...even though it cost $10K less than a 964 Coupe off the showroom floor.
12-31-2001, 09:28 PM
#11
Race Director
Isn't that the same idea with the current GT2? Take your top-performance car (996 TurboTT) and strip out the unneccessary stuff and you've got a performance monster! The GT2 kicks butt over the '70s 911S. Not to mention that the GT2 & TT are the only non-modified production cars to ever crack the 8-minute mark at Nurburgring.
12-31-2001, 10:13 PM
#12
Originally posted by Robert Henriksen:
<STRONG>Hey, anyone see the Suzuki 'car' making the carshow rounds? It seems to be in the spirit of the Caterham kit cars - REALLY light, with a Hayabusa 1300 cc engine making, what, about 200 HP? Sounds like a gas.</STRONG>
<STRONG>Hey, anyone see the Suzuki 'car' making the carshow rounds? It seems to be in the spirit of the Caterham kit cars - REALLY light, with a Hayabusa 1300 cc engine making, what, about 200 HP? Sounds like a gas.</STRONG>
01-07-2002, 02:54 PM
#13
Pro
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Carolina Motorsport Park
Posts: 659
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What I meant by ressurection is akin to the Thunderbird, or Mini Cooper, or new GT40 Ford wants to bring back. I just wished that Porsche could bring back to life the 911R, or the RS. I doubt that the market would be narrow or limited as someone pointed out. I think that most current owners of air-cooled 911's would eye it hard. Not everybody likes drink holders, you know.
