paradisenb

Porsche doesn't have to do Prototype racing like P1. (i hope they do) They could further develop the current 911 Cups and RSRs into consistant winners.

Perhaps building a mid-engine 911 would posistion them for long term sucess against Ferrari and Mazda. I'm not talking about the Cayman but a race version of a 911. I thought this was hinted at in a 'European Windows' article of Panorama magizine a couple of issues ago.

NaroEscape

True, but that was a different time. Porsches at that time were those cool German sports cars from 'over there', they were not as mainstream as they are now (for better or for worse....). I mean, come on, an 80's 911 was certainly not something anyone with money would buy, you had to LOVE the raw sports car feel, so where it was sold didn't matter. Like it or not, a Porsche is a daily driver for many people that have money, and they have put themselves into direct competition with BMW, MB, and heck sometimes even Lexus. Read the articles, they now refer to Porsche as a LUXURY car brand for VW, not a SPORTS car brand... big difference in philosophy

Also, while the 917 was running around, and Porsches were being sold in VW stores, Porsche was also not the most profitable car company in the world. Things have changed, like it or not...

The Brewmeister

Wasn't Audi supposed to join in the GT2 fight with a racing version of the R8 in the ALMS?
I believe that they were planning to run them at Petit LeMans this season. I believe they are already being raced
in the parallel European series. This could be another potential conflict area.

The Brewmeister

I agree that closing dealerships and selling Porsches out of VW (only) dealers is not a good idea.
What was good years ago probably wouldn't work as well today. The thing is, that there are many
large multi-marque dealers here in the northeast that are already selling Porsche, Audi, VW and
others out of the same building (but usually in different showrooms). So in a way, it is already
happening.

The current economic climate and gov't over-regulation are just as much,
if not more, of a threat to the future Porsche than this proposed buyout, IMHO.

Dan in Florida

Good point, Charlie. You may be right, but I wouldn't count on it. Audi is on a roll. Thanks to the unlamented Dr. W, Porsche is now woefully short on hard ball car guys at the senior level. Audi may just run with the ball.

Spyderidol

Given the current homologation rules, if Porsche ever did go this way (highly unlikely), they would have to build a road going version of the car.

Spyderidol

The R8 is currently a GT3 car.
It also runs as a GT3 VLN version (that is as quick as the VLN GT2 cars-given rule manipulation)
Audi have said that the R8 will be developed into a GT1 car in order to compete in next year's FiA GT1 World Championship

Spyderidol

100% in agreement!

Flying Finn

On a related note, did anyone catch the latest TOP GEAR?

They were talking about Porsche and how ugly their new models are, Boxster, Cayenne and the most so, Panamera. Even Hamster (who is a big Porsche fan) had to agree. Then they said it's easy to see why Porsches have become ugly when compared to other sports/super car companies, just look at their CEO's who have to approve these designs...

Very true, just look at Ferrari, Lamborghini & Porsche CEO's and it's no wonder why Ferrari & Lamborghini produces so much better looking designs than Porsche and why for example Panamera design was approved, if a guy (Dr. W) likes mustache like that, and Dr. W. must like it since he has grown one on his face, he can like Panamera design as well...

And let's add a photo of Ferrari's latest model, 458 Italia...

500

Like most of you, I have searched and read through many business articles over the last few weeks as this saga approached the incipient moment of the supervisory board meetings.

It is a little sad that a true successor to Ferry Porsche was not in the Wopo/F. Piech generation. Ferdinand Piech is a real car guy, yes, and his exploits through the ‘60s with Porsche’s racing program are legendary, but, he is much more egocentric than Ferry ever was. Ferry grabbed very little glory for himself, it was always about the company. With Piech, I suspect that when push-comes-to-shove, it is more about his legacy than Porsche’s (i.e. the company’s) legacy.

That said, all is not lost. I don’t suspect we will see a sudden revision of the hierarchy within the group of the racing programs, or model lines, but over the longer term (next few years) it will start to sort itself out. Hey, remember “Porsche + Audi” on the Can-Am cars?

Qatar has already expressed excitement about having a stake in Porsche’s design and engineering business. Hopefully, Piech and the rest will incorporate some of the following into their strategy:

1) Don’t interfere in Porsche’s processes and production systems – these are amongst the very best – rather, the rest of the group may learn from them.

2) Develop a meaningful motorsport strategy for Porsche that puts the company at the forefront of a world-class competition series that rewards the best engineering (i.e. not a spec series or a series driven heavily by “performance equalization adjustments). Something that will attract top engineers and drivers.

3) Focus the product line and scale the business appropriately. Porsche does not need to make a gazillion cars a year anymore. The company could be structured as primarily the research/development powerhouse for the group (and perhaps still external customers) and the car manufacturing arm can be kept relatively small and (hopefully) focused on sports cars. The way I see it, Weissach can still develop cars like the Panamera (which is, I believe a phenomenal car), and it can still be build in Leipzig, but, it does not have to be a Porsche per se, but rather a more “appropriate” brand. This is what all us dyed-in-the-wool sports car guys want, but I think this may be asking a bit much. So much money has been invested in this project that it can’t be altered in the short term. Essentially, I wish Porsche would shift from a growth strategy to a niche strategy.

4) To support the niche strategy, which we know almost killed Porsche in the early ‘90s (well, in conjunction with a few other factors), the group should focus on maximizing Zuffenhausen’s and Leipzig’s manufacturing flexibility. Thus, in cyclical periods, it may be able to partially cushion the impact of sports car market contractions by sharing some of the group’s production requirements.

I forget it now, but I will look it up tonight in Randy Leffingwell’s big 911 book. There was a report created by one of the long-timers at Porsche in the early nineties that attempted to distill and define what Porsche means. I keep thinking “Light – Stable – Agile” but I know that is also the acronym for their multi-link rear suspension, but the point is, it would be great if there could be some of this clarity of thought right now. The Cayenne and Panamera are great vehicles, I just wish they were VWs or Audis instead…

wanna911

^^^agreed^^^


But what are the odds of that happening? I'm asking honestly.

500

The odds are distressingly low from my outside vantage point. If only a selfless and passionate leader like Ferry was there to take the helm...

MJSpeed

As some have said, I hope this is a good thing for Porsche. Like it's been for Bugatti, Lamborghini, Bentley and Ferrari.

Maybe if Dr.W hadn't been the CEO when the Panamera was design it may have looked like this: