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What is "Porsche"? I'll admit I still don't know myself.
The image everyone seems to have is the small, family-owned and operated 60's/70's racing company that was succesful with lightweight rear-engine cars, and so the company developed a following and a legacy.
There have been many, many successful "bastarizations" off the air cooled 356 design (the first starting with the early 911 though the 934 though the first edition GT1) that for the most part have been succesful.
Don't forget the company itself produced the 912, the 914 and the 924 for the "floating wallet" crowd. They didn't compete with the higher models in performance(o.k. mabye the 914 was too successful in A.X.) and allowed the company to sell a lot of product.
Even if the profit margin was thinner per unit, the company model gets exposure, the public gets the perception the brand is more stable and repairable(i.e. parts available P.N.A.!!!!!), and the quick cheap sales fluff the racing budget. All in all the company stayed independant and true to a small-buisness atmosphere where individuals mattered.
All that has changed, mabye out of neccessity.
Before, sharing the same CIS Bosche F.I. with Volvo, Mercs, and VW didn't seem a detriment. Volvo took the practical family market, Merc took the wealthier/older version, VW the ricer/experimental kids, and Porsche the selective/track enthusiast market.
Nowadays, everyone builds anything using any "affiliate". The cars all look the same, and the Hyundai isn't any different from the Mercedes except for the warentee and materials.
Porsche seems to be one of the few brands to keep the same general design (headlights, hood, and rear engine) on it's flagship model.
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