Porsche lost its magic?

[keagy]

This article has some merit...

http://www.autospies.com/news/Has-Porsche-lost-its-magic-touch-8488/

[Pingo]

I think the key word is that everything moves on = evolution. Porsche still delivers the best sportscar in the world (911).

[CharlesJones]

Yeah, evolution - they have evolved from a sportscar manufacturer to a luxury car manufacturer. Personally I would never buy a new porsche even if I could afford one. If I wanted that kind of car I'd buy a bmw which does the same thing for less money.

[Glasgow 911SC]

Road going Porsches of old were, relative to the time, luxury cars. Nothing has changed in that respect. It's just that our old cars are antiquated compared to modern day cars.

[JonT]

IMO its not that Porsche lost its way its more the other sports car makers found theirs. Historically Porsche was cutting edge performance-wise but now there are so many other competitive brands making fast cars the advantages are blurred. To me they have to really start getting creative design-wise and build unique, jaw-dropping, goose-bump inspiring styles to differentiate.

[cperedina]

Bring back the 928.

[VinnyC]

Porsche needs to do more "Special" models such as limited editions, variations like slant nose, S varients which are very different, and stuff like that- that they used to do to bring back the magic. When I look at 99-2006 911's they are all the same boring cars you see everywhere every day.

[Rick V]

You mean like the GT3 RS?

[khamul02]

That new GT really makes me want a new Porsche. I haven't felt that way about a Porsche since the death of the 993.

[Milu]

Originally posted by cperedina
Bring back the 928.

They did!
Porsche put the engine in the back and called it 996
This worked so well they added a 1, called it 997 and started the merry-go-round again

[Nine9six]

Originally posted by VinnyC
Porsche needs to do more "Special" models such as limited editions, variations like slant nose, S varients which are very different, and stuff like that- that they used to do to bring back the magic. When I look at 99-2006 911's they are all the same boring cars you see everywhere every day.

Rick V - You mean like the GT3 RS?

I must live in the wrong area...I have never seen the GT3 RS on the road or otherwise

[andrew15]

Reminds me of the article where 356 enthusiasts were pissed that porsche introduced the 911 in the early 1960s - They thought it was a big, overweight, luxury GT car - not a 'true sports car' !

It seems that every new model that Porsche comes out with is compared to previous models and for some reason bashed - even if the prior model that it's being compared to was bashed when IT came out!

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to go to the dealer today and buy a new '73 RS. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that after the factory sold one to each of us here on the bbs, they'd close shop due to lack of other sales. Even the RS, as great a car as it is, would not be able to satisfy modern demands that drivers have.

AM

[JohnJL]

Love my 911's. But I am eyeing an Exige addition.

[hytem]

I think the reputation is still there, but you can't get too far away from what made you the reputation.

From my readings, the company's reputation was made on racing and quality. They put into their production cars what they learned from racing. And with a production of 10K cars or so, the older ones look like they were practically hand-made. Maybe that's why they have lasted so long.

I think Porsche has to be more mindful of its roots, and never wander too far. If you become too dependent on "niche" products,that's a sure sign of trouble. And if you expand your production greatly, you have to be sure you haven't compromised quality and durability. That will kill your reputation built over many decades very quickly.

The key to differentiation is still racing. That has to keep them ahead of the pack. Porsche is an engineering company which should be kept out of the hands of the marketeers.

[speedracer]

Originally posted by andrew15
Reminds me of the article where 356 enthusiasts were pissed that porsche introduced the 911 in the early 1960s - They thought it was a big, overweight, luxury GT car - not a 'true sports car' !

It seems that every new model that Porsche comes out with is compared to previous models and for some reason bashed - even if the prior model that it's being compared to was bashed when IT came out!

AM

I believe this is the same in every luxury/sports car market. I recently spent some time on a BMW M3 forum and just about everyone there (mostly current m3 owners) were bashing the new M3 which will arrive in 08 with 415hp. After it is released these same people will buy one and declare it is the best ever..

[Dantilla]

One aspect I wonder about is build quality. My 1973 911 was built better than just about anything else in 1973. That's one of the reasons that Porsches have historically been so much more expensive than other cars.

Now that Porsche has switched to more modern assembly lines, are the cars any better built than the competition?

The high purchese price of a Porsche used to cover the cost to build it. Now the high price goes into making Porsche the most profitable car manufacturer.

I hope the current crop lasts as long as my car. We'll see......

[pwd72s]

We vote with our wallets. I'm not interested in anything Porsche makes these days, but it seems plenty of others are. You see, I'm still waiting for them to make a car I'd like better than I like my '72...I've been waiting since 1974. The closest they came was the '98 C2S. I played with the idea of switching to the last of the air cooled, but decided not too. Less cockpit room in the '98, combined with less driver's connection to what was going on.

[Dantilla]

To buy a new car, I would probably go visit the Lotus dealership.

[84porsche]

Porsche might not be around today and could be just another memory if not for the crucial turnaround they made starting in the 80s and the desire for excellence. I am reading the book "The Driving Force" by Peter Schutz, the CEO responsible for saving the company and its very interesting.

The evolution they made is what they needed to do to survive. Cars today are created by machines, the hand created pieces and time dedication by previous generations will never come back in my opinion. We have newer technologies and better safety and this is the trade off for progress. The Carrera GT might not be around today or PCCB or other technologies that they have continued to engineer if they didn't move forward and improve processes.

[Nickatnyt]

Say what? The Cayman, the new Turbo, the new GT3 all kick some major arse and can go up against any other great, mass-produced sports car in the world. The cars are more refined today than the 70's and still cost a mint but the magic is still there for crying out loud.