Is Porsche moving towards making GTs and away from traditional "Sports Cars" such as the mis-named GT3?

Question

Soon Porsche will introduce a four door car to further expand its line. They already have the Cayenne SUV, and have according to recent tests "softened" the standard Carrera and Turbo models. Do these actions, along with prices that are creeping closer to "exotic" car levels show that Porsche is moving away from their traditional "enthusiast" clientel and aiming for the Grand Touring market?

there is nothing "Grand Touring/GT" about the GT3. It is as much a tourer as was the similarly mis-named GT-40.

And yes..Porsche has always made luxurious machines...but in the past they would have never compromised performance for driveability,except for the 928..which was never really accepted by the majority of Porschefiles anyway.

By "soft" I do not mean the suspension...I mean "Soft" as in focus...as in the latest 911 turbos handling being widely panned by the motoring press.

Answer 1

I think you need to look at this in historical perspective. First, Porsche has always produced GT cars. While we look at something the the 356 as spartan today, the fact is that in it's day, it was a luxury sportscar. Likewise, look no further than the 934 for a supposed race car, although one that came with power windows and a full leather interior (when introduced in the early 1970s). The current offerings reflect the same trends.

As far as expanding the line, again, look back at the company's history. You are talking about a "sports car" company that has made a tractor, came close to producing sedans back in the 1960s (if not for the failure of planned business partners), and has always justified it's large engineering department by doing design work for other companies. Porsche was planned as a car company, and was merely a sports car company to start as that's what was able to be produced and marketed at the time. If anything, expansion of the line is a return to the original intent, and not a departure from it.

As for price. yes price's have gone up. However, if you look at relative price in terms of what can be purchased, you'll find there has not been anywhere near the variation that you seem to think. If you look at the current buying power of a dollar and compare, you'd find that a 1980 911SC would cost a little over $90k. And considering trade differences in the US economy verses Europe, it could easily be argued that Porsches are less expensive today than 20 years ago!

While I hold great affection for many of the classic Porsches, and spend much more time behind the wheel on these cars, the fact is the newer cars are by far the fastest and most capable sports cars they've yet to produce. The current GT3 is the most best track car the factory has ever delivered (unless you look at the GT3RS).

The company has evolved, and will continue to evolve. But everything that made a Porsche special then is still pretty much there today, even if many of the specifics have changed.

EDIT: Grand Turismo/GT - as the name itself has a few different meanings, it's hard to say it's a misnomer. On on hand you have a GT car meaning a sports car that is a little more luxury car at the expense of being a more pure sports car. On the other hand, you have GT meaning a street car that is used to homogulate a car for use in GT Class racing, which is just the opposite of the other meaning. The GT3 is named for the later (as was the original GT40, which was introduced to compete at Le Mans in the late 1960s after Ford was spurned in their efforts to buy Ferrari).

Having sampled quite a few Porsches over the years at track events, I cannot say I see how drivability has been sacraficed. The current cars are more pliable and faster in EVERY aspect than the earlier cars. I have a personal fondness for the earlier cars, and greatly enjoy the extra skill it requires to drive them at the limit. But there is no denying that the new cars are superior in every aspect of performance (the new turbo included).

Answer 2

Porsche is first and foremost a company. You have to remember that. They have to make money and survive. Thats what the panerama and cayenne are for. They keep the company afloat, while their sports cars keep the reputation.

Paul is also correct, they have always made GT cars, and been more luxurious than many other cars (think 928).

The newer 911s ARE softer and more pliable than the older cars. This is for several reasons. First: It makes them easier to drive quickly 2: It makes them more comfortable 3: The purist market is very small. 4: This is the big one. Hard suspension DOESNT NESSESARILY EQUAL GOOD! the new 911s are the best handling yet, and having a pliable suspension has actually helped them. That just means they have proper bump and rebound and such on the car. They may be "softer" but they also handle better (with more weight mind you), and do everyhting else better too.

and they really havent moved up in cost that much. The boxster is still a mid ranged sports car, the 911 is still an upper range, etc etc.

and the GT3 is hardly misnamed. Its still an incredibly performing, very pure car. Hell, they come with pilot sport cup tires on them stock.

Answer 3

Porsche could not maintain profitability, like you say, when the 930 debuted, when they had only 2-3 models.

With so many variants of just the 911(in comparison to 30 years ago), from soft to very hard-core, what is really your beef?

What stays the same over time...NOTHING, and if Porsche uses the Cayenne, and other "soft" models to develop the GT3 into a normally aspirated 200 MPH 911, that's fine with the Public, and fine with me. As long as they make $$$ hand over fist, offer what is still regarded as the "Benchmark", then people will always be willing to spend to own quality, unlike a 70K Z06, which has a interior from Hertz, and get's no better numbers than a stock 355HP 911.

If GM could only produce what Porsche actually delivers, then I would not have gotten rid of my 427 Stingray, and traded in on a 911.

Better to go from small, and go larger, than deliver what has been for the better part of 40 years, GM delivering nothing better than blue-collar garbage.

Answer 4

porches are still beatuifal