Anyone who has fallen in love with the 911 knows the reason they love it is because of it's ability to oversteer. Sliding the rear out almost anytime is why we love the 911. It's never been about being the fastest, most stable car around. This new 991 looks like a 911, but according to Motor Trend, Walter could not slide the car when he tried. My opinion is when I see what has been done to the 911, I feel like something has died. From the slant of the windshield, the pop up tail, the larger size, the change in wheelbase to make the engine less rear. And you have to live with this blastemy for the next 14 years. This platform will benefit the turbo in a big way but does it flat out suck. It's just my opinion.

 

I doubt anyone at Motor Trend has any idea whats going on Walters head in reality. have not seen or read the article but if Walter is gunning for a time why would he slide around a track?

Every change made to the 911 we come full face to love / hate type of relationship. Im not loving it but Im convinced it will impress once seen in person or driven.

 

exactly, sliding may be fun at times but it certainly doesn`t make a car quicker, i doubt that.

 

This is the future of cars and the price we pay for refinement. Fast cars aren't always fun cars. Many would argue that the Nissan GTR is the epitome of modern day marvel. Despite its weight, bulkiness, and insulation, it can out run cars twice its price range while delivering usable power and practicality of a daily driver. This is why there is another group of purists who insist on cult cars such as the E30 M3, Lotus Exige, and the 993 GT2. I am sure the new 991 will run circles around the above three cars on a track. My advice would be to buy a cult car for that special occasion and buy a 991 for every day use. Best of both world

 

Just think how the air cooled 911 guys felt when the 996 came along

There's no stopping evolution, like it or not.

Matt

 

There will be plenty of used 996's and 997's around for a long time for the diehard loyalists.

I have heard a lot of complaints about the direction they perceive Porsche going with the 991. Let's here some ideas of what you would have liked to see, style-wise and engineering? It's too easy to tear down other peoples ideas, much more difficult to come up with good ones. Not criticizing, just asking.

 

i'm pretty sure the 991 will slide like any other porsches when PSM is disabled. It all depends on the driver.

 

Your opinion and certainly not a universal one. I've never slid any of the 3 911s I've owned and loved each one. The more pictures I see of the 991, the more I like it. Most people are going to jump on the 991 bandwagon just like they did when Porsche switched from air cooled to water cooled and from the 996 to the 997. The 911 has continually evolved and like other cars, will always do so. And in doing so, the 911 has gotten bigger, quicker and faster.

Remember when the body style changed in 1973 to the '74 body with the new style bumpers? People were up in arms. Then again when the body changed in '77 to the '78 SC body? I believe the 991 will be a hot seller, just like all the other 911s.

 

I often wonder if the modern advancements could be applied in creating a more sophisticated air cooled 911 . Keep in mind that a 993 Turbo did have 400 HP . It was not a wimp .
Add in a few new gadgets , keep the interior basic , lighten the body ... etc .

If Porsche redesigned the 993 now (15 years later) .. I wonder if there might be more agreement on this.

I still like the 991 BTW .. but i never forgot some of the quirky characteristics which made this car an automotive icon.

 

It's all about technology.. at some point we'll all sit back and 'tell' the car where we want to go, and it'll wake us up when we get there.

I recently saw a segment of "Chasing Classic Cars" where Wayne Carini attended a Cars & Coffee event in SoCal. He was talking to a fella he knows who happens to be an engineer at Ford (I think it was Ford). The guy had driven his pristine Porsche 356 to the event. Their conversation focused on how easy the car was to work on (I seem to remember the engineer saying something like, "everything in the car can be fixed with a pair of pliers and a screw driver.").

The bottom line in all this is that even an automotive engineer 'gets it'. We've made cars so safe and so fast that driving at speed has almost become mundane (not really, but almost).

There's a lot to be said about technological advances in high end cars. There's also a lot to be said about the simplicity and enjoyment of driving a classic.

I'll take one of each...

 

I completely understand the sentiment here, but I look at it from the other perspective (glass half full). In my view, Porsche has done a pretty good job of trying to retain the soul of the 911 in the face of technological advances needed for safety, efficiency, emissions, etc.

Keep in mind that many of the major evolutions have been driven by much more than pure driving enjoyment and fun. The switch from air to water cooled engines after the 993 was basically a necessity to generate the increased power in light of the efficiency and emission requirements coming down the pike (uh, how many air-cooled engines out there for today's production cars?). Looking to the future, I'm happy with how much in front Porsche is getting with regards to hybrid and electric technologies. Someday in the future, when the requirements are for 100 mpg, I'm more confident that we'll still have a 911 to drive out of the stable (I'm not so sure what will happen to the Ferraris and Lambos of the world ). I guess it's the price of progress.....

 

I think your rant is a little pre-mature. Until you drive it yourself dont base it on what a car mag says. I am sure it will still drive like a 911 which is what really matters. We are all in business to make money so you cant blame Porsche for doing what is going to make them the most money. Its sinmple economics and any of us would do the same thing if we had our own business.

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

My hope is the 991 starts to take the ALMS wins for the Lizards....in rsr form of course.

jb

 

I for one don't mind all the advancements. My first Porsche was a 996 C4. What I really wanted was a 993 C4S, but this was to be a daily driver. At 6'4 270 pounds at the time, that was going to be one hell of an uncomfortable drive every day.

These days I drive a 996 X50 as a daily driver. I've often considered whether I should get a GT2 instead, but at the end of the day, having such a great car that can be driven anywhere anytime is pretty awesome. I even have a couple of back seats to throw my little kids in for short trips.

As others have posted earlier in the thread, in my ideal world I'd have a "regular" Turbo as a daily driver and a GT2 or GT3RS as my fun car that also does all the track duty.

Porsche just continues to cater to the masses and you can't argue with their sales figures. At the end of the day, they're in business to make money, and their corporate strategy has done one hell of a job turning a relatively niche car company into a giant. We should just be thankful they've kept true to their heritage in producing cars like the GT2 and GT3 RS and RSR versions, and continue to be a very big name in the racing world.

They could've gone the way of Mitsubishi when they decided to stop making the EVO any more and just build regular Lancers.