RE: Porsche 911 R: PH Videoblog

RE: Porsche 911 R: PH Videoblog

Friday 23rd September 2016

Porsche 911 R: PH Videoblog

A quick go with the unicorn 911 inspires a lengthy musing on its significance!



We all know the Porsche 911 R is a difficult car to get hold of, but even Porsche GB has to call in favours with Germany when it wants access to a car for promotional activities. We were hoping to drive an R when it was in the country for Goodwood, but cataclysmic weather and a celebrity with a hangover (long story for another time) meant an unravelling of an ambitiously opportunist plan to 'help' deliver the car to the Festival of Speed.

Truth be told the weather wasn't much better on when we finally got our hands on one earlier in the week. But between showers, puddles and the occasional interruption from helicopter gunships we managed to finally get some quality time in the car and brighten up an otherwise dreary Monday morning.

A full review on the car - rather than further discussion of values and conspiracy theories about dealers and favoured customers - to follow. First up a bit of a videoblog exploring how the R came about and some initial driving impressions. 

Watch the video here.

Author
Discussion

Dandanfings

Original Poster:

62 posts

95 months

Thursday 22nd September 2016
quotequote all
hungover celeb... let me guess, did he recently star in a uk rom/com called something somethings diary by any chance biggrin

daveco

4,122 posts

206 months

Thursday 22nd September 2016
quotequote all
That's the first image of the R that has really impressed me.

I think it might be Porsche's best looking car in some time (imo).

PhilboSE

4,323 posts

225 months

Thursday 22nd September 2016
quotequote all
Much as I love 911s, it really gets on my jubblies that Porsche artificially constrain sales of certain models. I might well have considered buying an R or a GT3/RS but as I can't I'm sticking with my 997.2.

It's got to the point that I wish websites and magazines would stop pimping these things on behalf on the manufacturer - what's they point when they can't be bought?

Dave Hedgehog

14,541 posts

203 months

Thursday 22nd September 2016
quotequote all
i would take one over a 918 all day long

but i would take a singer first biggrin

7zero

11 posts

96 months

Thursday 22nd September 2016
quotequote all
PhilboSE said:
Much as I love 911s, it really gets on my jubblies that Porsche artificially constrain sales of certain models. I might well have considered buying an R or a GT3/RS but as I can't I'm sticking with my 997.2.

It's got to the point that I wish websites and magazines would stop pimping these things on behalf on the manufacturer - what's they point when they can't be bought?
+1

anonymous-user

53 months

Thursday 22nd September 2016
quotequote all
7zero said:
+1
991 examples. More than that and the collectors won't be interested no?

swisstoni

16,855 posts

278 months

Thursday 22nd September 2016
quotequote all
sleep

gigglebug

2,611 posts

121 months

Thursday 22nd September 2016
quotequote all
PhilboSE said:
Much as I love 911s, it really gets on my jubblies that Porsche artificially constrain sales of certain models. I might well have considered buying an R or a GT3/RS but as I can't I'm sticking with my 997.2.

It's got to the point that I wish websites and magazines would stop pimping these things on behalf on the manufacturer - what's they point when they can't be bought?
Because plenty of folks are interested in both reading about and looking at different cars regardless of whether they are actually ever likely to be in the position to own one for themselves would be the obvious answer. This is a website based around cars you know. You have the simple choice not read/watch anything that offends you.

david hockney

1,198 posts

152 months

Thursday 22nd September 2016
quotequote all
swisstoni said:
sleep
+1

A tiny number of UK cars, most of which will be driven until the running in service and then put under a dust cover
in a heated garage. Whatever. It's all a boring waste of time, I resent spending 5 minutes of my life watching this video
and I plan to do some yoga now.

WCZ

10,492 posts

193 months

Thursday 22nd September 2016
quotequote all
4.0 just seems more and more appealing as time goes by

Gorbyrev

1,160 posts

153 months

Thursday 22nd September 2016
quotequote all
Could never see the point of a unicorn.

anonymous-user

53 months

Thursday 22nd September 2016
quotequote all
david hockney said:
swisstoni said:
sleep
+1

A tiny number of UK cars, most of which will be driven until the running in service and then put under a dust cover
in a heated garage. Whatever. It's all a boring waste of time, I resent spending 5 minutes of my life watching this video
and I plan to do some yoga now.
Not to mention the extra time you wasted coming on here and moaning about it, that must have wasted at least another 2 min of your time........

patch5674

232 posts

111 months

Thursday 22nd September 2016
quotequote all
Don't know if this has already been said, as I am on the mobile and not read the full thread, but can any car as limited in its production in proportion to its demand as this one ever be truly significant?

DanS

1,137 posts

283 months

Thursday 22nd September 2016
quotequote all
7zero said:
PhilboSE said:
Much as I love 911s, it really gets on my jubblies that Porsche artificially constrain sales of certain models. I might well have considered buying an R or a GT3/RS but as I can't I'm sticking with my 997.2.

It's got to the point that I wish websites and magazines would stop pimping these things on behalf on the manufacturer - what's they point when they can't be bought?
+1
+1, the crap around this car was enough to put me off buying a new Porsche at all. These things are Halo cars, designed to bring people to their brands, in this case it put me right off. I'm sure Porsche won't give a stuff, but they lost a sale of both a 911R and a Panamera estate - and anything else. Silly arrogant marketing-led nonsense the lot of it, just make bloody cars and sell them.

Slippydiff

14,744 posts

222 months

Thursday 22nd September 2016
quotequote all
DanS said:
+1, the crap around this car was enough to put me off buying a new Porsche at all. These things are Halo cars, designed to bring people to their brands, in this case it put me right off. I'm sure Porsche won't give a stuff, but they lost a sale of both a 911R and a Panamera estate - and anything else. Silly arrogant marketing-led nonsense the lot of it, just make bloody cars and sell them.
+1 The only thing remarkable about the 911R is just how unremarkable it is. Stuttgart could produce them by the truck load, instead they choose to p*ss off large amounts of their loyal customers, make just about every OPC in the UK look like they were involved in large amounts of skullduggery and in the process pandered to the flippers/collectors rather than the true enthusiasts that have supported them by buying their products repeatedly over the years. The same could be said of the Cayman GT4 supply situation. It's a very strange business model Porsche AG are working to currently.
As you so rightly said, just make bloody cars and sell them.

david hockney

1,198 posts

152 months

Friday 23rd September 2016
quotequote all
Max_Torque said:
Not to mention the extra time you wasted coming on here and moaning about it, that must have wasted at least another 2 min of your time........
When will I get out of this rut? I just wasted another 10 seconds reading your boring post-

foxsasha

1,416 posts

134 months

Friday 23rd September 2016
quotequote all
DanS said:
+1, the crap around this car was enough to put me off buying a new Porsche at all. These things are Halo cars, designed to bring people to their brands, in this case it put me right off. I'm sure Porsche won't give a stuff, but they lost a sale of both a 911R and a Panamera estate - and anything else. Silly arrogant marketing-led nonsense the lot of it, just make bloody cars and sell them.
+1 Id say it's an own goal but expect the increase in sales generated by the halo products dwarfs the pockets of dissent the marketing is generating.

Edited by foxsasha on Friday 23 September 20:56

Kieran1985

25 posts

144 months

Friday 23rd September 2016
quotequote all
PhilboSE said:
Much as I love 911s, it really gets on my jubblies that Porsche artificially constrain sales of certain models. I might well have considered buying an R or a GT3/RS but as I can't I'm sticking with my 997.2.

It's got to the point that I wish websites and magazines would stop pimping these things on behalf on the manufacturer - what's they point when they can't be bought?
What's the point in reading about a new Lambo or Ferrari. Most of us will never afford one so it's irrelevant. What a fantastically dull website this would be if we could only review or do pieces on attainable cars. Maybe we like to read about these cars because we'll never get to experience them.

Matt UK

17,650 posts

199 months

Friday 23rd September 2016
quotequote all
I really want one. Best modern Porsche by a long shot!

Mach

490 posts

224 months

Friday 23rd September 2016
quotequote all
Slippydiff said:
+1 The only thing remarkable about the 911R is just how unremarkable it is. Stuttgart could produce them by the truck load, instead they choose to p*ss off large amounts of their loyal customers, make just about every OPC in the UK look like they were involved in large amounts of skullduggery and in the process pandered to the flippers/collectors rather than the true enthusiasts that have supported them by buying their products repeatedly over the years. The same could be said of the Cayman GT4 supply situation. It's a very strange business model Porsche AG are working to currently.
As you so rightly said, just make bloody cars and sell them.
No real interest in reading about this either.

As you say, a very strange business model and apparently designed to alienate loyal customers.

I've loved 911's since I was a child and I've owned 3, none of which were new, but all of which were maintained through the Porsche network with genuine parts etc.

However, I'm now in a position to consider buying new but as they won't sell me a 911 that I actually want (or a GT4 for that matter) I shall go elsewhere.

Porsche do realise we have choices right?