What is your favourite Porsche?
Discussion
Indeedy....... 
I wish I Have had a chance to driving all these older cars they do sound unbelievable.
I have only had the opportunity to drive a 996 and of course my 996 turbo and I think it is unreal.
but surely the older cars cannot be as fast or as good handling as the newer ones or perhaps as reliable (Unless Tuned) or am I wrong? please do not go for my head as I really do not know about the older style so be gentle and tell me why please so I at least understand for the future!
Cheers (A little confused!)
John
I have only had the opportunity to drive a 996 and of course my 996 turbo and I think it is unreal.
but surely the older cars cannot be as fast or as good handling as the newer ones or perhaps as reliable (Unless Tuned) or am I wrong? please do not go for my head as I really do not know about the older style so be gentle and tell me why please so I at least understand for the future!
Cheers (A little confused!)
John
john purdie said:
but surely the older cars cannot be as fast or as good handling as the newer ones or perhaps as reliable (Unless Tuned) or am I wrong? please do not go for my head as I really do not know about the older style so be gentle and tell me why please so I at least understand for the future!
Cheers (A little confused!)
John
You've opened a can of worms there John ...
My perspective is more or less this, over time the cars have "developed", and over time the environment for making and selling cars has changed, so different things have become more and more relevant. By this I'm referring to things like emissions regulations, noise regulations, drive for cost efficiency, safety concerns and so on.
Together these have driven Porsche in particular ways and they have meant that some aspects of the car have changed and, indeed, had to change. For instance the change from air cooling to water cooling. This has meant that the noise and character of the car has changed materially. People who valued that (and note I'm not being judgmental here) will feel that the water cooled car is less "desirable" than the air cooled one. Yes the water cooled car is probably a bit quicker, and probably handles a bit "better", and the interior is reasonably logical, but that doesn't really matter, after all this is the heart talking.
There is also a view (which I repeat but do not claim to hold, as I simply do not have enough experience with the newer cars to comment) the drive for cost efficiency has meant that the newer cars are built as "good as they need to be" whereas the older cars were built "as good as they could be".
Together these things clearly affect the way people perceive each car and what they think of as their "favourite".
Anyway I will await the flaming.
As for my favourite Porsche? The one I'd most like to own - 993 RUF R Turbo in Speed Yellow with black leather.
Daniel
My benchmark for cars (and drivers) is the Nordschleife - it's how I think of how good a car is. Public road manners, autobahn speeds, comfort are all irrelevant - the Ring is where it's at (for me).
So - which is my favourite Porsche?
It's a dull and obvious answer (choosing the latest bit of kit), I guess, but it's the 996-GT3-MR. Why? Because it is a devastatingly good tool that gets the job done lap after lap and seems not to lack in any department. The standard GT3 is great, but the better handling and extra power of the MR make all the difference.
964RS - fantastic all round package, you get so much for so little, and the fact that in a 13 year old car you can keep the latest tech. honest amazes me.
993RS Clubsport - awesome handling, great fun, very fast - more rewarding than a 964RS, maybe?
Carrera GT - truely a magnificent car, it might be "better" than a GT3 on the Ring (in the right hands it is clearly faster), but I'd have to do a lot more laps to get there. Driving a CGT is so special, but you'd need to be very committed to drive it that hard on the Ring.
In addition the GT3-MR is fantastic on the public road too.
So, GT3-MR it is then
If only 
... and what about the older stuff - 73RS - love to try one, never have, maybe one day
So - which is my favourite Porsche?
It's a dull and obvious answer (choosing the latest bit of kit), I guess, but it's the 996-GT3-MR. Why? Because it is a devastatingly good tool that gets the job done lap after lap and seems not to lack in any department. The standard GT3 is great, but the better handling and extra power of the MR make all the difference.
964RS - fantastic all round package, you get so much for so little, and the fact that in a 13 year old car you can keep the latest tech. honest amazes me.
993RS Clubsport - awesome handling, great fun, very fast - more rewarding than a 964RS, maybe?
Carrera GT - truely a magnificent car, it might be "better" than a GT3 on the Ring (in the right hands it is clearly faster), but I'd have to do a lot more laps to get there. Driving a CGT is so special, but you'd need to be very committed to drive it that hard on the Ring.
In addition the GT3-MR is fantastic on the public road too.
So, GT3-MR it is then
If only ... and what about the older stuff - 73RS - love to try one, never have, maybe one day
danww said:
after all this is the heart talking.
Sorry but this makes me chuckle every time.
These are only Porsches in that they're German cars : these are pieces of engineering designed to satisfy a need expressed into a sum of functions.
That many of us here think our own Porsche is the best one pretty much reinforces the idea ours is what suits us best in what we personally need in terms of reliabilty, durability, performance, look, etc. That they provide fun is merely a bonus that has accidentally emerged as a result to multiple yet very respectable engineering efforts.
We can appreciate Porsches for the engineering excellence they deliver but liking one "from the heart" would show rather narrow motoring horizons.
>> Edited by Thom on Monday 6th June 19:45
Thom said:
after all this is the heart talking.
Sorry but this makes me chuckle every time.
These are only Porsches in that they're German cars : these are pieces of engineering designed to satisfy a need expressed into a sum of functions.
That many of us here think our own Porsche is the best one pretty much reinforces the idea ours is what suits us best in what we personally need in terms of reliabilty, durability, performance, look, etc. That they provide fun is merely a bonus that has accidentally emerged as a result to multiple yet very respectable engineering efforts.
We can appreciate Porsches for the engineering excellence they deliver but liking one "from the heart" would show rather narrow motoring horizons.
>> Edited by Thom on Monday 6th June 19:45
Obviously I was referring to other people there. I'm apply nothing but pure intellectual analysis when it comes to assessing cars.
(Note to self, remember to get me a Volvo)
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