Monday 21st August 2006

Porsche shows off new metal

Four new cars will display in Paris

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Porsche GT3 RS undergoes 'Ring tests

Porsche will show four new models at the Paris Motor Show “Mondial de l’Automobile”, from 30 September until 15 October 2006. Porsche was conspicuously absent from the London Show last month.

The metal on show for the first time includes the 911 Targa 4S, the 911 GT3 RS, the Cayman and the Boxster S with new engines.

R&D boss Wolfgang Dürheimer said: “We are delighted to be represented in Paris by these top-class new vehicles. The wide scope of the products shows that we are always working on further developing our sports cars and are continually searching for improvements.“

With the 325bhp 911 Targa 4 and the 355bhp 911 Targa 4S, Porsche is displaying two new versions of the 997 series, which for the first time are being offered exclusively with permanent all-wheel drive and a body 44mm wider at the rear. Like the 996, the cars boast a large glass roof and a foldaway rear window. The Targa 4S will reach dealers in November.

October sees the GT3 RS's European launch. Aimed at the race track, the high-revving engine of the RS has a displacement of 3.6 litres and produces 415bhp at 7,600 rpm -- it redlines at 8,400 rpm.

The Boxster and Boxster S also celebrate their public premiere in Paris. The Boxster's 2.7-litre engine now develops 245bhp, just five bhp up, although fuel consumption is down. The Boxster S engine, bored out to 3.4 litres from 3.2, develops 295bhp at 6,250 rpm -- 15bhp more than the previous model.

The new Boxster coupé Cayman -- it arrived last month -- was rolled out. The car, which may have characterised as disappointing and over-priced, has a 2.7-litre engine that develops 245bhp.

^{Photo by Sebastian Geisler}

[Adam B]

"The Boxster and Boxster S also celebrate their public premiere in Paris.
The new Boxster coupé Cayman -- it arrived last month -- was rolled out."

does this really count as new cars? hardly

[martyn748]

There designers know there on to a good thing buy never doing any work!!!

[beanbag]

Oh look! It looks exactly the same as the rest.

Is it me or is anyone thinking Porsche really need to redesign their range

[satans worm]

Why? they sell all the cars they can make and the most profitable car company around, I'd say they were doing something right!

[rob05]

I'm afraid to say that i agree and have felt for some time that Porsche are not being adventurous enough.
To many different variants of the same cars is really the problem that's why when new models are announced no one is really that blown away anymore.
This seems to be it for the foreseeable future having said that who would turn up there nose at any new 911 given the chance,not me thats for sure.

[Ottocyclist]

Has this not been ripped straight off sniff petrol!?

[Dr S]

You read an exciting headline just to discover that it's just a few engine tweaks and some models that have been announced yonks ago...

I guess that the Porsche marketing department discovered how they can maximise publicity from adding minor modifications to their cars by going through an elaborate multiple announcement, pre-/mid-/post-launch campaign cycle and spreading all this over different media...

[satans worm]

You dont think it is just poor journalism then? After all, the extract is not from Porsche is it?

[r988]

beanbag said:

Oh look! It looks exactly the same as the rest.

Is it me or is anyone thinking Porsche really need to redesign their range

Careful, thats what they said about BMW and look how that turned out.

[Adam B]

satans worm said:

You dont think it is just poor journalism then? After all, the extract is not from Porsche is it?

which was my point really, fine if Porsche give the base Boxster an extra 5hp, thanks for practically nothing and all that, but to then call it a new model......? laughable

and same goes for BoxS and a Cayman with smaller engine

[davy9449]

Ask yourself this. Do you reckon Porsche sales will drop as a result? Can you think of a better performing car you can buy with the performance, reliability and looks for the price? (Refering particularly to the 911!) Exactly!
Don't get me wrong, I think they are being stingy here and there, but you can't dispute the facts.
Also, are Porsche calling the Boxster mods a 'new model.?? I thought the new model was the one released early this year.

Edited by davy9449 on Monday 21st August 18:35

[ED965]

beanbag said:

Oh look! It looks exactly the same as the rest.

Is it me or is anyone thinking Porsche really need to redesign their range

Yes, they look similar but why repair something thats not broken?
There's always the same comments re 911's but every manufacturer worth their salt users the 911 as the bench mark, i see Aston Martin developed their latest model on "the ring" and still it couldn't out class the poker in any area when you read the reports. Wouldn't mind an Aston though!

[Bodo]

martyn748 said:

There designers know there on to a good thing buy never doing any work!!!

[taurian]

I for one think it's incredible that porsche vehicles have looked more or less the same for the past thousand years and everyone still loves them, infact when they changed the front lights people cried out to put it back. The money they save on design goes into perfecting a platform that they've been milking since just a bit after Jesus died. It's hard for me to imagine anyone stepping up and beating them at their own game just cause they've been doing it for so long with so little to distract them. I don't even think they make all the cars they have in their line-up, just the one's people really buy. When you order a targa they probably have to make one up on the spot. If i was even thinking about getting a porsche in my mind there is only the turbo, gt3, carrera s, caymen s, boxter, and suv (name eludes me). The rest are just variations and look nice but i'd never consider. Who wants a caymen that isn't the s or any porsche without the chrono sport pack. You wouldn't buy the boxter s cause if you had the money to get the s you'd just buy a caymen s or a genuine 911. Porsche in my opinion was years ahead of its time by making a design thats so easy to update without actually redrawing and focusing on the performance of their performance vehicle rather than widening their product line with half built cars on trendy cues and fashions.

[sorrento205]

saw the new 997 GT3RS last weekend at the ring, it gathered much intrest, as you would expect!





Back to back with the outgoing model



The rest of my pictures from the weekend www.wpce.org/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=32

[beanbag]

ED965 said:

beanbag said:

Oh look! It looks exactly the same as the rest.

Is it me or is anyone thinking Porsche really need to redesign their range

Yes, they look similar but why repair something thats not broken?
There's always the same comments re 911's but every manufacturer worth their salt users the 911 as the bench mark, i see Aston Martin developed their latest model on "the ring" and still it couldn't out class the poker in any area when you read the reports. Wouldn't mind an Aston though!

Regardless if the porker outclasses the Aston on the ring, I'd go for the Aston any day!

[silver993tt]

beanbag said:

ED965 said:

beanbag said:

Oh look! It looks exactly the same as the rest.

Is it me or is anyone thinking Porsche really need to redesign their range

Yes, they look similar but why repair something thats not broken?
There's always the same comments re 911's but every manufacturer worth their salt users the 911 as the bench mark, i see Aston Martin developed their latest model on "the ring" and still it couldn't out class the poker in any area when you read the reports. Wouldn't mind an Aston though!

Regardless if the porker outclasses the Aston on the ring, I'd go for the Aston any day!

That't fine if you fancy a very overpriced Ford. Even the engines are made in the same plant in Cologne. The Aston is a pure marketing phenomena and should be at least half the price considering the buying and marketing powers of Ford.

What you have to consider is that the only "Aston" part of the car is the word on the badge. The same with Jaguar, just a Ford brand name now.

Edited by silver993tt on Tuesday 22 August 07:49

[Narvanath]

Is it me or does that look like a stretch beetle?

[Marki]

rob05 said:

I'm afraid to say that i agree and have felt for some time that Porsche are not being adventurous enough.

And when they are adventurous as with the Cayenne they get a slagging off

[beanbag]

Marki said:

rob05 said:

I'm afraid to say that i agree and have felt for some time that Porsche are not being adventurous enough.

And when they are adventurous as with the Cayenne they get a slagging off

Yes but then there's adventurous and downright ugly!