Porsche 928, reborn!!

panamera front and a jaguar back

That is not a Porsche! It's not ugly enough. Beautiful overall but to be honest my first impression of the front end was "Chrysler LH Sedan"

God the original 928 was ugly, but I want to see another FR Porsche, sooo....

Eegh, are you saying that you want another lightweight autocross hero like the 914? I thought it was hideous.

The 914 is a great car, but it isn't attractive, that's for sure.

Answer to your question: YES, I want another lightweight autocross hero like the 914 *except in the looks department*!

ZDan, then would it be fair to say you want a Miata but with Porsche styling?

No, I want Porsche to build something more comparable in weight to an Elise/Exige than to a Corvette.

There's no reason for anyone else to build a Miata, Mazda already does! I'd just like for Porsche to get back to its roots and build some bare-bones minimalist sports cars again, rather than a whole slew of "sports cars" that are 3000 lb. and heavier (not to mention a 5000 lb. SUV and a well-over-4000 lb. luxobarge sedan).

I guess I don't really understand what you're asking for, then.

Mazda already makes the Miata, yes. (2480 lbs, base MSRP $22,750.)
But Lotus already makes the Elise, (1984 lbs, base MSRP $47,250) so what would be the point of Porsche building an Elise?
(The Boxster, btw, is 2943 lbs. Base MSRP $46,600.)

I'll say it again: I want Porsche to go back to building lighter-weight, more minimalist sports cars.

I didn't say they should build an Elise, I said: "I want Porsche to build something more comparable in weight to an Elise/Exige than to a Corvette."

Yup, about 265 lb. lighter than a Corvette, and 959 lb. heavier than an Elise/Exige.

This post has been edited by ZDan on Nov 2 2009, 04:08 PM

Yeah, which is why I brought up the Miata - at 2480 lbs, is it not that which you want? Compared to the Boxster, I'd say it's certainly a lighter weight, more minimalist sports car. (And in CSP trim, nearly as fast as a stock Elise! And it's definitely an autocross hero...)

In other words, I think that if Porsche built what you're asking for, wouldn't they basically end up with a Miata clone? Which isn't to say that it'd be a bad thing - it could very well prove to be a profitable car for VAG, then again maybe it'd tarnish the brand in purists' eyes, dunno - I just think that what you're looking for can already be found elsewhere.

Wow - somebody knows how to use photoshop and picked an XK as their choice in platform.

I like this concept better.

Similar in weight (preferably a bit lighter) yes. But I haven't specified front-engine roadster, so I don't see myself as asking for a "Porsche Miata".

If they *were* to do a new sub-2500 lb. car, I'd prefer a coupe. Front- mid-or rear-engined, rwd (of course).

The brand has already tarnished itself in the eyes of TRUE Porsche purists. A 5000-lb. SUV and 4000 lb. luxobarge are pretty much the antithesis of what *used* to be Porsche ideals. Porsche used to build cars that were fast not from huge power, but from being well-engineered and lightweight. They have strayed quite far from their minimalist/lightweight roots.

So just where *are* all the minimalist/lightweight, decent-power/weight sports cars? Only the Lotus twins come to mind. Miata's alright, but a bit down on power. And the S2000, but it's a bit overweight! Anyway, I'd prefer a coupe. So, yeah, please tell me, if what I want can be found already, point me in that direction! In the context of this thread regarding a vaguely possible new FR Porsche coupe, I'll say again: I'd prefer it if they made one closer to Elise/Exige weight than to Corvette weight! Nobody's building anything like that at the moment.

This post has been edited by ZDan on Nov 3 2009, 04:14 AM

You keep going on about how you need this particular car. There's already the Lotus Exige. Why don't you buy it? It's exactly what you're asking for, based on your weight and power requirements, as well as configuration (coupe).

Aside from the failed takeover attempt of VW, Porsche has done VERY well in recent years, which is attributable to the great customer acceptance of their products.

Have you driven a Cayman S? It doesn't feel heavy at all. Greater emissions and safety regs make it difficult and expensive to match the weight of a 40 year old Z car.

Like JonBoy said, if you're that obsessed w/ light weight at all costs, just go buy a Lotus. If that's too impractical, get a Miata (I know, you'll find fault or something not to like w/ each of those choices). No mfg. will take you seriously when you're driving such an old car.

I love Porsches, and think it's great that you can get much of the feel of one in a family/daily-oriented vehicle. The Cayenne's success has helped to fund a lot of great R&D which has benefitted its sports cars, and IMO that's nothing but a good thing.

that looks great!

The 928 was one of my childhood dream car (I didn't know how much they cost at the time )

I would love to buy the orig even now.

So baddddd........ want to make love to it.

If porsche made a miata clone, I'd probably pick it up. I think I would enjoy a miata, but given their stereotypes, i prefer to stick to 'cooler' cars like the S. heh
If porsche whipped out a miata clone, I'd pick one up. Given the price wasnt outrageous

Porsche and "outrageous price" are mutually inclusive with their sports cars. You'll always pay a lot more for their cars.

I might...

Still, I'd like to see Porsche focus its efforts more in the smaller/simpler/lighter/cheaper direction rather than bigger/heavier/more-powerful/more-luxurious direction.

More minimal/lightweight sports car options = more better...

Yeah, they tried to bite off a bit more than they could chew with that deal! Interestingly, VW seems FAR more interested in returning Porsche to smaller/lighterweight sports cars (perhaps a gasoline-engined BlueSport variant?) and retreating from the oversized/overweight SUV and luxobarge. Which is *fine* with me!

OK. I'm just saying that *I* wish that they'd spend their efforts more on something like a modern version of a 356 instead of massive SUVs and sedans. I don't think that would hurt their business at all, but even if it *did*, that's still what *I* would prefer them to do.

I've driven the Boxster, and I liked it. But the S2000 was way cheaper...
My Z weighs 2300 lb. I'll accept that a modern minimalist/lightweight Porsche with the tiniest modicum of utility (beyond that of the Elise/Exige) probably would weigh a bit more than that. But surely they could have done better than the 3000 or so pounds that the Boxster/Cayman weigh in at. Personally, I think those cars should've been positioned a bit further downmarket, with 4-cylinders, on 16/17" wheels instead of 18"/19". But again, that reflects my preference, not what I necessarily think would succeed in the market.

Fine, I'll keep driving the S and the 240Z

And, again speaking *only* for myself, I think that it's a shame they moved in that direction rather than moving downmarket from the Boxster/Cayman and giving minimalist sports car fans something significantly lighter than 3000 lb.

Again, IMO true Porsche sports car should be closer to the Exige/Elise in weight than to a Corvette!

One man's *opinion*!