ive been thinking about the cayman alot as i like the boxster alot as well. i am trying to decide if the cayman will canibalize too many sales from the 911..in this thought process i have concluded(perhaps wrongly) that there are two basic types of people who will buy a porsche 1) those who like driving awesome cars, which porsches are, those who are true enthusiasts and b) those who want a name...although i have no means of knowing how they are split, i would assume (again perhaps wrongly) that the majority are enthusiasts in which case, the mid engine, lighter, better balanced cayman will steal some sales..although the name people will certainly snap up the 911 due to the name/cost..although i cant fathom as to why porsche would put out this car if they didnt already think this through, since this car has the potential to really wreck 911 sales, or are they seeing it as a stepping stone into the brand..what are your thoughts

 

My thoughts on the perfect Porsche lineup:

The Boxster and Boxster S. Much like they are today, drop top and all. For those people with a more limited budget.

The 911. Mid engine, two door, two seats, fixed roof. Basically, the Cayman with all the 911 goodies (3.4, 3.6, and turbo engines. GT2 and GT3 variants. Club, Cup and Le Mans racing. Etc etc.) This is the car the true driving enthusiasts should get. A 911 doesn't have to have a rear engine to be called a 911 in my opinion.

The 928 (or some new name.) Front mounted V8 n/a and turbo engines, AWD, two doors, four seats. Similar prices to 911 and up, but more luxury oriented. (Although can still be used for racing I suppose.) This is what the people who want Porsche as a name should get.

Cayenne. Keep it like it is. Luxury plus practical minus sport performance. Just so long as it can tow a race car with trailer, and provide cash-flow to the factory.

Carrera GT. The god of all road cars.

 

I see:

Cayman = Elise (sports car).
911 = M3 (GT car) But a very sporty GT car.

Cayman should be more of a drivers car less of statement about your net worth.

If people wanted performance, the GT3 would be the best seller it's not much more expensive than a C4S btw. People may want to look like a racer but really all they want is the looks (or name) of a sports car in a GT car.

 

^ btw see my sig thats for the Cayman

Anyway been thinking, whats the feeling about 911 v CS ? Take away the name and give them both the same engine which one would be the better car??

or

Forget the boxster coupe, save the development money and give us a stripped-out de-contented 911 (lighter) cheaper (less features plus you don't have to spend $500M on R&D and marketing for a new line).


BUT IMO its about numbers: 911 + Boxster < 911 + Boxster + SUV < 911 + Boxster + SUV + Cayman

Basically the more units sold the better unless your Ferrari. Porscheh may be missing some sales to GM or Nissan or MB or whoever b/c they don't have a cheaper/smaller coupe than the 911.

 

Anyone have official or good pics? They're doing a pretty good job of keeping under wraps, even after officially announcing it.

 

I agree, to an extent, but with these changes...Coupe version of boxter remains (ie Cayman). 911 Moves to a flat-8 engine (it'll happen soner or later, the GT3 already has a 3.8l engine right?) and that flat-8 moves a little forward in the chassis, eliminating the rear seats. This takes the rear-vs.mid-engine arguement and meets half-way...Afterall, there are braking and acceleration advantages to be had with a little more mass over the rear axel. Target weight dist. of perhaps 43-57 or so....

For your 928, lets make it RWD and AWD, otherwise I agree.

If they have a FR platform, why not make a nice sports sedan with the same powertrains as that 928? (or, a long shot, make a nice rear/mid engined sedan based on the 911...i don't know how feasible or desireable this is, but it seems to me that its weight distribution wud be no worse than the current 911, and it wud give the car some amazing acceleration/braking numbers for a sports sedan)

And about the Cayenne...lose all the off-roading suspension hardware and drop a good 1000 pounds...Its supposed to be PORSCHE SUV after all, lets get it more focused on on road sport and versatily

 

Describing the 911 as being about net worth indicates that one buys into the nonsense you hear on the streets (buying a Porsche because a certain organ lacks size). There are many types of Porsche buyers - some back up the stereotypes. There are others, who are avid members of the PCA, who autocross and or Track regularly - and those who tell you they've bought one to race because it's the only car they can afford to race at higher levels (the cars can actually be cheaper to race than some 'cheaper' cars). If you buy a Porsche and are one of the latter groups, you will always have to suffer being compared with the former.

...who really cares? If you're out getting the diving turn right at Lime Rock or finishing what seems to be a perfect autocross run (in my case to see you're still behind the fast guys ), it's all worth it. If you're a member of the 'look' at me crowd -well I guess you got what you paid for anyway *shrug*.

Porsches are NOT going to get cheap because they de-content them - even when they improved the manufacturing process with the help of the Japanese in time for the 996, they noted they would not drop prices - just roll savings into better R&D. Those who don't like that buy other cars and think Porsche fans are fools. Personally