GT3 RS 4.0
06-12-2011, 08:51 PM
#61
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A lot of people do use them but they generally do not play on the same track at the same time as road cars. Formula are very low and when on the same track the drivers are very worried about being caught in the blind spot of others.
Having grown up around formula cars and given that I like working on cars I don't mind the service part. The cost of parts is a "depends". Some parts are more expensive or are consumed faster. The brake pads for instance are probably no more than those for the Porsche. The tires are cheaper but don't last long even by the standards of a GT3. The nice thing about the race cars is they are often very repairable. Ironically I know at least one person who raced FF back in the day because he said it was cheaper than a tin top. The issue being that any tin top crash was far harder and more expensive to fix.
Either way, when we start talking about ultimate driving machines it's worth noting that depending on what you define as ultimate a true race car might be a better choice.
Having grown up around formula cars and given that I like working on cars I don't mind the service part. The cost of parts is a "depends". Some parts are more expensive or are consumed faster. The brake pads for instance are probably no more than those for the Porsche. The tires are cheaper but don't last long even by the standards of a GT3. The nice thing about the race cars is they are often very repairable. Ironically I know at least one person who raced FF back in the day because he said it was cheaper than a tin top. The issue being that any tin top crash was far harder and more expensive to fix.
Either way, when we start talking about ultimate driving machines it's worth noting that depending on what you define as ultimate a true race car might be a better choice.
06-18-2011, 02:05 PM
#62
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Originally Posted by prj3ctm4yh3m' timestamp='1304035263' post='20518838
The engine is still in the wrong place. I wish they would develop a proper platform to this extent. Kudos to Porsche for refining something to the very ends of the earth (unlike Honda something or other), but the fact that the upgrades are so perfect makes it that much more tragic.
Could you imagine a Cayman or even an S2000 with Magnesium Center-lock wheels and 500 n/a HP? It would be the best car ever made. A reliable, standard-shift Ferrari.
Instead, they hamstring themselves on account of "Tradition" (356 carrera woo hoo) whilst they let their *real* tradition bleed out the tailpipes of Rebadged volkswagen SUVs and Fugly two-ton station wagons.
Could you imagine a Cayman or even an S2000 with Magnesium Center-lock wheels and 500 n/a HP? It would be the best car ever made. A reliable, standard-shift Ferrari.
Instead, they hamstring themselves on account of "Tradition" (356 carrera woo hoo) whilst they let their *real* tradition bleed out the tailpipes of Rebadged volkswagen SUVs and Fugly two-ton station wagons.
The 911 and it's predecessors have always been Porsche's premier sportscar. You want some other kind of engine configuration? Not hard to find...as EVERYONE ELSE will be glad to oblige you. To try and standardize the only iconic RR car in the market is asinine.
Your own armchair engineering comments are easily refutable; a rebuttal would be comprised of common knowledge here. I do want to point out that I am not deriding Porsche for developing the 911 to the extent it has. It would be like deriding Apple for having 5 iterations of the same Iphone. Both are technofascist* companies and thats the way it will always be.
--I am merely lamenting what an amazing chassis the Cayman is and how much it screams for more development (cayman R yes I know). And how the beancounters and laughable public tastes for "hierarchy" have pushed the dollars to the 911 chassis.
*technofascist-- planned obsolescence; measured release of marginal improvements just often enough to keep people hooked; artificial inflation of margins through agressive lifestyle marketing campaigns
06-18-2011, 03:16 PM
#63
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*technofascist-- planned obsolescence; measured release of marginal improvements just often enough to keep people hooked; artificial inflation of margins through agressive lifestyle marketing campaigns
06-19-2011, 09:18 AM
#65
Planned obsolescence? The 911? That's a surprising description in my view. New 911 models don't really seem to make the previous models obsolescent in the way that new iphones do. The 911's styling changes subtly; the cars last a long time; the hp bumps gradually; new electronics and amenities are not introduced blindingly fast. Oddly, I'm not arguing that Porsche isn't a technofascist company; just that the planned obsolescence aspect doesn't seem to fit in the same way.
06-19-2011, 11:29 AM
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Planned obsolescence? The 911? That's a surprising description in my view. New 911 models don't really seem to make the previous models obsolescent in the way that new iphones do. The 911's styling changes subtly; the cars last a long time; the hp bumps gradually; new electronics and amenities are not introduced blindingly fast. Oddly, I'm not arguing that Porsche isn't a technofascist company; just that the planned obsolescence aspect doesn't seem to fit in the same way.
The two mechanical things that stick out in my mind are the rear main seal problems in the M96 family of engines that seemed to persist throughout several model years and the delayed release of the DSG transmission. My moms VW got it before Porsche did; short of some engineering issue, I dont know why that would be. (the first 7s, much like the new mustang & and the 4.6/5.0, did not have it)
06-20-2011, 02:37 PM
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