Not yet but, the number 1 sports car manufacturer for the last 30 years could lose the title to Honda - possibly the best car manufacturer, should Honda decide to go for it.

Case in point: The S2000 - When Honda came out with this 4-cylinder sport car, it was superior in looks, engineering, performance and price to the Porsche 6-cylinder Boxster. Porsche's response in their S product was essentially to increase the engine volume - the simplest, unsophisticated, and oldest trick in the book, which befits a muscle car manufacturer.
Porsche did not or could not at a reasonable price, translate their vast racing experience in a street sports car, as Honda did in the S2000.

Mind you, the Boxster belongs to a group of 2nd class Porsche cars that always seemed to be an option to the 911, such as the 914/17, 944, 928.
Driving the latest 911...you may as well drive an STS; Quiet, fast with little road feel, computer aided driver, luxurious and expensive.
The 911 has come a long way since the days of the 74 911 RSR (I used to own and enjoy), they improved the fit and finish but it's a familiar thread, remember the Jag E-type, it basically went through the same evolution from a sport car to a luxury cruiser and became extinct.

Can Porsche compete if Honda comes out with a modern 2+2 RWD sport coupe with a 350HP 6-cylinder engine that weighs about 3000lbs and is priced at less than $50K?

Perhaps now that Porsche is entering the competitive SUV market, they wont focus so much on their sports car image, and market. Ferdinand is probably doing flips in his grave.

 

In some respects Porsche doesn't have to compete, they have the name Porsche. In others, I feel that the Porsche engineers are quite capable of producing anything they want. Your average Porsche buyer is looking for performance, but it may not be as big a factor as you seem to think. In the same respect, Porsche doesn't like to be outdone in any way either, but then again, this bar of performance has no end.

 

Mike2K -- I agree with everything you say except for the 928 being second class to the 911!

 

I agree with you, sbarbera. I don't think the 928 was ever designed to be "better" than the 911. On the contrary, I think it was designed as more of a GT automobile; an alternative to the sheer beastlyness of the 911, and not as a pure sports car.

In reply to the original post, I don't really think Porsche worries that much about Honda, anyway. I'm sure in their mind they cater to a different type of customer.

 

Porsche cars are still the benchmark - they are what I compare other sportscar car to. That includes both Boxster2.7 and S. BoxsterS is in some ways a perfect car for someone who wants a 'performace' roadster. It has everything that S2000 has, and on top of that it has better brakes, a touch more top end and very good bottom end (which the S2000 does not really have). Also, this is arguable, but the BoxsterS has a better sorted chassi 'out of the box' - S2000 has either a too soft back or not stiff enough front-antiroll bar (this is really just from what I read in magazines and here, not my own opinion). Besides that it has the name and hence keeping it's value on it's side. Also, the interior is better in the Boxster (in particualar the dash).

S2000 has the 'redline' and price in it's favour. Looks are subjective, I think both cars are stunning. Also, due to some of S2000's handling vices, the car is more involving to drive (which can be an advantage).

Honda has done a brilliant job, after all, here we have a car that competes with BoxsterS, but the S2000 still has some areas that can be improved on. I'd say that BoxsterS has everythig in the 'superlative' category (not that it can't get better as well). S2000 has several 'superlatives' but some things are still just 'OK' and some I'd even say not that geat.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by S2Kguy
[B]In some respects Porsche doesn't have to compete, they have the name Porsche.

 

Just to give you a sense of the type of people that are buying the Boxster S more Boxsters get shipped with the optional heated seats than the 030 (stiffer) sports frame.

 

Porsche is a pure sports car manufacturer Honda is not but this is what happened when Honda decided to enter the sports car arena ..

When is the last time Porsche won an F1 Championship???
-The few years Honda got actively involved in F1 (late 80's - early 90's), they won more championships than Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes, and BMW COMBINED.. placing 2-3 teams in the top 4 a few times !!! Not only they won, they have the engineering know hows to translate that technology

For 85K, Porsche gives you a great sports car. Honda WILL give you a SUPERCAR. The NSX still possess the combination of engineering, performance, handing, and drivability that most Ferrari engineers can only dream of. Also, what kind of roadster do you think Porsche can turn out for $33K ???

The problem with Japanese manufacturers i think is that they don't dedicate enough resources into sports cars... The Skylines never got exported, RX7 and Z got canned too early to have a heritage... Can you imagine Porsche killed the 911 brand when it didn't sell at times in its history?

 

When was the last time Porsche won the F1 Championship? Well it was the last time that they 'entered' F1 ... it was in late 80s I think and McLaren was powered by Porsche engines. They dominated the F1 scene (won 2 or 3 championships in a row) until they decided they had enough and left. I think this was the time when Prost and Senna were driving as teammates for McLaren.

Same with BMW - last time they were in F1 they dominated. This was in early 80s (maybe mid 80s) and They powered Brabhams. Piquet drove for them that and again for the period of time they were there they dominated and won 2-3 championships in a row until they decided they had enough and left.

I'm sure that any 'established' car manufacturer can produce the 'best' F1 engine if they put enough money and effort in to it ... just like BMW, Porsche, Honda and Mercedez have proved.


As far as NSX vs BoxsterS - personally I'd take the BoxsterS hands down. to me it's a better package. There's not that much between them accleration wise (edge to NSX though), handling edge will go to BoxsterS. Though, the bearbox is better in the BoxsterS and to me NSX now looks dated. When the new NSX comes out in a year or so, things could (and probably will) be different.