it's actually true believe it or not.

thats what exotic materials do for you. one of the reasons its such a popular swap into other cars (as bastardizing as it is) like RX7's, etc.

I agree that the 911 needs more weight loss than muscle. It will help in all departments. Ditch the second SUV idea though.. please

 

I really think that weight saving materials are going to take a priority now. Look at what has happened with 600c to 1000 cc bikes over the last 10 years. Steel is used at a minimum. Magnesium, Aluminium, Titanium, Carbon Fiber, as stressed functional elements, rather than design elements.

 

I doubt Porsche will abandon the flat 6 concept since it's such an essential part of the Porsche soul. Rather there'll be small increases in displacement (although we're obviously close to the max ~4 L) and refinements of the engine design itself. Much like BMW does; they keep pushing more bhp / torgue with every new version of their engines although the displacement #'s stay the same. And Porsche must add lightness to the 911, or at least not let it get any heavier compared with previous versions.

A new 928 would be the perfect 'excuse' for incorporating a V8 into a Porsche coupe so they would have that issue tackled as well.

I'm pretty sure the GT2 will outperform the CGT since it must if Porsche wants to stay on top of the high performance game.

A smaller SUV would not be a good idea IMO, Porsche should really watch out for making the same mistake MB has: especially in Europe MB has so many models that their offer really is too complex and waters the brand down too much. So yes Porsche can diversify but only to a certain level because you can only 'stretch' the Porsche brand so much before it starts loosing its purity.

 

Pefectly said

 

BMW's M cars are making dramatic changes. V8 for M3, V10 for M5...all of them used to use inline 6's dont forget. BMW's moved on and most people are complaining about the lines of the car - not missing the wonderful inline 6 engine.

Porsche is in the business to make money. That means staying on par with market demands and if that translates into a flat 8 for the 911 it will happen. However there is plenty life left in the flat 6 IMO to where we can see 355hp base models, 380hp S models and a wee bit more for the X packages.

Reducing weight is getting harder and harder with all the growing safety requirements. Hell, designing a front end you have to now take into consideration pedestrian safety so who knows what that will do to the front end design of the 911 down the road?

 

I agree with your post, but have to point out that as the m3 goes I6 to V8, the m5 went V8 to V10. I think that porsche should use the F6 for one more generation. I mean come on, a 355 hp car that runs mid 12s bone stock and handles better than 95% of the cars out there. the base Carrera should be 381 hp and the next Carrera S should be the 415 hp GT3 engine and the GT3 should be a 4.0 ltr with somewhere close to 450 hp. i think that would be a damn good set-up. then you start the base turbo at 500, the turbo S at 540-550 and the GT2 at 600-610. then you come out with a successor the CGT, a GT1 with 950 hp and theres your line up for the 911s and limited production car.

 

The end of the flat 6 boxer engine is definitely coming. Porsche engineers have already noted that the 4.0 litre mark is the physical maximum for that engine design. I've heard that the Carrera 1000 will be the last model with the flat six.

 

Carrera 1000?

 

So we still have 3 more model series to go? (997 not included)

 

I wasn't referring to the M's but rather the 'normal' Bimmers, BMW manages to make significant increases in power output of their engines while keeping displacement numbers equal.

Why put a V8/F8 in a 911 if its design has always been based around a flat 6? Like I mentioned in my earlier post, Porsche could design a 928 sucessor if they want to offer a coupe equipped with a V8. If you take in consideration Porsche's history you'll find that in the past Porsche has often increased performance output of its engines solely by improvements of engine design, engine management systems etc. rather than by enlarging the the displacement. Besides I don't believe you need a lot more power every time there's a new 911 around the corner, look at what Lotus is doing with a light car and a high-revving 1.8. Stick to the original 911 concept: a sufficiently engined - but certainly not overpowered - light and nimble sportscar.

I agree however that while in some respects it is already a hard time for most sportscar manufacturers, it will only get worse as more idiotic legislation is getting approved. Treehuggers everywhere are doing their best to get beautiful cars killed for no good reason.

 

I think Porsche has really gone by the way of not enlarging the engine displacement i mean come on, the 99-2001 were 3.4 liters and here in 2007 we have the C2S running a 3.8 liter almost 10 years later. a .4 liter increase is not a lot to me but yet, the C2s has 55 more hp than the 99-2001 models. Id say thats exactly the way they have done it and its worked, because they are STILL the company and the the 911 is STILL the car that everyone wants to emulate and become more like. they are STILL the benchmark. I mean look at other car companies. take bmw for example, since we have been talking about them. the m3, in just over 10 years will have increased displacement(this includes the new e92 m3 coming out soon) .8 liters(2X that of the 911) and 178 hp(over 2X that the the hp increase from the 911). so porsche has increased .4 liters and 55 hp to stay ahead of the pack, and the m3 has increased .8 liters and 178 hp to keep up. i think Porsche will keep using the F6 and will stay above the industry with it.

 

Oh yea, god damn tree huggers!

 

M5 had a straight six before the E39, then V8 then V10. All amazing engines.
PorscheC4 has the right idea and it would work for Porsche and the potential buyers. While the 911 still has the entire package to win on the track the majority never see the track and thats where 0-60 and HP figures tend to come into the equation.

The new Esprit, R8 and the entry level Ferrari and perhaps Astons of tomorrow (lighter models is the plan according to the mags) are all going to chip away at 911 sales and all look way better on paper with V8's +

 

I didnt realize you were dating that far back in the m5 series.
I dont think a v8 sounds more appealing than the Porsche F6. it produces as much hp if not more or very close than all the v8s. looks at the aston martin v8 vantage. the carrera s CRUSHES that car even without the extra .4 liters of displacement and the 25 hp and all the tq it doesnt have. its quick, faster, handles better on the street or a track, looks better, what more do you need? i think the Porsche F6 alone is reason enough to find the vehicle appealing in addition to the gorgeous looks and all the other things it does better than every one elses car aimed at it. maybe the v8 looks better on paper, but who cares, in the real world, they cannot touch Porsche.

 

+1 Was thinking about bringing the Vantage up, while I love that car it is the perfect example that you'll need to bring more than more horsepower & torgue if you want to win a fight with the 911. Porsche has the handling department covered and the car as a concept is as close to perfect as makes no difference. And that is something you will notice both on the road and track.