Does NO ONE around here understand the 911? It's rear engined, and Porsche have said publicly it will never be mid-engined. Porsche have also said the 911 will never have a V8, or a flat-8. If you don't understand tradition and what it means go by a new generation VW Beetle.

Easy...Easy....Le Chef.....we are having a fantasy here and Jessica Alba just sat in my lap...and you go and wake me up....somebody needs a hug!

but you do have a realistic point..it's all about sales and marketing and the 911 brand is so established and gains more sales each year....I'm sure they don't want to screw that up.....but we can dream.....

Hmm, a flat 8. Has such a thing even been done outside of the realm of aircraft engines?

The ALMS Porsche 3.4 8 cylinder is a flat 8 meaning the cylinders are horizonally opposed ....just like a Ferrari engine..the purpose is to keep weight and the center of gravity as low as possible....and yes Porsche has made aircraft engines as well......tanks, tractors, etc....

Porsche raced flat-8 engined cars over 30 years ago - it's part of their DNA. Ferrari OTOH have never produced a flat-8, but have produced flat-12's (see Ferrari 312 F1 race car and 512 Berlinetta Boxer road car.

Btw the ALMS car is a V8, not a flat-8.

In my opinion, Porsche should use the Gallardo/R8 platform for 998, which should be possible given their other joint projects with VW Group (Cayenne/Toureg/Q7 all same platform). They need a V8 to keep up with the competition, its as simple as that. Every car in their category has at least 420hp+ V8's (M3, RS4, Vette, C63 AMG, etc), while 911 only as 350hp. For 2+2 car, they could make a panamera coupe, so 911 will basically be their hardcore 2-seat sports car instead of a GT it is now.

Here is what I think they should do as far as engines:
Base 911: N/A V8 430hp+
911 Turbo: Twin-turbo V8 600hp+
911 GT2: N/A V10 or V12 700hp+
Next Porsche Supercar: Twin-turbo V10 or V12 900hp+

^ Sorry dude. But you know nothing about Porsches. Just go purchase an R8 if that's what you want. But every guy on the street with a 997S will kick your *** in every category.

I know nothing about Porsche? What rock have you been living under? Every single comparison that Audi R8 was put against a 911, it won. Just to name a few:

Car and Driver
997 turbo VS Audi R8
R8= 1st place
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...st+page-4.html


Motor Trend
997 4S vs Audi R8
R8 = 1st place
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/..._dynamics.html


Top Gear
"R8 is a better car"
Audi R8= 1:24.4
911 S = 1:26.2
http://youtube.com/watch?v=zI8ChK3xQDs&feature=related
^ That is 2 seconds per lap faster "dude", which is a huge difference in performance.

DrivenMag.com
"R8 is superior"
http://youtube.com/watch?v=JTgtHb3hLsA&feature=related


Fifth Gear
"you should definitely put your name down for an R8"
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dJW3mbROXJQ


911 is an amazing car, but a V8 mid-engined platform is far superior to a 6-cylinder rear-engined platform. Porsche cannot be using the same platform forever, they have to evolve. If not, they will continue to be outperformed.

Keep in mind that the R8 is the biggest car that Audi has... and in Racing the R10 Diesel car..... both get demolished by Porsches GT3, GT2, and CG, the race car, the RS Spyder just eats their race car...

Buy an R8 and then re-sell in 2 years for nothing....buy a PORSCHE 911 and keep a jewel! no need to sale....its a PORSCHE!

I like the idea of the Cayman with the 3.4L ALMS motor. They could offer two engine choices, NA and forced induction. By the way, the 3.4L ALMS is a V8, not horizontally opposed. Seen it with my own eyes at Rennsport Reunion III and St. Pete Grand Prix. But, don't take my word for it, Google it. It is one heck of a motor mated to a sequential gearbox. Man, a Cayman with a twin turbo 3.4L ALMS motor would be a rocket! It also seems like a whole lot of development for something they aren't gonna use. I bet we see it in a road car before long. With the new CAFE standards, that would be the better way to go. Light car with small TT motor. Nobody does it better than Porsche!

Wow, how come every single video of 997 vs. R8 on Youtube shows the 997 winning in every category? I guess in real life (not in loser car mags) the 997 is the better car. Sorry pal, but I'd rather live in the real world.

Could you post a link to a video showing 997 beating a R8? I showed you five different independent sources showing R8 outperform a 997, you showed me zero. You can't get much real than a same day, same track, same professional driver (Stig, who knows the track better than anyone) run these cars back to back on track and R8 win by two seconds. Almost everyone who has driven both cars preferred the mid-engined layout of the R8. Have you even driven the R8? I'm guessing not....

I take it you are referring to the RS Spyder. It does not have a flat 8, but rather a V8.

http://www.porsche.com/uk/motorsport...ogyandconcept/

Looks like I stand corrected...you can't beat documentation from Porsche herself...I'm just surprised...I would have thought a boxer engine with hoziontally opposed cylinders would have a lower center of gravity there fore be better.....oh well...I've only been an automotive engineer for 2 weeks since I got my certificate off the internet....