This next generation of 911 the 991 is going to be around for a long, long time. Instead of the usual 6 years it's going to be around for 14 years!
TOPSPEED
I'm 37 now. That means I won't see the next generation till I'm 50!!!!
Don't worry, when you're 50, the 911 won't look any different than it does now.
Holy Smokes Dr. Jones! Maybe Porsche will be using their extra "free time" to come out with some new supercars like the 959, GT1, Carrera GT, 918 Spyder, or some more "attainable" supercars...perhaps we'll see a Porsche wagon! :taunt:
No, I've got it! They will be using their free time to fully develop the Cayman to it's maximum potential i.e. RUF CTR3 :dance:
Wow, that's a long time. I wonder if they'll change their minds somewhere down the road.
51 actually hawc, but that's OK. I did not buy my first "New" Porsche till I was 52. This may signal the end of life for the 911 as we know it. By then it may become a mid engined car. No one really uses those rear seats any way.
except for its jet engine and wings
Panamera coupe will replace 911
Cayman will be offered in all 911 configurations
Next 911 will be mid-engined.
I don't know why this surprises anyone. The current configuration will have been in production for exactly the same amount of time since 1997 in Europe and 1998 here. The 996 MkI and MkII lasted through 2004 and the 997.1 and 997.2 is still running, and will in fact overlap 991 production for the next 2 to 3 years in the same manner as before, with 997 Turbo's and certain GT's running well into 2014 in their current platform. The 991 platform will undergo engine upgrades and there will be at least one mid-model upgrade and then a major upgrade in about 6 or 7 years, just exactly as the current basic 996/997 platform.
And anyone who wants to argue that the 997 is distinctly different than a 996 should look deeper than sheet metal and headlights. Especially since it shared the same internal engineering and internal powerplant architecture as the 996. The last generation of 911 lasted that long (1974-1989). The 964 was an extension of the 911. And the 993 was the transition model to get us used to the 996 et al styling and engineering coming forward.
The 991 is the next big move forward since it changes the basic platform and the engines simultaneously. But I doubt that Porsche will allow it to stagnate anymore than any previous 911 family.
And those Panamera & Cayman generations will share their platform with a VW, Skoda and Audi too. Engines will also come from VW, probably all using the FWD platform, only reversed for some rear/mid-engined models.
That just based on how VW hasn't kept any other brands it's bought 'original', they've just pilfered and sucked up brand value according to marketing department (and bean counter) needs. Bentley=Phaeton, Gallardo=shameful mee-too version of Ferrari 360 plus 'engine sharing' with Audi...
Then again, I've heard something about the financial arrangements meaning that Porsche WOULD have the upper hand in relation to VW Group after all??
