How might Porsche move the 911's engine?

I'm new to the scene here, but I sense that Cayman owners seem to think the 911 's engine is in the wrong place for a modern sports car. Let's pretend we're at a big strategy meeting at Porsche - the subject is "How do we get away from this rear engine situation without messing up the 911 mystique?" Someone might say at this meeting, "Do it in stages over 15-20 years. Keep moving the engine forward relative to the axles. When everyone is wondering whether the car is still rear engine or not, we spin the whole drivetrain around 180 degrees. One more small jump forward and we're there. Meanwhile, make the interior configurable, with or without the rear seats; then drop the option. If this strategy works, people will speak of the old rear-engine cars with the same nostalgia they had in 2013 about air cooling. "Oh, we can't have the 981 occupying the same place, so we gotta be moving it in another direction, more Miata -like or something. Or just drop it." What would you suggest at this meeting? Remember, the marketing guys will have the spears at this meeting.

No way to do it incrementally. No half measures. At least not without designing and building a very convoluted and inefficient drive-train. Unless you have a transverse engine, the tranny can only be in one of two places: in front of the engine (ala 911) behind the engine (986/987/981) Since the axles attach to the differential, which is attached to the tranny, the engine can only be forward of the axles (mid-engine) or aft of the axles (rear-engine). I guess you could do something more creative but the geometry would ruin the sports car handling and add weight. Since the mid-engine design requires space in front of the rear wheels, you give up the (useless) extra seats/storage in the cockpit, but gain a rear trunk. So a mid-engine 991/911 would essentially be a 981. If you still wanted the space behind the seats, you could stretch it out by increasing the wheel base. Then you'd have a stretched 981. Back to the OP idea, a mid-engine 911 couldn't be evolutionary over a period of time. It would have to be done in one fell swoop. It would be a (presumably) bigger and more expensive 981.

A mid-engined 911 would end up looking like a Panamera . Total non-starter.

I once did a small interview with Walter Rohrl and asked him about how he felt the 911 might develop in the future (this would be five or six years ago). He replied that he found the idea os swapping around the engine and transmission 'intriguing'...

Put it mid engine and call it the 2014 Cayman S. Quoted from " 10 Ways the 2014 Porsche Cayman Is Better Than the 911 ": "So when we asked Dr. Martin Constien, team leader for engine development, the difference between the 2014 Porsche Cayman S's 3.4-liter 325-horsepower flat-6 and the base 911's identically sized but 25-hp-lustier mill, he said: "Basically, nothing. They're the same."

Actually the 991 had its engine moved closer to mid section, If I recall correctly, by 3 inches. Porsche is not dumb, they know a pure mid engined design is ideal, specially with inherent low CG provided by a flat engine, marketing and a dogmatic view is what keeps this circus going.

They will never move it. The 911 has kept the rear engine for 50 years, it's a distinctive sign of the 911 . They may move it a few inches but a 911 can't become mid engined, the purist would become offended. I believe they may try with some clever tricks to mitigate the effect of a rear engine, as they probably do everytime they release a new model, but that's all Sent with Tapatalk

When Porsche went to water cooling there were some pretty offended people. But here we are, and people still think a Porsche is a Porsche. The 911 motor has been inching forward with every model update. But Im not sure if it will ever jump the line to a mid-engine.

Actually, Porsche is trying to make the 981 's rear engined. The transaxel output shafts are rearward of the rear wheel centerlines. Making it MORE rear weight biased! I'm soooooo confused.

What's a 911 ? Do they still make those? I thought those quit being relevant in the 1980's.... :hilarious: