911 [Hot!] 'Pure' Porsche 911 GT planned

[Sunny]

If true, awesome news indeed -

The new GT car will not be engineered specifically to set competitive lap times or provide a sensible means of daily transport. Instead, it will be set up to maximise feel, response and driver interaction. Crucially, it will mark the return of the manual gearbox to the 911 GT range for the first time since the demise of the 997 generation in 2011.

It is not clear what form the new car will take or when it will make its debut, but its existence stems from an acknowledgement within Porsche that making a car as fast as possible and as enjoyable to drive as possible are objectives now sufficiently distant from each other for no one model to be able to effectively bridge the divide.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/pure-porsche-911-gt-planned

Apparently the success of the GT4 taught them the folly of chasing speed at the expense of fun -

Why has Porsche decided to build the new 911 GT now after so many years without one? I think the reason is not to be found in any existing 911, but, conversely, the Cayman.

One of very few mistakes made by Porsche recently was to underestimate completely the demand for the Cayman GT4. It thought it would peak at around 2000 units, but in fact Porsche now privately reckons it could have sold as many as 3500 cars.

It can up production a bit but not by nearly enough to satisfy its prospects, and around 1000 Cayman GT4s that could have been sold look likely never to be built.

I’ve no doubt that it’s the unexpected popularity of the back-to-basics manual Cayman that convinced Porsche that people would want a 911 conceived along similar lines.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/blogs/new-cars/how-porsche-cayman-gt4-inspiring-new-911-gt

 

[bimmerjph]

I giggled with glee reading that article. I'm not ashamed to admit that.

I really hope its true.

 

[Porsche Guy]

This should be the approach to all 911s, not a GT special.

 

[marley71]

A base, base, clubsport type stripper car would be awesome...but accounting would find a way to pervert it. How could they resist, it would be so valuable on the resale side of things.?

 

[Sunny]

This should be the approach to all 911s, not a GT special.

I whole heartedly agree, but I doubt market reality will allow that.

 

[Makini]

So this is Porsche's GT-86?

 

[Porsche Guy]

I whole heartedly agree, but I doubt market reality will allow that.

It just depends how Porsche goes about making a more engaging car. It doesn't necessarily mean that it requires compromising on functionality or even comfort. They aren't mutually exclusive characteristics.

 

[Centurion]

It's comical that we will soon enter an era when we will have to pay a premium for a manual car over one with a dual clutch transmission.

 

[klier]

It's comical that we will soon enter an era when we will have to pay a premium for a manual car over one with a dual clutch transmission.

That has already happened. On some cars here in my country a manual costs more because the car becomes less efficient.

For instance, the new 340i manual is more expensive than a Sport Automatic with shifting paddles. (+ around €1.100)

With automatic transmission the 340i is class 'C', with manual gearbox it skips a few and is suddenly class 'E'. Class 'E' is is pretty bad:

 

[Wunderkind]

Porsche's Andreas Preuninger did say the additional investment in testing, development, and tuning required for a manual model was one of the reasons why a manual 911 GT3 RS is not offered. This will be the case for other manufacturers as well.

 

[klier]

Porsche's Andreas Preuninger did say the additional investment in testing, development, and tuning required for a manual model was one of the reasons why a manual 911 GT3 RS is not offered. This will be the case for other manufacturers as well.

Why? Maybe other brands will not be so cheap.