After decades of development, you would think there isn't much more performance to be had out of the Porsche 911. "Nonsense!" say the engineers in Weissach, there is always another kilogram to cut.
The chart below lays out the differences between last year's Porsche 911 Turbo and the latest 2010 Turbo. Note the lap time from the Nurburgring, a solid 10 seconds quicker. Not bad.
2009 Frankfurt Auto Show: 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo
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fuhteng says:
11:22 AM, 10/16/09
That is amazing. I know there is someone on this board who said they didn't like the new engine, something about not being from the Carrera GT family tree. I'm not arguing the merits, but I wonder if he is as impressed with all the other numbers as I am.
bankerdanny says:
11:53 AM, 10/16/09
20mpg for the auto. Not bad for a 200+mph supercar.
felonious says:
12:45 PM, 10/16/09
I have to admit, that is very impressive. Those engineers should be proud.
Great argument for evolution over revolution, too.
bankerdanny says:
02:07 PM, 10/16/09
Once again though I wonder why Porsche gets praised for various versions of the 911, which are instantly recognizable as 911's (and I think this is a VERY good thing by the way), while Ford gets slammed by many for the evolutionary design of the 2010 Mustang.
Why is it good that Porsche chooses to retain 40+ year old style cues but it is lazy when Ford does the same?
desmolicious says:
04:50 PM, 10/16/09
Cuz ya can't find rows of Porsches filling rental car lots?
;P
Actually I think it's all in the detailing, a luxury that is not afforded to a non lux car.
cwc1 says:
07:33 PM, 10/16/09
I think it's about expectations. People expect evolutionary styling from the 911. If it were radically changed, most traditional Porsche enthusiasts wouldn't consider it a 911 or even a Porsche, and would shun it. That happened with the 928, which was originally intended to replace the 911. Yet the 911 has outlived it. And the 911's rear mounted flat six is also what people expect because that has been one of its key attributes for 45 years.
But the styling of the Mustang has had numerous changes over the generations, and its buyers want to see something new every few years. And now that Ford went back to the late '60s with the Mustang's styling and then to the early '70s with the next generation, it's like they're starting over again. I'd rather see the Mustang's styling change and be more modern to keep up with the times. Doing another retro design makes it seem like they've run out of ideas or have given up on creative styling, at least for a while.
estreka says:
03:55 AM, 10/17/09
Personally, I'm fine with the Mustang's evolution. Frankly, except for the 70's, I think all Mustangs look good.
I think the difference is expectation, as Cwc stated. The Porsche is classy in a way the Mustang will never be. I don't think that's a bad thing. If the Mustang were as class-leading as the 911 is, it could probably persist without updates as well.