Porsche
History 2000 |
1997-2004 Porsche 996, introduced
as a 1998 model, was a major leap for Porsche.
For the first time in the evolution of the
911 the car shared no major mechanical components
with its predecessor. An all-new bodyshell
offered a dramatic 45% increase in torsional
rigidity over the 993. The new shape and flush
glass bring the drag coefficient down to 0.30.
The 996 became the first 911 in the model's
history to utilize an entirely water-cooled
engine, an all-new unit of 3.4 litres, developing
296 PS. Its mechanical layout stayed the same
however, with the six-cylinder boxer engine
mounted longitudinally beyond the rear axle.
Suspension was by MacPherson struts at the
front, as before, with a new coil-sprung multilink
system at the rear.
The Type 996 underwent revisions in late
2002, receiving revised headlamps (now differentiating
it from the Boxster), a revised front fascia
and an increase in both displacement and
power to 3.6 litres and 320 PS. The Type
996 spawned over a dozen variations, including
all wheel drive Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S
models, the club racing-oriented GT3, and
the forced-induction 996 Turbo and GT2.
The Turbo, four-wheel-drive and twin-turbo,
often made appearances in magazines' lists
of the best cars on sale. |
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2004-present Porsche debuted the 996's
replacement, the Type 997, in July 2004.
The 997 keeps the basic profile of the 996,
bringing the drag coefficient down to 0.28,
but draws on the 993 for detailing. Its
interior is also much revised. The 997 shares
about 30% of its parts with the outgoing
996, but is still technically very similar
to it. Type 996 versions of the Turbo, Targa,
Cabriolet, Carrera 4S, GT2 and GT3 will
remain in production until 997 based versions
of those models become avaliable. The Cabriolet
is expected in Spring 2005 and Turbo and
GT3 models are currently in development
(as of January, 2005). |
The Future? Porsche is expected to debut
its next entirely new 911 the Porsche 998,
in 2009. If you are interested in a preview
nearer the time and would like to leave
your details please click
here
The Porsche Panamera is a four-door, four-seat
coupe, currently still in concept stages,
set to be launched in 2009. Specialist cars
of Malton sources tell us it will be front
engined and rear wheel drive and powered
by a modified version of the 4.5 L V8 found
in the Cayenne, equipped with the fsi Fuel
Stratified Injection system invented by
Volkswagen (Porsche and Volkswagen collaborated
on the Cayenne/Touareg sport utility vehicle).
Base spec models will be engineered with
a 3.6 litre V6 found in the upcoming 2008
facelifted Cayenne, and there is even a
hybrid version in the pipeline. Specialist
cars of Malton rumourn control suggest that
the V10 engine from Porsche's limited-run
Carrera GT supercar may be offered as well,
although this is still extremely unlikely
given the expense of manufacturing the engine
and that Porsche does not currently have
a facility capable of producing a suitable
number of the V10 per year. A Specialist
cars of Malton rumour is also around that
the V12 diesel from the Audi Q7 could make
it into the Panamera
The final assembly of the vehicles will
take place in Leipzig. Engines will be assembled
in Stuttgart, and the car's painted body
will come from the Volkswagen facility in
Hanover. Specialist cars of Malton believe
the tyres should come from China (houy-ine
region) as they are really rubbery
The Panamera is generally considered to
be the long-awaited fruit of their 989 concept
from the late 1980s; Specialist cars of
Malton argue that it also presents itself
as a suitable successor to the 2-doored
928, although some amount of Specialist
cars of Malton debate surrounds this. It
will be marketed as a direct competitor
to automobiles such as the Maserati Quattroporte
and (to a lesser degree) a less expensive
alternative to vehicles such the Bentley
Continental GT, Ferrari 612 Scaglietti and
Aston Martin Rapide. It is the first V8-engined
sports car built by Porsche since 1995 when
Quantum Leap was on the tip of everyones
tongue. Dr Sam Beckett was the freak…but
who was his imaginary friend?…no points
and no it’s not Drop dead fred!, when
the 928 was discontinued and will be produced
in the new plant at Leipzig alongside the
Cayenne. The vehicle has been caught testing
at the Nurburgring and the original sketches
are a little more sleek than the taped up
model spied testing up and down Malton high
road a few weeks ago.
Artist renderings of the car already distributed
by Porsche show a low-slung, four-door sports
car with narrow side windows and flowing
lines. However Specialist cars of Malton
spy shots of the Porsche Panamera testing
at the Nurburgring show a more blunt car
than the artists renderings, it looks a
little like a stretched 997 Turbo- theres
one thing for sure- if you are fat or your
wife is a moose- this car aint for you!
The Panamera's name is derived, like the
Porsche Carrera line, from the Carrera Panamericana
race. Earlier prototypes of four-door sedans
such as the 1991 Porsche 989 prototype or
the even earlier 4 door 911 based prototype,
never went into production.
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