Porsche Question

[Chikane_GTR]

I been wondering why porsche doesn't have a X program like mclaren with the gtr and ferrari with the fxx ?

Mclaren P1 GTR
Ferrari Laferrari FXX-K
Porsche 918?

Would had love to see a extreme version of the 918

 

[TexRex]

I'm not sure that's so much a Porsche question as it is a question why one company wouldn't follow trends established by others. So let's look at this trend.

I'm not aware that either the P1 GTR nor the LaFerrari FXX K actually raced professionally, indeed in any outing other than exhibitions (apparently a P1 GTR set a record at Goodwood). Both models were limited to just 40 units available to only the companies' top-tier customers.

The venture strikes me as little more than fluff--titillating people with way too much money and giving teenage boys more poster material with which to line their bedroom walls.

Frankly, I admire Porsche's not bothering to join in.

 

[Danoff]

Ok, I have a porsche question. They're looking to save ounces by having straps for door handles and magnesium body panels. But their washer fluid tank is what? 5 liters? I say it should be the size of a thimble.

(someone is about to tell me that government regulations require a minimum amount of washer fluid...)

 

[McLaren]

It may not be cost effective for them. They already keep their first year race cars for personal development and Porsche has a strong relationship with all the teams that choose to run 911s providing help when necessary and getting their feedback as well for the RSR. Most of these guys also end up with the ability to pick up rarer models (like the XX/McLaren owners), so that benefit is already there.

I think it may also have to do with Porsche just having a very broad, more accessible range. Their halo cars aren’t really produced one after another like the Enzo, LaFerrari, P1, Senna, etc., so you’re not gonna see much of a similar program from them. They also built a lot of 918s and CGTs as well compared to Ferrari and McLaren. Something like 375 P1s, 500 LaFerraris (710 with the more expensive, rarer Apertas added just to get more money), and 918 Porsche 918s (CGT had 1270 examples).

 

[kikie]

I thought the 918 is an extreem car.

 

[TheCracker]

Porsche already have the Carrera Cup series which is run in a dozen countries or regions and the cars are track-orientated versions of the already track-focused 911 GT3. Granted it's aimed at (in the AM-class) the wealthy individual who wants to race a fast road-based car rather than just track one, but it serves the same purpose in getting the public to help fund a manufacturers development costs.

 

[homeforsummer]

Ok, I have a porsche question. They're looking to save ounces by having straps for door handles and magnesium body panels. But their washer fluid tank is what? 5 liters? I say it should be the size of a thimble.

(someone is about to tell me that government regulations require a minimum amount of washer fluid...)

The daft thing about the door straps is that you still get plastic/leather handles to actually pull the doors closed with... plus big, heavy, nicely-trimmed door panels with electric windows and the like. The strap literally just replaces the small, not-that-heavy doorhandle that actually unlatches the door. I love the Porsche GT cars but those bits of fabric are just lip service. It's not quite the F40 arrangement...

As for the OP's question, I'd echo @McLaren and @TheCracker above. Porsche's focus seems to be on actual race cars, and I guess it's probably a more profitable business than McLaren or Ferrari anyway (thanks to Cayennes and the like) so it doesn't feel the need for attention-grabbing XX and GTR-type programs.

However... I do like that question and I've not considered it before. I'm in a position to actually ask this to the right kind of people, so I'll see whether I can come up with an answer from the horse's mouth.

 

[Danoff]

The daft thing about the door straps is that you still get plastic/leather handles to actually pull the doors closed with... plus big, heavy, nicely-trimmed door panels with electric windows and the like. The strap literally just replaces the small, not-that-heavy doorhandle that actually unlatches the door. I love the Porsche GT cars but those bits of fabric are just lip service. It's not quite the F40 arrangement...

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Yea, I don't like it. If you're going to go all out saving weight, do it in a way that actually makes sense. Spending huge $$$ on body panels for ounces gained seems absolutely preposterous when you could have just used a wind-up window and gotten more savings.

Also... tiny washer fluid tank.

 

[homeforsummer]

Also... tiny washer fluid tank.

To Porsche's credit you can option GT3s and the like without either an entertainment system or air conditioning.

Which I'm sure saves a few kilos, but you'd have to be insane. You'd need to be Mark Webber on a hot lap for such a weight saving to make any measurable difference whatsoever to performance, and for 99% of drivers the reduction in driver comfort and its effect on fatigue would probably make the lighter option the slower one...

Some weight savings just aren't worth it.