What's Wrong With This Picture: Porsche's Slow Burn Edition
According to Auto Motor und Sport, the next-generation Porsche 911 (991) will have its wheelbase extended by ten centimeters compared to the current model, a concession to US emissions standards which are categorized by footprint. The new elfer will also lose about 88 pounds and gain stop-start technology, in yet another nod to tightening global emissions standards. Oh yes, and the handbrake will become an electrically-controlled switch similar to the unit in the Panamera. Otherwise… has anything changed? These Erlkönig spy shots reveal the biggest non-story in all of automotive-dom: the 911’s styling really won’t change all that much for its newest iteration. Yes, the most consistently-styled car of the modern era will get slightly steeper front headlights, a more tapered rear end, and fewer vestigal cooling vents that survived the switch from air-cooled to water-cooled engines, thanks to the Porsche’s legendarily stubborn styling department. Otherwise, the updates are incredibly subtle (those side vents are taped-on camo, according to AM und S).
Can the Carrera continue like this forever? Will faithfulness to its classical form ever wear thin? A quick comparison of 911 sales to Boxster/Cayman sales (4,751 to 3,036 in the US, year-to-date) suggests that’s not going to be a problem anytime soon…
More by Edward Niedermeyer
Comments
Join the conversation
I don't think it looks too bad at all. It's still one of those designs that are hard to improve on, and therefore it's rearend has not looked properly good since, well, 1977? The comparison to the evolution of a shark is very correct I think. Found an animation (allthough with terrible quality) for you BlueBrat. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtvznK2wk6I&feature=player_embedded
Is it just me or do the front wheels look like they have a smaller diameter (not width, diameter) than the rear wheels?