What's Wrong With This Picture: An Archetype's Progress Edition

by Edward Niedermeyer

Published: September 28th, 2011

what s wrong with this picture an archetype s progress edition

I’m no fan of tuned cars, particularly the garish, over-the-top bodykit jobs that seem to curse the high end of the European sportscar market. And yet, when I saw these pictures of the new Porsche 991, as tuned by the Russian house TopCar, something strange occurred to me: this was the first picture of the new 991 that I could instantly recognize as the new model. And then I read, over at Pistonheads, that the 991 will be sold with only minor design changes through 2025, a 14-year lifespan for a model that’s barely distinguishable from its predecessor. And all of a sudden, this garish Russian tune-job started looking a lot better. It may not be subtly tasteful, but there’s an undeniable hunger to its flared-and-scooped styling. It’s trying to be something different, while Porsche’s design evolution has ground to halt. We hear that Ford, which has enjoyed great success working a retro groove with the last couple of Mustangs, is “moving on” to craft an entirely new, non-retro Mustang for the next generation. It seems that we’re going to have to wait about 14 more years for Porsche to similarly realize the benefits of making its flagship a “living document.” In the meantime, if you want a 991 that looks like it has moved with the times, you may just have to look at the aftermarket…

#3WTP #991 #Design #Heritage #Porsche #Tuners

Edward Niedermeyer

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2 of 24 comments

Carguy on Sep 28, 2011

The design of 911s has always been purposefully understated and in line with the swabians general disapproval of public displays of conspicuous consumption. If you want bling get a lime green Lambo but leave the 911 as it is.

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Dvp cars on Sep 29, 2011

.....past cars include a '72 911S and a '77 930 Turbo....now I'd settle for a tuner Lucerne....must be getting old.

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