by John Glynn | Jan 16, 2014 | New Models, Porsche News
This video has just gone live on Youtube, showing a prototype Porsche 918 exiting an underground car park in Stuttgart.
This car – SM 2252 – features in a lot of Youtube spy stuff, as it runs around doing errands. I doubt the development engineer expected a stalker, but it’s interesting to see the car go about its business on normal roads and pavements.
Despite the production run well under way, PT1018 is a prototype (P/T). Our tipster points to Carrera GT roof and handles, 991 rear lights, static rear wing and a host of 918 trim that’s gone AWOL. The Corsa alongside is a minor distraction, but the electric steering, silent pull-away and throaty exit give us mere mortals a bit of a thrill.
We’ll all be excited to see our first 918 in the flesh. I hope one of these test beds is kept for the Porsche Museum.
![Porsche sales 2013: 162,000 cars delivered]()
by John Glynn | Jan 9, 2014 | Market & Prices, Porsche News
We have just seen the record figures for Porsche sales 2013. The unsurprising news came as the UK announced the best year for car sales since 2007, and BMW subsidiary, Rolls-Royce, also posted record sales for the fourth year in a row.
Rolls-Royce delivered 3,630 cars to customers in 2013. Fastest growing markets were the Middle East (up 17%) and China (up 11%). Rolls’ CEO intriguingly told reporters that the company was looking at new designs, including a potential 4×4 model.
In comparison, the volume-oriented Porsche brand saw stronger growth through 2013. Total Porsche deliveries for 2013 was 162,415: a 15% increase on the 2012 total. Sales in Asia and the Middle East rose over 20%, with China close behind.
The USA remains Porsche’s biggest single market, with 42,000 cars delivered in 2013: 20% up on last year. China’s 37,000 sales can be heard snapping at America’s heels. Sales to the Red Star must be set to overtake the US this year, assuming unrestricted supply.
Biggest Porsche seller is still the Cayenne, clocking up half of Porsche’s total production, with 82,000 cars sold. Zero surprise when you know how good this car is at everything.
The challenge for a 4wd Rolls Royce is delivering something capable off-road, which still delivers that heavyweight Rolls Royce experience without feeling like a military vehicle. The driving experience is unlikely to match a Cayenne, but it won’t have to do this to sell.
by John Glynn | Jan 8, 2014 | Porsche News, Project Cars
To celebrate the 911’s 50th anniversary, Porsche Centre Madrid Norte held a live art event, where the artist VILLOTAF brought his vision to a pre-prepared 964 Porsche art car. Much of this video is in Spanish, but watch through to the performance: I know some of you will enjoy it.
Before making your conclusions, take some advice from the late Freddie Mercury. “Modern paintings are like women, you’ll never enjoy them if you try to understand them.”
by John Glynn | Dec 16, 2013 | Porsche News, Race and Rally
Porsche has taken a majority stake in Manthey Racing: Olaf Manthey’s Nürburgring-based racing team and motorsport organisation. It’s the latest step in Olaf’s move towards a retirement of sorts (hard to imagine Olaf ever entirely retiring, as he is still “working flat out in my own rev limiter”). Here’s Olaf with his works driver pairing of Marco Holzer and Nick Tandy:
Following Manthey’s initial merger with Audi racers, Nicki and Martin Raeder last year, Porsche AG has acquired a 51% share of Manthey-Racing GmbH: the organisation which has supported Porsche factory race efforts for a number of years, and counts five Nürburgring 24-Hour victories, two Le Mans wins and an amazing eight Supercup titles amongst its silverware.
Through 2013, Porsche AG Team Manthey together mounted the first works Porsche endurance campaign for over twenty years. 2014 will be a big year for Porsche and no doubt a shorter team name will please the marketing department.
But beyond business, Porsche’s involvement with Olaf Manthey is quite a personal one. Following the loss of Olaf’s son in a tragic road accident in 2007, Manthey and Porsche Motorsport boss, Hartmut Kristen, agreed that Porsche would become the ultimate inheritor of Olaf’s incredible competition portfolio, earned since the team was formed in 1996.
“Porsche’s commitment and dedication represents the best possible incentive to our employees,” Olaf is quoted as saying. “Not only can we pool our knowledge and expertise, but with Porsche at our side we can look forward to the future with great confidence”.
The Manthey name has a special place in the hearts of Porsche enthusiasts. Let’s hope it continues to be part of the landscape.
by John Glynn | Dec 12, 2013 | Porsche News, Market & Prices
Esteemed friend and colleague, Leonard Stolk from Twinspark Racing, runs a Gen 2 Porsche 997 GT3 as his daily driver. Leonard recently drove its successor at the Amsterdam Porsche dealer and reviewed the Porsche 991 GT3 drive on the Twinspark Racing blog.
“I put the PDK in automatic to see how that would work out. At 100 km/h you do not hear the engine. Boring as hell. If clients test drive this car without manual function engaged, pulling 7-8,000 revs, they will never know how this car differs from the standard Carrera. To enjoy the GT3, you need big revs: the payback comes from a sense of what historic Porsches feel like.
“The 991 GT3 feels even stronger than its already excellent predecessor. The sound experience is even closer to the historic racing engines I’m used to, and that sort of sealed my verdict. The PDK set up is brilliant and I can imagine people liking manual shifting, but to me this is just the next evolution of the mighty 911 and the PDK is progress! I was used to the shift system in a few minutes and wouldn’t hesitate for a second to buy the car as-is.”
Talking to another 997.2 GT3-owning friend in the UK last night, recent discussions with his official Porsche centre suggest 991 GT3s have not sold in droves. While waiting list spaces are said to be rare, he’s still getting sales calls three months after the 991 GT3 launch. OPC bids for his Gen 2 997 GT3 trade-in have risen ten grand since their first offer.
“The OPC guys say that 997 Gen 2 GT3 values have come up as much as £10k since the 991 launch, but then you know what happens at the dealership: they knock an excellent condition car the cost of a front-end respray, a bit of prep including skimming the discs all round, and then want at least six grand margin for resale. When the cost to change from 997 to 991 is £40k or more, who would get out of a low-mileage Gen 2 997 GT3 that does everything perfectly well?”
Just as current owners are staying in their Gen 2 997 GT3s, used buyers who have deferred a Gen 2 997 GT3 purchase, expecting prices to fall with the 991 GT3 launch and who can wait no longer may be the force driving prices upward. Gen 2 997 GT3s retailing at circa half the cost new of a reasonable spec 991 GT3 are reportedly selling well.
UK dealers are having no problem finding buyers for good examples of Gen 2 Porsche 997 GT3 RS: the low-mileage Grey and Red one above with some very nice options recently sold for just over £100k in less than a day. This black Gen 2 997 GT3 Comfort for sale with just 6,700 miles from new is a beautiful car, and seems well priced at £77k including full warranty.
I heard a rumour the other day (via someone I trust to have a clue) that 3,700 991s came into the UK in 2012, but the number imported was less than 1,000 in 2013. No idea how accurate that is – I’ll have a look at the sales figures. All very interesting.
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by John Glynn | Dec 11, 2013 | Porsche News, New Models
Car magazine has just uploaded Georg Kacher’s verdict on his first drive in a Porsche Macan. Kacher would point the pen of truth at anything lacking, but his highly positive verdict comes as no surprise.
“There’s little doubt that Porsche’s plan to build 50,000 Macans per year won’t meet demand,” says Kacher. “It may be an SUV, but it’s a proper Porsche in terms of appearance and talent, it blends street cred and desirability with a reasonable price tag and it might just be, for the many rivals in this booming segment, a worst nightmare.”
Car‘s review shows a £47k cost new, but I’m not sure how that’s made up. Basic Macan S is £43k, but when you add 21-inch wheels, mid range leather, DAB with park detect and a pano roof, you’re up to £51k. Would be easy to get this over £60k, so we’ll have to see how the residuals work out for low spec cars versus stuff with toys.
Residuals for petrol v diesel will also be interesting, as Macan Diesel and S are priced the same. In fact, the cars are priced at £41,600, but Porsche adds £169 for third year Porsche Assistance and £800 for the third year of warranty. You can build your own Macan on the very attractive new Porsche website.
Macan’s undeniable sexiness and outright ability will further reduce the number of people who persist in denying Porsche badge credibility to anything with more than two doors, but that will not be its best trick. The truck still weighs 1.9 tonnes and looks relatively spacious inside. Cayenne is not much heavier, or more roomy, so what happens next for Stuttgart’s biggest SUV? Like all the Volkswagen Golfs before it, will it get bigger and bigger and eventually ooze off the scales? Another Porsche first!
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