by John Glynn | Apr 16, 2013 | Porsche News, Market & Prices
Porsche achieved record sales in March 2013. More than 14,000 cars were sold in one month: a record number of deliveries in the company’s history.
In the first quarter of 2013, deliveries totalled 37,000 cars: 21% up on last year. China had increased interest in mid- and rear-engined models, where Porsche says 33% more Boxster, Cayman and 911 vehicles were delivered in the first quarter of 2013. Porsche sold 8,844 cars in China during Q1: up 25% on last year.
Porsche seems pretty bullish regarding 911 sales, which were up almost 19% on Q1 2012, with 7,230 911s sold. Stuttgart says Cayenne is also up on last year, with 20,000 vehicles sold versus an undisclosed number. No data was released on Panamera: a shame following our last post regarding Panamera sales slumps, but few of you will be that bothered and it’s just about to be replaced, in any case.
Look again at the data chart above. While Asia is up over 3,000 cars, with America close behind, Europe is showing a mere 400-car increase. Germany on its own is up more than twice that. Take Germany out, and Euro sales are down.
March is an important month for UK new car registrations, with the new-year registration plate on March 1, and end of the tax year for most companies. March 2013 registration data shows a healthy UK car market, with registrations up almost 6% for the month to just under 400,000 and Q1 up 7.5% year-on-year at just over 600,000 units.
In a rising market, Porsche registered fewer cars in March this year versus last, and Q1 sales are also down, at 1,660 units. The drop is only 4% (roughly 70 cars), but Mercedes was up 13%, Land Rover was up 19% and Jaguar saw sales increase by almost 25% in the first three months of 2013.
Fingers will point at new Porsches coming, but the rest of the world awaits the same new models, and sales are through the roof. Small wonder that New Porsche is putting so much effort into grabbing that business.
The UK, and Europe beyond Germany is now a minor territory, and increasingly less relevant to whatever this is moving towards. Product planners usually pay little attention to 4% of worldwide sales, however important that market might have been, once upon a time.
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by John Glynn | Apr 14, 2013 | Porsche News, Race and Rally
Fourth place in GTE Pro was the best Porsche could manage in today’s 991 RSR debut at the Six Hours of Silverstone. Despite a subdued reaction to the RSR’s debut, the prototype racing was excellent, with McNish setting lap records towards the end, in pursuit of a win he eventually claimed.
Round 1 of the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship was run in generally dry conditions. A short burst of rain at the halfway point handed Stuttgart some help, but when the circuit dried, the competition had no problem staying in front.
First GTE Pro home was the number 97 Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE of Turner, Mucke and Senna. Fourth Aston pedaller and friend of Ferdinand, Peter Dumbreck, skipped Silverstone to race the JRM Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 in the opening round of Blancpain Endurance at Monza.
Nice as it must be to race alongside ex-Porsche driver and 2011 FIA GT1 champ, Lucas Luhr, on the epic Monza circuit, Peter would have savoured a trophy in the local Prodrive-built Aston, ahead of Kamui Kobayashi’s Ferrari 458 Corse, and the #99 Aston of Rob Bell, Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy and Frederic Makowiecki. No doubt Darren enjoyed his day, as did Kobayashi, who soared to second place in the final hour, when a pitstop taken earlier than the others paid off.
After the race, Porsche’s Patrick Pilet tweeted: “Just a little issue on the car, the mechanics make a good job but we lost three laps. Car was great to drive. See u at Spa”. The Pilet/Bergmeister/Bernhard car seemed to hold up Marc Lieb’s encouraging charge in the early part, before Bergmeister boxed the #91 car, to check on loose front suspension. Olaf Manthey said no fault was found, and the car continued on its way. The sister #92 991 RSR and fourth place finisher of Lietz/Lieb/Dumas had what looked like a trouble-free run, just without sufficient dry pace to take it to the Astons.
Interviewed for Motors TV by the Radio Le Mans team after his stint, Romain Dumas noted that the rain shower had played to Porsche’s strengths, and allowed the RSR to close on the Ferrari he was trailing at the time, but also said each pitstop was costing the drivers ten or twelve seconds more than their rivals. “Whatever time we gain on track, we lose in the pits,” bemoaned Romain.
At the flag, the RSR finished a lap plus over a minute behind the winning Aston, but showed a fastest lap within reach of its rivals (see the data). Saving twelve seconds in each of five pitstops might have helped to keep Porsche in touch.
The next round at Spa on May 4th and 5th has some watery comfort. Last year’s big race was held in the wet, and Porsche streaked to glory as a result. But we don’t want to race a car hoping for rain. Here’s hoping Porsche AG Team Manthey can further develop the new boy by Spa, and race to take P1 on merit.
Text © MightyMotorMedia Ltd
by John Glynn | Apr 9, 2013 | Classic Porsche Blog, Porsche News, Project Cars
Had some nice feedback on my latest 924 Turbo maintenance piece: thanks for that. I finally heard back from Porsche GB on getting a build date for the car, so I sent off my £65 for a Letter of Origin. Should be enough to register it here once it’s MOTed.
While writing the cheque for Porsche Cars GB, it occurred to me that Italy must have a HPI system for its cars, so I googled that and found the Automobile Club d’Italia (ACI) website. It’s the only source of info for Italian cars, and looked great. If you speak Italian and have a Codice Fiscale (Social Security number), you can find out anything you want about a car for a modest fee.
Much as I love Italia, I have neither the language nor the residency to go all the way with ACI, but Google Translate helped me find a section of the site to check tax status on a car registered in Italy. My 1980 924 Turbo carries the reg prefix RA, which is Emilia-Ravenna district, but the tax site showed it as last registered in Sardinia. The ragu thickens.
Amongst the nondescript paper shrapnel pulled from the car, I did find a stack of business cards from a bodyshop in Cagliari, capital of Sardinia. I emailed them a few months back but heard nothing in return. It’s obvious that they painted it, many moons ago.
The paint is now shot to pieces, but at some stage it probably looked OK. This led me to searching 924 Turbos in Cagliari and finding more Italian 924s with these Fisher-Price indicators on the front wings. I’m probably taking them off mine when we paint it: wonder who at Porsche Italy thought they were the right way to go.
Anyway, Sardinia Car Tax Online says this car was registered 1/1/1980, so I am guessing there was no official production date put forward when it was registered there. I could try to register it using the paperwork I gleaned from the ACI site, but I’ll wait to see what £65 buys me from Porsche: I’ll be cross if they also say 1/1/1980.
At least I’m now sure that rust-free chassis is because it lived in the sun for ages. I know it’s nothing special to most people, but I really like this car.
by John Glynn | Mar 28, 2013 | Porsche News, Race and Rally
Porsche has finally unveiled the 991 RSR, which will contest this year’s World Endurance Championship (WEC) and Le Mans 24 Hours, run by the all-new Porsche AG Team Manthey.
The new 991 GT3 RSR is 100mm longer than its predeccessor, the 997 GT3 RSR. Chassis balance is improved, with the centre of gravity said to be considerably lower than the outgoing RSR. The new car runs more carbon fibre in its construction, with most of the bodywork and much of the interior made from carbon. Windows are polycarbonate and the battery is lightweight lithium-ion.
The lightweight transmission is new, with six speeds selected by steering wheel paddles. Cooling has been rethought and the radiator is now located in the centre up front. Such survival tweaks combined with many more quick release body panels, should make this new 911 easier to run in competitive endurance events and reduce the duck tape budget.
WEC starts at Silverstone in two weeks, before moving on to Spa in May and Le Mans in June. We have previously reported the drivers and hope to attend a few WEC events this year – I’ve got to get cracking on accreditation.
by John Glynn | Mar 25, 2013 | Classic Porsche Blog, Porsche News
The Porsche Museum has a new exhibition open until May 26, 2013. For the first time since the museum opened in 2009, the building will stage an exhibition of itself: detailing the design and architectural challenges that were overcome to bring this amazing structure into being.
The structural geek facts around the museum are impressive. There is more steel in this building than in the Eiffel Tower. The 35,000-ton structure rests on three v-shaped columns, and rises 45 metres above the outside ground level.
Visitors will get a chance to understand various techniques through material samples, and by perusing plans and models submitted as part of the original competition to win the design commission.
The “Built in Zuffenhausen” exhibition supplements the one-hour architectural tour. At 1500 hrs on Wednesdays and Sundays, visitors can take advantage of an extended themed tour, covering both the museum itself and the special exhibition at a price of €4 per person, on top of the normal cost.
The Porsche Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays to Sundays. Admission is €8 for adults, €4 for children and concessions. Children up to the age of 14 are entitled to free admission when accompanied by an adult. It’s a great place that I cannot recommend enough.
by John Glynn | Mar 13, 2013 | New Models, Porsche News, Race and Rally
Porsche has upgraded the 997 GT3R ahead of the 2013 season. We’ve already covered some of this in our earlier Falken Porsche N24 RSR blog, but it’s useful to look at Porsche factory pictures of the R.
The most obvious changes are to the aero package. Front bumper, wings, sill trims and underbody diffuser have all been optimised to produce additional downforce. The rear wing has been widened to full body width.
Longer wheelbase, increased track – 50mm wider front and rear – and 12-inch front wheels combined with improved aero performance allow higher cornering speeds.The 4.0-litre flat six produces 500 hp, sent to the rear via a 6-speed sequential dog ‘box with air shift and steering paddles. This is fast and smooth, and should be reliable.
Porsche offers a conversion kit for older GT3Rs at €45,500 plus tax. I wonder how many Euros that is per Nurburgring tenth of a second.
