Will Porsche 911 design direction change radically soon?
The Porsche 911 is a good looking and endearing car to drive. Most anyone who has shared wheel time knows that the 911 has personality and character that is missing in most cars. In the 911 driving experience, the car is like a friend who wants to ensure you have a great time behind the wheel, and as a result, you bond with the 911. It is no surprise they've sold so many for over 40 years.
Point being, I like the Porsche 911. Until I had my first 911 driving experience shortly after starting Club Sportiva in 2003, I hadn't shared the passion, but the very first time I got behind the wheel the Club's 1989 C4, I finally "got it." With each progressively improved 911 (964, 993, 996, 997), I have been more impressed. Having said all that, I think the current 997 body style is headed towards a design dead end. Ouch! I mean that bold and spicy statement in a concerned and perplexed way. A major car mag called the 911 design "dowdy" in a recent comparo. Not good...
Compare the Porsche 911 to the Audi R8 visual styling and the 997 is bland and unremarkable. Compare the king-of-the-hill Porsche GT2 to a Lamborghini Gallardo or Ferrari F430 (which itself is a second derivation design, based on the 1999 360 Modena) and the car design pales. Remember, we are talking about styling, not performance or pricing. While each generation Porsche 911 has looked great, the 996 and 997 styling direction seems to have stalled. In the modern world of stunning design, how do you adapt the past to carry forward while integrating radically new design? Is it possible?Just grab a camera and try to take a few breathtaking photos of the 997 911 and you'll quickly realize that it is hard to find unique curves or stunning features compared to other sports cars today that make this task easy. I take a lot of photos and that is what prompted the topic for me.
I raise this issue because look at what Jaguar has just done. They pulled the rug from under the heritage (AKA retro) styling on the S-Type. They yanked the plug on the entire car. Wrote it off. Killed the name and the car. It is now replaced with the XF using an entirely new design language. The Jaguar XJ sedan is next for execution after being entirely new underneath the skin at the beginning of this decade while carrying over the classic XJ look. This is a huge gamble for Jaguar. XJ sales are sagging while competitors like Mercedes-Benz are aggressively advancing the design on their S-Class models. Sales ultimately proved that there wasn't enough interest in the elegant but stodgy Jaguar designs. A Club Member, named Nir, was saying to me this week that he hates the new Jaguar XF design, so Jaguar has a challenging path ahead not to alienate the passionate while still capturing the masses. Porsche 911 sales are doing well, so Porsche would make the design change for different reasons than Jaguar did. For Porsche, it would be a preemptive design move to stay at the cutting edge before they get behind in the market place.
Maserati, with the help of Pininfarina, recently introduced the stunningly designed GranTurismo. The front grill, in particular, harkens back to the 1950s Maserati racers. They did an excellent job of integrating a classical design cue into an otherwise thoroughly modern car. The Mini Cooper and Volkswagen Beetle have made a go at reviving the retro look. Others didn't survive long, like the refreshed Ford Thunderbird, which I worked on while at Ford Motor Company in 1999. The upcoming new Camaro and Charger are integrating heavy retro designs - time will tell how they survive five+ years out. I suspect the rehash will wear out quickly, though I wish them the best of reception in the marketplace, obviously.
So yes, Porsche can certainly manage this challenge proactively, but the bottom line is they will need to take some action in the next generation 911. Will the next 911 be more aggressive and modern allowing Porsche to take a big design leap forward, like they did with the Porsche 959 in the late 1980s? The 959 redefined Porsche design two decades ago and then those style cues were introduced on the 993 911 which was a radical leap from the upright head lights of every Porsche 911 before it. I think we are due for the same quantum leap forward again with the next 911 iteration. A design style eventually runs its evolutionary course and then needs dramatically updated or ended. It is something exciting to look forward to.Do you agree with the need to make the 911 more stylistically significant in the new era?
Labels: Club Sportiva, design direction, design language, exotic car share club, Porsche 911, styling
posted by Torbin at
7:24 AM
9 Comments:
As a big-time Porsche fanatic, I hope the 911's design direction doesn't change too radically. I think the current 997 models (from the base Carrera to the GT2) are generally so much better than their 996 versions.
The R8 & AM V8 Vantage are 2 of the most beautiful cars on the road, but I still want a 911 in my garage.
I'm generally not one for change & maybe that's why I like the 911 so much. Regarding the Jag XF, though...I love it...and it looks 100x better in person. I liked the S-Type (particularly the R) & still like the XJ, but I also don't like the "3 different sized versions of the same car" syndrom that has affected some of the Euro brands..with Audi & Jag being the biggest offenders.
By the way...is that 997 Cab part of the club? If so, very nice. Is the 996 C4S still there as well?
Gavin, great feedback and spoken in the words of a true 911 fan who likes the car for what it is. The 911 has had an amazing production run of 40+ uninterrupted years.
The 997 in the blog photos is that of one of our team here at Club Sportiva...so no, not in the Club. It is a C4S cabriolet, which is an incredible car to drive. We just sold the 996 C4S after its rotation in the Club and we are deciding what to get next. A Member survey is being readied to get a pulse on what to do next! Thanks for the comment.
The Jaguar redesign was absolutely necessary to reinvigorating and salvaging the brand, and as you implied, the downside risk was fairly low since the firm was already hanging near the bottom. Of course the gamble seems to be paying off well, and I echo kudos to the new designs.
Contrast this with the first "Bangled" BMW 7-series, a redesign that made the venerable German icon look like a cheap Asian import outside and an iMac (minus the ease of use) inside. The only line that has benefited from the new direction in my opinion is the 3-series.
Porsche has taken its share of risk, like introducing the Boxster and then the Cayenne amidst a tornado of hate from purists, and it seems that they know what they're doing. After all, whoever though Porsche would have the balls and resources to make a grab at Volkswagen 10 years ago?
Nonetheless, notice how even the Cayenne's looks are taken from the template of the 911. Furthermore, Porshce's current marketing strategy is all about legacy and history. If anything, this makes me think their next design will take a cue from the past instead of churning out a futuristic beast like the R8. Is this smart? I'm not going to argue with the guys from Stuttgart - as I said they know what they're doing, but it seems like the retro trend has been beaten to death by American makes (as Torbin points out) and is not going to last for the next 5 years.
That being said, it's inarguably true that the current 997 looks dated and bland against the current competition and I think Torbin's right in having a hunch that there's a big change coming with the next redesign. I hope it happens before I make my next purchase!
Arbitrageur, I enjoyed your feedback and agree with you. Also, interesting point you make that Porsche is using its heritage and legacy in its marketing. Further proven now with the availability of the limited edition RS 60 Boxster Spyder harkening back to the early 1960s 718 RS 60 Spyder.
Maybe we will see the next evolution 911 with some spin on heritage. The 997 brought back the beautiful 993 headlights... Whatever they do, it will have to play strongly against the AMV8 and R8 that Gavin pointed out as stunning contenders.
Guess we will have to wait and see on the next 911. Write Porsche CEO, Wendelin Wiedeking, and tell him your thoughts on how the next 911 should look!
Two sets of very good posts for this blog. I will admit that I appear to be in the minority in finding the recent re-do of the XK as being terrible. I had loved the previous generations for the grace and lines while the new design looks quite frankly like a Ford to my eye not a Jag. The XF is better but not compelling to me. So, I guess the lesson is that you cannot make everyone happy.
Both Gavin and Arbitrageur's comments on the Porsche hit cords for me, as the 911 has an iconic and unique design. The abandonment of the 944, 928 and other lines for the Cayman, Boxster and Cayenne that so closely echo the 911 helped fix the Porsche look for everyone (me included), but may contribute to your original idea Torbin that the 911 is getting stale.
No other company has produced such a consistent premium car for so long, so if they do work to a dramatic change, I suspect they will make changes while keeping enough of the platform to retain the lineage. I would bemoan a drastic re-do of the 911, but suspect the basic design (rear engine, fictional back seats and curves over angles) will remain with whatever they do.
John, thanks for the great comments and quality insight. I think you are right about all future 911s. There will be certain unalienable features, like the token back seat and rear haunches pulled ever so beautifully over the rear tires, among others. This is pretty much written in stone, regardless of how they contort the other design elements of the car.
They did, however, leave a lot of air cooled fans baffled with the introduction of a water cooled engine with the 996...but I think that was a little different.
Thanks again John for the excellent feedback and I look forward to future posts from you.
The Porsche "Design" of today is Average specially for a car that ponders on the Quote "There is no Substitute". Tho Porsche is ahead on Speed and let's face it in many cases it's Not..they Lag behind in Beauty. The "Shark" The 928 Series Should be Re-Introduced it's still my all-time favorite! What Beauty!!..Perhaps a longer version of the 911 would be a good Marketing experience. Anyway that's my opinion & I thank you for allowing it.
Shaolin, thanks for your input. Welcome to the blog! You are the first to raise the point of Porsche's long-term marketing mantra, "Porsche, there is no substitute." Based on the comments, some readers like the 911's traditional styling while others would like to see some fresh change, and whether there is a substitute is debatable as well!
As for the 928, that is certainly one of the more controversial Porsches, next to the Cayenne and maybe the 924. Rumors are that Porsche wants to bring back a front engine variation of the 928 as yet another model line in the growing Porsche portfolio. It may be based on the front engine V8 Panamera four door. Time will tell, but you may get your wish Shaolin.
Shaolin, I just wanted to echo Torbin's thanks for the comments. I know I would enjoy seeing a new and revitalized version of the 928 - another wonderful car. I also think your comments on the staleness of the 911 really making the point of Torbin's original post - it's an old design that needs updating.
I do like the design more than you, which probably is why I can not envision as radical change as you suggested to the 911.
Great comments!
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