There are SO many people (in the U.S., maybe in Europe) who really want bragging rights based on horsepower. In conversations around the office or at social gatherings, being able to say "My car has XXX horsepower" is the holy grail, as long as the XXX number is bigger than anyone elses number. How much torque the car has, or how the car actually drives are on the back burner. One of the funny things about "horsepower bragging rights" is that the majority of people don't take the time to see where this power is made. Many times the big number is only for a brief period high in the rpm range. A lot of good that does. It's power under the curve that's really important, but that aspect is hard to brag about.

I also think Porsche has to be concerned with where the 99X Turbo will plug into their line-up. I don't think Porsche wants the Turbo at or above GT2 performance, and they have to be concerned with the Carrera GT's performance being flirted with.

As for weight, I personally don't want Porsche spending too much time trying to reduce the Turbo's weight by 200-400 pounds. I would like to see active handling, sharper steering (different ratios in the rack and pinion), different gearing, and more torque and horsepower (in that order for the power increase).

With X73 on my Turbo, and if I add EVO Stage 2, my car would be somewhere over 500 hp and 500 lb-ft with great handling. What is it that I personally like about the 500/500? The longitudinal g it produces under acceleration. I don't need to go 200 mph. The 99X Turbo could exceed the Stage 2's g producing capability with a smaller power increase plus better gearing.

What do I think Porsche will do in terms of power on the next Turbo? Porbably 500 or less.