Quote:
DaveC said:
As a former Boxster and current Cayman owner this thread definitely caught my attention. It should come as no surprise that after 10 years of strong sales the Boxster has saturated its market niche. Because of Porsche's philosophy of slow evolution, the 987 platform has ironically reached its near zenith at a time when demand is predictably falling due to lower priced competitors, world economic conditions, and the boredom that comes with 10 years of familiarity in a market niche more sensitive to fashion trends than the 911 audience. As evidenced by the "Porsche w/ panties" epithet quoted above, the currency of automotive culture has greatly coarsened by the obsessive emphasis on raw horsepower. For decades Porsche's success was based on the agility of its cars, rather than horsepower alone, where the whole exceeded the sum of the parts. The 550s, 356s, and early 911s all share this quality, having successfully competed against more powerful adversaries. The 987s, despite claims to the contrary, are through and through Porsches in both engineering and spirit, as they embody all the best of Porsche's traditional characteristics. As to the future, with the consolidation of Porsche's interests in VW/Audi I believe that the 987s represent the last of the entry level Porsches that share predominant technology with the 911. The next generation of entry level Porsche will recall the VW/Audi alliance of the 914 and 924 series. Porsche will offer an upper tier sports car in conjunction with low and mid tier offerings from VW and Audi based on a cross-platform engineering concept. One day in the not too distant future people will be extolling the virtues of the Boxster and Cayman, real Porsches that no longer are made.



Well said....