bobr:
Syperidol...It's an aging platform whose refresh cycle is unfortunately tied to the high volume 911 production car. One might say Ferrari has an advantage because with the higher price point and smaller volumes of their cars, they have shorter refresh cyle times. However, the 458 has only become really competitive this year in the ALMS which has taken almost two years of post introduction race development. I believe the 458 was also given an air restricor break in the ALMS series this year. The Porsche works drivers indicated one of their development goals is to have a competitive car when it is rolled out and not follow Ferrari's approach.,
No restrictor break for the 458. In fact, it is the only car in both the ALMS and the WEC that has no restrictor break. The 458 has taken the place of the 911. It is now the bench-mark.
You are correct about all the reasons that the 911 is struggling, but it was in Porsche’s hands to have foreseen this situation and they choose not to address it by coming up with a suitable solution.
In my opinion, the longer they take to come up with a suitable business model for a V8 mid-engined car (all the opposition have V8’s), the longer we will see an iteration in some form or another of a 911 struggling to keep up with the opposition.(under the current set of rules).
Although I most sincerely hope that the 991 RSR will be a viable solution, deep down inside I have some very strong doubts.
