Guest:
First, thanks for replying, Christian.
You don't have to thank me, sorry I didn't see your post earlier, it was an interesting question.
Is the newly developed V8 biturbo not the V8 in the new Panamera and Cayenne? And isn't the V10 dead in the next gen R8 (if it happens) / Huracan? What would be in line with Carrera GT "tradition" about a turbocharged car with a PDK transmission?
Porsche doesn't have to use the same engine they use in the Panamera/Cayenne/new Audis for the 960. There can be variants of this engine or maybe even a completely new development for the purpose of serving Porsche, Lamborghini, Bentley and even Bugatti.
A turbo charged V10 would still be a V10, wouldn't it be? Also, a manual transmission in a super sportscar is absurd these days. If Porsche had a modern "proper" PDK when the Carrera GT came out, they would have used it.
How would Porsche take a car that began life as part of the R8/Huracan family tree and position it as a ~$500K Aventador competitor? Not much plays in that small market: Aventador, 812 Superfast, the forthcoming 720 "LT" variant likely; any others?
The R8 needs to go if Porsche want to establish a 960. There is no room for an Audi here...it would be counter-productive. For Audi, the R8 makes zero sense. ZERO. It is time Audi understands this.
Nobody cares about how it started, everyone will care about the tech, the performance and how this car looks. I think many people, more than Porsche realizes, are waiting for the 960. Is it profitable? Probably not, at first. This is why they don't want to build one. It doesn't make enough money.
The reason I referred to the 960 as (potentially) generic is this:
Chassis shared with 1-2 other mid-engine supercars that already have numerous sub variants (ie, what would Porsche receive that would be special and differentiate it or even elevate it vs. the Audi and Lamborghini?)
Again, no Audi R8. The Porsche could differentiate itself in many ways. It would be futile to discuss every little detail here.
Powerplant likely shared with something else (Porsche V8; V10 from Audi; what else?); wouldn't be a bespoke or special motor in that case
Porsche could use a V8 Biturbo, while Lamborghini uses the V10 Biturbo. Or both could use the V10 Biturbo but in different setups, with a different sound, different power figures and so on. When the engine is great, nobody asks where it is coming from.
As a result, what would be "Porsche" about it vs. a 911 that would perform similarly?
Porsche cannot compete any longer in the super sportscars game with the 911. This is not only about performance and power.
I mean, c'mon seriously? Porsche can make a Macan, a Cayenne, a Panamera, a Mission E, a Cayman and whatnot but they cannot make a 960? Something to compete with the big guns in the sportscar league?
Two products are missing from Porsche's product line: A GT Coupe a la BMW M6/M8 or Mercedes S Class Coupe and a 960. Again: Would they be profitable? Probably not, at first. Porsche needs to take a risk here but a risk they (VW Group) probably won't take because there is already Lamborghini with the Huracan/Aventador and Bentley with their Coupe. Porsche will regret not entering this market but like I said before, I am just one customer and apparently it doesn't matter if my next sportscar is coming from Lamborghini or McLaren. Let's be honest: Lamborghini got too expensive for me. 3500 EUR per month for a Huracan? Seriously? I probably get a 720S for the same money.
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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991.2 Carrera GTS Cabriolet (2018), Audi R8 V10 Plus (2016), Mercedes E63 S AMG Edition 1 (2018), Mini JCW (2015)