Quote:
MKW said:
This will prove that the buyer of a Turbo is changing : the following is predicted the first 6 -9 months : 6 speeds will languish at resale , but the " rare " automatic gear box version ( granny can drive it JUST fine to church ) will resell/flip for 20 + K over MSRP and is I'm sure currently the only one the early speculators want esp. with the Tips being hard to come by , lol .Kinda embarassing from the standpoint of how Turbo owners have always trashed people who got slushbox only SL,S and E class AMGs and such.
What no one knows is what the " real world " 60-150 mph " rolling acceleration between the two is like , where the 6 speeds gearing may be an advantage . Who launches a manual car by smoking the tires on the street ? If you did that 10 times, you'd get 10 different numbers to 60 or 100 mph and a glazed and trashed clutch. . There may even be a slight advantage to the manual at speed. We'll know when real tests are released , not all these fluff articles that their PR peolple have allowed the journalists to publish so far.
I predict if a couple reputable mags show the 6 speed 0.05 seconds faster 60-150 mph, suddenly everyone wants the manual , even someone who already has a Tip 997 Turbo in the garage .
Agree that 60-150MPH accel is most relevant straight-line performance stat in US (OK, maybe 60-120MPH in US) and even in Germany...but how is this measured "real world"??? What gear is car most often "realistically" in before deciding to pursue a "gap" in the fwy "jigsaw puzzle"? How quickly/reliably can a typical/even a 95%ile rennteamer downshift his own 997TT (not a cheap, disposable 997TT press pool car

)vs the rennteamer simply flooring the accel on an SC-equipped Tip?

...I'd bet on the rennteamer in the Tip being faster in any 60-150MPH spurt/N-ring comparo....

As for the marketing impact of Tip vs manual times posted in car mags, I suspect 90% of 997TT buyers in US are about as clueless about cars' performance metrics as 95% of SL55 buyers are

.....let's admit it: 90-95% of the buyer base of new 997TT/SL55's choose car based on such criteria as: what they can afford...and which car has bigger discounts/better lease terms; which car is earlier in its product cycle (w/fewer older copies seen around town); which car has prettier styling; ability to fit 2 golf bags in trunk for the wkend drive to country club; availability of a convertible version; and what the wife signs off on....