I see no end to this thread, it's a black hole.... It should be titled, "let's argue apples to apricots"... Or "Semantics 101"

Everybody's convinced that Porsche is "losing ground", but nobody has a basis for the claim, or any real specifics...

Ferdie, I read your posts, and still have no real grasp of what you're getting at... Alot of words, very little substance. Please be specific. And how is Porsche not still considered a superior brand? If you look at the market-position, and price-ranges relative to inflation, Porsche of today is very little different than Porsche of yesterday as it pertains to heirarchy.

If there's a most-singular reason that Porsche seemed so alone on its pedestal in the past, it's because the market for such cars was far slimmer... Nobody was competing for such a small demand, it was left to smaller "niche" companies... Unless you lived in a major city, you wouldn't have access to a Porsche dealer.

Now that enormous mainstream manufacturers like Nissan are throwing their wealth and vast sea of engineers at a top-realm performance car, everybody wrings their hands and starts whining..., but at the same time, do any Porsche owners want to own an oddly-styled overweight Japanese techno-marvel? Not really.... So it's not terribly relevant, and all this worrying is, in my opinion, spun-up out of thin air and boredom.

I don't get it... I'm still enjoying the hell out of my car, and there's ALWAYS a better mousetrap lurking around the corner, or a far cheaper car that can show you its taillights in a straight line....

Back in 1980, my Mom's nephew-in-law bought a brand-new 911... I remember drooling over it as a kid, red with tan leather and a whale tail.... After a bit of good-natured jabs regarding who's car was faster, my dad pulled out his '79 Trans Am 400 4-speed WS6-equipped black/gold Special Edition, and they set out to a straight stretch of highway 441 across Paynes Prairie to settle the score....The ladies were annoyed, and made them promise not to go too fast...

When they got back, Dad was grinning ear-to-ear... Nephew-in-law was sheepish.

It's always been this way, in some realm of performance... always... Not worth talking about...