Frankfurt Show
I spent three days at the Show, and was impressed with the Porsche presence there. There were at least 16 different models on display on the new stand, with several more cars in the various press and Exclusive lounges. There is absolutely no doubt that Porsche is very strong financially, and is offering an astonishing array of cars.
The featured new cars were the GT2, Turbo Cab, Cayenne GTS, and Cayenne Hybrid in concept. The GT2 was red, the Turbo Cabs were red and brown metallic, the GTS was red and the Hybrid was silver with clear panels to demonstrate the developing technology. All the other cars were mostly silver, with a black Cayman (Porsche Design edition) thrown in. There was a Spyder LMP2 car and a Cayenne Transyberia (black and orange) car as well.
The GT2 is one purposeful looking machine. I particularly liked the rear side panel and wing design, which made the normal TT design look dated and too simple by comparison. The rear rims are massive, and the car overall looks virtually track ready. In the Porsche promo film, Rohrl did the Nurburgring in 7:32.
I thought the GTS looked terrific with the sport design package, the CTT front, and the Alcantera interior. I still prefer the CTT, but the GTS is quite attractive. The GTS was just beside a CTT without the sport design kit and the CTT looked plain in comparison. I also closely examined a black metallic/chestnut CTT in the Exclusive lounge, and it was fantastic with its black rims, black and chestnut interior options, and sport design kit.
There are no significant new Exclusive options in the next few months, except possibly that seat belts will be offered in a few new colors. Nevertheless, the options now available are pretty impressive. The black/chestnut car was just fabulous.
I also spent considerable time at Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and Mercedes. I honestly thought the Scuderia was not exciting, but the 599 (in a wonderful light grey) was stunning. The Maserati GTS (I think that is the name) is a brilliant design, but the 1.4 million Lamborghini is way too stealth fighter like for my taste. The new Aston Martin DBS is beautiful, but from the appearance of the display (very small and poorly staffed) I am not at all confident the cars or the company will survive.
The Mercedes press conference and presentation was more theatrical and spectacular than ever--sort of an over the top Cirque de Soleil with Deiter Zetche and his moustache thrown in. Mercedes is quite dedicated to hybrid and other environmentally compatible technologies, and displayed a number of concept cars and new ideas. I had the good fortune to be sitting next to Zetche, Roger Penske, Lewis Hamilton and other notables, but it was matter of chance, not connections or inside influence.
I will post more news and pictures soon...
The featured new cars were the GT2, Turbo Cab, Cayenne GTS, and Cayenne Hybrid in concept. The GT2 was red, the Turbo Cabs were red and brown metallic, the GTS was red and the Hybrid was silver with clear panels to demonstrate the developing technology. All the other cars were mostly silver, with a black Cayman (Porsche Design edition) thrown in. There was a Spyder LMP2 car and a Cayenne Transyberia (black and orange) car as well.
The GT2 is one purposeful looking machine. I particularly liked the rear side panel and wing design, which made the normal TT design look dated and too simple by comparison. The rear rims are massive, and the car overall looks virtually track ready. In the Porsche promo film, Rohrl did the Nurburgring in 7:32.
I thought the GTS looked terrific with the sport design package, the CTT front, and the Alcantera interior. I still prefer the CTT, but the GTS is quite attractive. The GTS was just beside a CTT without the sport design kit and the CTT looked plain in comparison. I also closely examined a black metallic/chestnut CTT in the Exclusive lounge, and it was fantastic with its black rims, black and chestnut interior options, and sport design kit.
There are no significant new Exclusive options in the next few months, except possibly that seat belts will be offered in a few new colors. Nevertheless, the options now available are pretty impressive. The black/chestnut car was just fabulous.
I also spent considerable time at Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and Mercedes. I honestly thought the Scuderia was not exciting, but the 599 (in a wonderful light grey) was stunning. The Maserati GTS (I think that is the name) is a brilliant design, but the 1.4 million Lamborghini is way too stealth fighter like for my taste. The new Aston Martin DBS is beautiful, but from the appearance of the display (very small and poorly staffed) I am not at all confident the cars or the company will survive.
The Mercedes press conference and presentation was more theatrical and spectacular than ever--sort of an over the top Cirque de Soleil with Deiter Zetche and his moustache thrown in. Mercedes is quite dedicated to hybrid and other environmentally compatible technologies, and displayed a number of concept cars and new ideas. I had the good fortune to be sitting next to Zetche, Roger Penske, Lewis Hamilton and other notables, but it was matter of chance, not connections or inside influence.
I will post more news and pictures soon...