[Tom in Austin]

Thinking about what might have been ... let's go back in time and suppose the 968 was a commerical success and continued past 1995 ... what would it have been like?



Would they have done a 968S model? Maybe with M030 suspension and brakes and a newer evolution of the VarioCam engine lifted to say, 265 hp?



Where would it gone from there? Porsche pretty much limited turbos to the 911 series ...

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[rhudeboye]

Good topic.



If sales were high one would have to assume that it would've run through 3-4 generations, as did the 944. But you know that would also have affected price. If these things were introduced at 50K and sold as well as the 30K 44's then what would the S models run?

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[ether_joe]

I'm kind of glad it didn't do well, so that we've got an exclusive car.



On the other hand parts, low mileage cars. . . maybe twice as many would have been nice.







I would love to see Porsche do another hot hatch. . . high end Golf or 1 series competitor. Inspired by our cars and the 924.

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[sasilverbullet]

I heard a rumor they are - a $35K'ish base car coming in 2009ish

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[RPM]

The 968 was doomed by two things: the early 1990s downturn in the economy and extremely high production costs. As much as a modernized generationally upgraded 968 would be cool, the Cayman is a wonderful successor to the well-balanced 968.



I am not certain that Porsche wants to compete in the sub-$40k market. As a small independent they could never hope to compete with the economies-of-scale enjoyed by Nissan, Mazda, or Audi (examples of large manufacturers who sell sports coupes from $30-40k). There is also the dimunition of value issue - Porsche is an exclusive and valuable brand that must be carefully protected (note how psycho they are about miss-use of their name, font, crest, etc.). If anything, Porsche wants to go in the opposite direction. Hence the Panamera coming out next year and possible follow-on coupe variants.



It would seem that the base Boxster will be the least expensive Porsche for a long time to come. And if you do a simple inflation calculator check on what a 968 went for in 1995 you will find that the Boxster is actually cheaper.



1995 968 base price: $39,950

adjusted for inflation: $49,705

2007 Boxster: $45,600

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[ether_joe]

[quote name='RPM' post='28043' date='Nov 17 2006, 12:02 PM']I am not certain that Porsche wants to compete in the sub-$40k market. As a small independent they could never hope to compete with the economies-of-scale enjoyed by Nissan, Mazda, or Audi (examples of large manufacturers who sell sports coupes from $30-40k). There is also the dimunition of value issue - Porsche is an exclusive and valuable brand that must be carefully protected (note how psycho they are about miss-use of their name, font, crest, etc.). If anything, Porsche wants to go in the opposite direction. Hence the Panamera coming out next year and possible follow-on coupe variants.[/quote]



you're probably right.



For me, the desireability / competitive edge for Porsche would be not necessarily in price - the price could be above the 1 series and of course the Golf. I am thinking more of the utility - hot hatch aspect.



But it's probably more of a wet dream.



Getting back to the thread. . . how much more do you think Porsche could do with the 3.0L 4 than turbocharge it? The Porsche 4 cyl sure had a helluva run though.

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[au968]

I think a new 968 would have had to have been a ground-up redesign. By the time the 968 was hatched from the 944, which was hatched from the 924. the design was already quite old, and showing it's age in terms of manufacturing process and things like panel fit and gaps which are large by modern standards.



The bottom line is that Porsche has decided that the engine belongs in the back of their sportscars, and it seems it's staying there...

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[RPM]

The bottom line is that Porsche has decided that the engine belongs in the back of their sportscars

Or the middle <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[au968]

[quote name='RPM' post='28051' date='Nov 18 2006, 11:32 AM']Or the middle <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />[/quote]



Or 'not the front' <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/biggrin.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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