The Book of 911

A Porsche Panamera escaped damage during the accident

Car accidents are always tragic, but they carry special meaning when they serve a purpose. February 13 brought much unwelcome news for everyone in the Porsche world when one of it’s most seasoned test drivers was killed in a road accident during testing of the next generation Porsche 911 convertible. 

Apparently the driver lost control of the car at moderate speed on an unregulated portion of the autobahn in Hessen, during damp weather. 

Testing locations vary from location to location. Some are on closed-circuit tracks, others are on high-speed ovals, but a lot of testing is “real-world”. Spy shots abound of nearly ever new models that comes out. Some cars are tested more rigorously, but sports cars tend to receive a lot of test time on road and track. Often the test drivers work in shifts, 24 hours per day, and in various locations ranging from the deserts of Arizona, to above the arctic circle in Sweden.  

Test centers for various manufacturers include:

Pictures from the accident detailing the car’s position in relation to the guardrail are here.

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A quicker way to 60

“Along with direct fuel injection, the new Porsche engines offer the new Porsche Doppelkuppling (PDK), available as an option. It’s a technology that first helped Porsche racing cars create a sensation on racetracks around the world in the 1980s. After years of painstaking development, its application in a street-legal 911 has come to fruition.

PDK, with both a manual gearshift and an automatic mode, has seven gears at its disposal. It is essentially two gearboxes in one and, as the name suggests, two clutches. Whenever a particular gear is engaged, the next gear in the other gearbox is always preselected. The result?

Gear shifts take mere hundredths of a second, and without any hint of interruption to the flow of power. PDK provides improved responsiveness and greater agility with more fuel efficiency.

In combination with the Sport Chrono Package Plus, PDK has a choice of two additional functions: Launch Control for optimum acceleration from a standing start, and a motorsport-derived gearshift strategy, bringing gearshift characteristics straight from the racetrack.”

Source: 2009 Porsche 911 Product Guide, page 10.

Well, after years of waiting, and what may be seen another 4-door aggravation for Porsche purists, we have the Porsche Panamera. It represents yet another potential boost to Porsche’s already massive financial “conglomerate”, as we have previously discussed. But what will Porsche do with all of the cash?

ATLANTA – January 5, 2009 —- Porsche AG will present the new Panamera to 

the public for the first time at Auto Shanghai 2009 in China, scheduled from April 

20 to 28, 2009. Porsche’s unique, four-door Gran Turismo will be making its 

world debut at a press conference on April 19 and will be entering the market in 

late summer 2009 with the first models in U.S dealerships in the fall. 

The four-door Panamera will combine a wide range of features seemingly 

contradictory at first sight, and will offer a unique synthesis quite unparalleled in 

the premium segment. The Panamera will come with all the sporting and 

dynamic characteristics of a genuine Porsche combined with a very high 

standard of driving comfort. Despite its extra-low and sleek coupe silhouette, the 

Panamera will offer more than ample space and roominess inside for four 

passengers and variable loading space for a substantial amount of luggage. The 

Panamera will also boast power units offering a high standard of fuel efficiency 

despite the car’s outstanding performance. 

All Panamera power units will be modern V-configuration engines with either six 

or eight cylinders covering a power range from 300 to 500 horsepower and 

featuring Direct Fuel Injection. All engines will provide outstanding power and 

torque, together with very good fuel economy and exhaust emissions reduced to 

a minimum. 

The Panamera will make its debut with a normally aspirated V8 power unit, as 

well as a V8 featuring twin-turbocharger technology. 

In the United States all Panameras will feature Porsche’s new seven-speed 

Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) (Double-Clutch Gearbox). This will give the 

Panamera both a particularly sporting and an extra-comfortable character on the 

road. 

As an option the Panamera will be available with Porsche’s Sports Chrono 

Package, giving the car even more sporting and dynamic engine and gearshift 

characteristics and enhancing its dynamic performance to an even higher level of 

perfection. 

The Panamera S with its normally aspirated V8 engine will come with rear-wheel 

drive as standard. The Panamera 4S and the twin-turbocharged Panamera Turbo 

will feature Porsche Traction Management (PTM) with extra-light, active all- 

wheel drive. In the future Porsche also will bring both a V6 and a hybrid version 

to market. 

In addition to the regular steel suspension featuring variable dampers for a 

sporting but comfortable driving experience, the Panamera also will be available 

with a brand-new optional adaptive air suspension system with additional air 

volume. This system, standard on the Panamera Turbo, will ensure a particularly 

wide range of suspension characteristics with an even higher standard of 

motoring comfort on the one hand and extremely sporting driving dynamics on 

the other. 

In the Sport Plus Mode the air suspension will lower the entire car even further, 

giving the Panamera an even higher standard of aerodynamic efficiency and 

improving its center of gravity and enhancing driving safety and reducing fuel 

consumption. Panamera also will be available with the optional Porsche Dynamic 

Chassis Control (PDCC) system that actively compensates body roll in turns 

while improving the car’s response and smoothness on bumpy roads when 

driving in a straight line. 

Intelligent lightweight technology making appropriate use of high-strength steel, 

light alloys such as aluminum and magnesium, as well as high-tech plastic 

materials will serve to reduce the weight of the car to an appropriately low level 

in its class, benefiting not only fuel economy, but also driving dynamics. 

 

Source: Porsche

From Porsche:

ATLANTA – February 12, 2009 —- Today, Porsche AG for the first time presents its Panamera four-door gran turismo interior concept. The much-anticipated addition to Porsche’s performance lineup will make its U.S. market debut on Oct. 17, 2009.

With a continuous center console that extends from the dashboard to the rear seating area, the Panamera offers a new spatial concept for the driver and passengers featuring optimal ergonomic seating with individual cockpit-like spaces for all. Its deep seating position and a sport steering wheel help give the driver and passengers direct contact with the road. At the same time it provides a generous, roomy environment with exceptional leg and head room, unique qualities in a sporting machine yet essential for grand touring. This individual seating allows for optimum passive safety.

Porsche will provide countless opportunities for individual interior customization with 13 color and material combinations including four two-tone leather interiors and seven interior trim options including carbon fiber to Natural Olive wood.

An available four-zone climate control system gives each seating area individual control of functions such as temperature, air distribution and venting direction. In the unfortunate event of an accident, front, side and curtain airbags help protect the front occupants, while standard rear side airbags help protect those in back. The Panamera S and Panamera 4S feature eight-way power seats in front with a driver memory package. In the rear are two individual seats with a folding rear console and plenty of room. The Panamera Turbo has power seats with a memory package for not only the seat functions but also the electronically adjustable steering wheel. Further seating customization is available through optional alternatives such as 18-way Adaptive Sport Seats or fully adjustable eight-way power seats in the rear.

Porsche for the first time will offer from Burmester® — the renown Berlin audio manufacturer — a new ultra high-end surround sound system. With 16 loudspeakers plus a subwoofer (a total of over 2.5 square feet of speaker surface area) and a total output of more than 1000 watts, this new system gives listeners a grand acoustical experience. And like the 2009 Porsche sports cars and SUVs, Panameras will be available with the latest personal electronic connectivity features, including Bluetooth for cellular telephones, Universal Audio Interface for connecting personal audio devices, and satellite radio.

The rear luggage area provides up to 15.7 cubic feet of space, enough room for four large suitcases. The tall space enables luggage to be loaded in an upright position, and with the rear seat folded down the luggage space generously increases up to 44.6 cubic feet.

Initially, all Panameras will be available with two V8 engine options, standard seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) double-clutch transmissions and rear- or all-wheel drive. All engines feature Porsche Direct Fuel Injection (DFI) for highest efficiency. For additional fuel savings, all Panameras include an engine stop-start function that can turn off and restart the engine at certain times, like when stopped at an intersection or in traffic.

The rear-wheel drive Panamera S has a 400-horsepower, 4.8-liter V8 engine that can propel it from 0 to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds on its way to a top test track speed of 175 mph. The manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) is $89,800. The all-wheel drive Panamera 4S receives the same 4.8-liter powerplant. It sprints from 0 to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, achieves a top test track speed of 175 mph, and has an MSRP of $93,800.

At the top of the Panamera lineup is the Panamera Turbo with its 500-horsepower, twin-turbocharged 4.8-liter V8. Also featuring the new PDK transmission, the all-wheel drive Panamera Turbo sets a breathtaking 0-to-60 time of 4 seconds flat and a top test-track speed of 188 mph. The Panamera Turbo has an MSRP of $132,600, and all three Panamera models will go on sale in the United States this October.

Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA), based in Atlanta, Ga., is the exclusive importer of Porsche sports cars and sport utility vehicles for the United States. It is a wholly owned, indirect subsidiary of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG. PCNA employs approximately 180 people who provide Porsche vehicles, parts, service, marketing and training for its 201 dealers. The dealers, in turn, provide Porsche owners with best-in-class service. Throughout its 60-year history, Porsche has developed numerous technologies that have advanced vehicle performance, improved safety and spurred environmental innovations within the automotive industry. The company continues to celebrate its heritage by adding to its long list of motorsports victories dating back to its first 24 Hours of Le Mans class win in 1951. Today, with more than 28,000 victories, Porsche is recognized as the world’s most successful marque in sports car racing. PCNA, which imports the iconic 911 series, the Boxster and Cayman sports cars and Cayenne sport utility vehicles and soon the Panamera gran turismo for the United States, strives to maintain a standard of excellence, commitment and distinction synonymous with its brand.

Source: Porsche Cars North America

There are more than 300 cars that will be rotated around the 80-car display at the new Porsche Museum. The facility itself is immense and visually stunning. Attached is the complete guide to the museum provided by Porsche.

The Porsche Museum Guide

On the power of the 911

“The position of its flat-six engine at the rear of the chassis is an iconic element of the Porsche 911. For many drivers, it’s the single characterisitic that defines the 911 dirving experience. That experience is now further evolved in the new 911, thanks to two new engines that use direct fuel injection.

How does this improve upon conventional fuel injection? By preparing the fuel/air mixture entirely in the combustion chamber, where it is then metered and injected directly with millisecond precision.

From a technical perspective, the more accurate fuel/air mixture and optimization of combustion has increased performance while being more fuel efficient. Power and torque outputs are now 345 and 385 horsepower and 288 lb.-ft. and 310 lb.-ft. for the 3.6- and 3.8-litre engines respectively.”

Source: 2009 Porsche 911 Product Guide, page 10.