TimeOut

Some watch enthusiasts complain when a watch company makes limited edition after limited edition after limited edition.

Well, Porsche is starting to catch on and has recently made quite a few limited edition cars over the past few years.

Here is a list of some of the cars from the recent past and some current cars as well. Should we expect to see more of these vehicles? What are your thoughts about these numerous special vehicles (marketing ploy or genuine value)?

Here are some of the special/limited models of the past.

Here are the current models... The Boxster Spyder was just released in the beginning of the summer. The GTS and Speedster 911 models were launched within a few weeks of each other. Only 356 Speedsters will be made for worldwide consumption. How's that for a limited edition?

I guess the question is; do we like limited editions because they're rare and we don't want to see others wear the same clothes/watch as we do? Or do we like limited editions because they make us feel special like we belong to an exclusive club, and we like to hang out with those individuals who buy the same limited editions because we have something in common? What appeals to you about limited editions?

editions? For watches, it's mostly esthetical but not too sure on the porsches.

cheers

PAt

But on most of these special editions, there are some aesthetic enhancements, such as special leather trim or "Porsche EXCLUSIVE" treatment on certain parts of the interior and exterior. There are also usually special wheel designs and higher performance engines on these models.

For instance, the 911 GTS comes with an extra 20+ HP (depending on region). The Boxster Spyder also comes with an extra 10 hp, and no folding roof. All of the special models do come with some interior treatments/enhancements as well.

So it's not just aesthetics. There's some under the bonnet modifications as well.

it always amazes me that when they take stuff out they charge more, £19k more in fact for something that is fabulous on a track and bone jarringly useless on a road.............mmmm sounds worth every penny.

not a big porsche fan

Graham

PS: get the same wallpaper with your own name at the porsche web special:
www.porsche.com

To me, the RS is so much more than just a GT3 stripped down and more expensive. I haven't had the pleasure of driving either vehicle, but I am fond of the GT3 RS concept of having a "track car" and if I had the time, money, patience, and driving skills, I would love to own one.

I guess it's all relative, many will find the RS to be an overpriced version of the GT3, but to me, I think the difference is readily apparent and worthwhile.

Now, if only they put the PDK transmission into the GT3, if they say a driver will be faster with a PDK on the track, why don't they put the PDK transmission in the GT3? I just wonder if the PDK transmission can take the abuse on the track.

Pay more for less. Plus if you wanted something for the track, you'd do it properly and strip out everything, change the suspension, change the wheels and tyres, stick a cage in it....you just did Porsches 19K job for them...

And then get smoked by some duffer in a Caterham 7 with a V8 in it....

[As an aside, based on modern production processes and homologation requirements, these limited editions can be real PITAs. Especially the stripped down ones. No power windows?...all new wiring harness and reprogrammed BCM. Slightly different tune on the engine? Recalibrate the ECU and fiddle with the transmission cal, test and validate, rehomologate the engine, sort out the spare parts/service documents that need to be distributed...etc]

This message has been edited by BDLJ on 2010-09-21 18:39:48

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Personally, I really like Targas, but I really don't like the idea of having a moonroof. Call me paranoid, but I don't fancy the idea of having a hole on top of my head or an all glass roof.

Lastly, I prefer convertibles that are two seaters. It looks "cooler" when there's only two seats.

colour combination of the rs60 is excellent....

Very german....

Cheers

I guess I have very German tastes.

Silver is the official racing colour for Germany...
as red is for Italy, green for England and blue for France....

But it wasn't always like that....

Germany's colour used to be white...
until Mercedes wanted to take same weight off their racing cars...
So they took the paint off and the silver/grey non paint became eventually
Germany's new colour...

Cheers

That's right, the Mercedes race car weighed just a few kilograms over the limit and they had to strip off the paint and shorten the tailpipes to help save the weight.

Today, white is now Japan's racing colors.

I wonder, would a car with no paint be able to be driven in the everyday world? Obviously, a car without any protection would rust, but how about a clear lacquer over the metal body. Hmmm, that would be interesting, perhaps a bit too reflective.

Certainly would have much heavier body panels than cars in the past, even if it were thinner gauge stainless steel.

Sure do see a lot of weird looking cars in Kuwait. I think they have that chromed shiny car part for ostentatious looks and part for reflecting the sun's rays off the car. I wonder if that car is actually practical in the long term. I'm guessing that the chrome peels or it chips with rock chips. Then the chipped areas could start peeling off.

So stainless doesn't surprise me at all.

..used Stainless Steel panels. What a pain they'd be to keep clean....ever had to scrub a commercial kitchen? Ick.  Ever thought about panel beating an unpainted panel? Nightmare.

You wouldn't necessarily have to laquer aluminium panels, just depends on how fussy you are about keeping it shiny. On certain parts, I actually prefer the matte look of oxidised aluminium - I never polish the frame of my RS125 (lazy!) and that's raw exposed aluminium alloy.

 

lots of rust...

Fibeglass is an alternative..... Corvettes use it....



Cheers

Very much the Cayman, one of the most beautiful car designs they have ever done.

Personally, I really like the Cayman as a car, but in general, I really don't like the concept of hatchbacks. For instance, the fact that the new Jaguar XK, Aston Martin Vantage, and the Porsche Cayman have a hatchback rear trunk bothers me.

The blacked-out Porsche Design One is really cool. I've only been inside one, but after that I realized I like special/limited edition Porsches.

The Boxster Spyder is a great car that really speaks to me; with its uprated engine, unique design, unique roof concept, and the unique interior design. Hope to see another special edition Cayman in the near future!

An '85 1/2 and an '87 and loved them. Weight distribution made them handle better than a 911 and they were extremely reliable.

Parts and repairs were also much less than a 911 from the same years (needless to say).

Loved the hatchback feature because it wasn't an afterthought, but well integrated and very functional.

Porsche purists would hate to know that I relished the fact that I could fit a couple 4x8 sheets of plywood in the back with only a couple feet sticking out. LOL

I'd love to have another one, but no more room :-(

I've got to admit.  I drive a four door sedan car and there are some things that I can't take home.  For instance, if I were still a college student, I wouldn't be able to get IKEA furniture back to a dormitory in my own car because the boxes were too long. 

Whereas in some Porsches, I would ironically actually be able to bring home long boxes back to my college dormitory. 

Hmmm, I hope no college student uses that as an excuse to get a Porsche! 

it would be blasphemy to bring in the Cayenne and Panamera into the discussion?

Though I have to admit, the new Cayenne has a better design.  I am just not keen on the Panamera. 

I do see the allure of SE/LEs.  But usually its more innards, not less and for more.

HAGWE!

Because it's ground-up new design, but seeing a classic Porsche style reworked into a 4 door seemed contrived.

I've had the distinct displeasure of driving the Cayenne on an autocross track and on windy roads and I can say that the new Cayenne (specifically the 2nd generation model that was just released) is not one of my favorites.

With the new model, the steering is much softer and lighter thanks to the new Electric Power Steering they offer on that vehicle. Unfortunately, it is also much more vague and much less communicative in its feedback compared to its predecessor.

The Panamera is the best driving sedan out on the market. But it has three problems; 1, it's costly; 2, it only seats 4; and 3, it looks terrible! It does have the electric power steering as the Cayenne does as well, but this is still the best handling and driving sedan on the market! However, I wouldn't buy one because it looks terrible!

If you've got kids, and you want a nice sporty four door car, I'd get something else. A BMW 5er or Merc E-Klasse fits the bill perfectly. The 2010 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG has an unbelievably awesome incentive on it right now (if you can stand going through rear tires in under 10,000 miles).

Also, it depends on whether or not you have a local Porsche dealer nearby and they're easy to work with and they will service the car properly. I've got a Porsche dealer 6 miles (10 kilometers) from my home, but I'm not 100% certain that I'd use them (ownership changed and I have two friends who weren't fully satisfied with their work). I've got another three all within a 25 mile radius of my home but I'm not sure I'd use them neither. There's another one just outside of this 25 mile radius, but the one that I'd actually use is over 60 miles an hour away on the complete opposite side of the metropolitan area.

Have a great weekend too!