Back in December, we had the chance to sample two distinctly different sides of Porsche: The 718 Boxster/Cayman GTS and the Panamera Sport Turismo Turbo S E-Hybrid. Both deliver performance that stands at the top of their respective classes. And both have the same reference model: the 911. This rear-engined sports car still is the measuring stick for everything the brand sends to market.
While Porsche is still cranking out new versions and derivatives of the current 911, known by its code name of 991 among aficionados, its 992 successor isn’t that far away anymore. We expect it will hit the market in late 2019 as a 2020 model. So we sat down with the 911’s chief engineer, August Achleitner, to discuss the model’s present and future. Inevitably, the unforeseen success of the 911 R came up; prices on the used-car market have raced toward $1.2 million, more than five times the factory sticker price. In an earlier conversation, Achleitner told us that the 911 R has taught Porsche a lesson: Customers who don’t race their cars don’t necessarily care about the final tenth of a second on the racetrack. They care about authenticity and driver involvement. Bringing back the manual transmission to the GT3 was a first response to this observation. And a new derivative gets even closer to the 911 R: the 911 GT3 with the Touring package. But it’s not quite the same as an R, lacking some of the ultra-expensive lightweight components. And because of th...