By Paul Horrell
Photography by Brenda Priddy & Company
Motor Trend, October 2006



There've been times when Porsche was nothing more than the 911 company. No longer. Sources inside Weissach confirm Porsche is working on up to 10 new models for launch by the end of the decade. Some are variants of the existing 997-series 911. But others will take the company into new and possibly controversial market niches.




• 911 Turbo Cabriolet: This is the convertible version of the just-launched Turbo. The current 3.6-liter flat-six turbo coupe is rated 473 horses and 457 pound-feet and is good for a mid-three-second 0-to-60-mph time. The slightly heavier ragtop should take a few tenths longer to get to 60, but should exceed the 996 Turbo Cabrio's 191-mph top speed, a number now rivaled by the bigger Bentley Continental GTC.



• 911 Targa: Porsche long ago gave up on cutting the 911's roof from A- to B-pillar to create the Targa. Like the 996 version, the 997 will have a large glass panel that retains the car's roof rails between the pillars for better structural rigidity .



• 911 GT3 RS: This is the limited-edition homologation of the 2007 GT3 RSR race car, built to meet FIA GT rules. Rumors are the race car and the RS will get the 3.8-liter flat-six, instead of the 3.6-liter engine. The RS is a lightweight car with the Carrera 4's wide rear fenders, a wider rear track, more aggressive wing, and modified front spoiler lip. Weight savings include a carbon-fiber wingtop, lots of composite bodywork, and lightweight glass.



• 911 GT2: The mother of all 911s arrives just in time to put ol' 997 over the top. The 996 version of the GT2 got an 11-percent-horsepower boost over quotidian 911 Turbos via modified turbos and intercooler for more boost. Add 11 percent to the 997 Turbo's 473 horsepower, and you get a Z06-topping 525 horses. Note the rear-fender intercooler inlets. With no sunroof and other weight savings, the new Turbo's 0-to-60-mph time will seem like a walk in the park when this limited-edition car arrives.



• Panamera: It looks like a Cayenne, but it's a mule for the four-seat, four-door Panamera, as both cars share the front-mounted 4.5-liter V-8, rated 340 horsepower naturally aspirated and 520 horses in the Cayenne's new twin-turbo S form. The Panamera also is tipped to share a version of the Cayenne's all-wheel-drive system and its proposed hybrid powertrain. The Panamera will be assembled in Leipzig where the Cayenne is built, and production of the Carrera GT is just ending. The Panamera is expected in 2009 as a 2010 model.


What else is coming?


• Cayman RS: This lightweight version of the Cayman is due soon. Porsche has no plans to offer more power, as it wants to ensure the 911 remains the company's icon car.



• Next-generation 911: Development of the all-new 998 version of the 911 is underway. A key issue with the next 911 is the iconic flat-six engine apparently can't be stretched beyond 4.0 liters, which limits the potential output, even with technologies such as direct injection. This means the car will almost certainly feature extensive use of aluminum and fast-shifting DSG transmissions to save weight and boost performance.



• Small SUV: Porsche is working on a small SUV to fit below the Cayenne. Many have assumed that, just as the Cayenne came off a platform shared with VW's Touareg, this'll be a variant of the new small SUV under development as the Audi Q5. But Porsche sources have confirmed the company is pondering a radical, sporty three-door vehicle with strong 911 design cues. Porsche has successfully run all-wheel-drive 911s and 959s in the grueling Paris-Dakar Rally in the past.



• New 928: With the front-engine Panamera now underway, Porsche engineers also are pondering whether a short-wheelbase, two-door version of the car could be built as a 21st-century 928 to take on cars such as Bentley's Continental GT and Ferrari's 612 Scaglietti.



• New Carrera GT: Production of the Carrera GT has finished, with about 1200 cars built. Insiders admit they'd like to build a successor to the mid-engine V-10-powered roadster, but that any work on such a car would be unlikely before the end of the decade.

Porsche might develop a new "928" (we say might because there is nothing sure for now, just rumors) that might debut in 2011. The new model it is supposed to be a competitor for cars like BMW M6, Jaguar XK, Aston Martin DB9, Bentley Continental GT and Mercedes CL.

Since 1995, when the 928 GTS went out of production, Porsche didn’t have any other replacement for it. The new 928 will be inspired by the Panamera. The rear, off course will be inspired from the 911. It will be powered by a V8 engine or even a V10 might be under the hood of new 928.