Porsche is not something for everyone, but rather everything to someone. The ingredients for a true driver’s vehicle have always been Porsche’s goal and subsequently its achievement. When spin has replaced truth and deception has replaced reality, telling it like it is seems like a distant memory. We see ads with small econo-boxes ripping up the pavement on city streets in a terribly irresponsible way. Performance and driver involvement are attributes of vehicles built for just that. Porsche does not need to pretend anything.
Understanding Porsche’s priorities will either make it the perfect fit for a focused driver or a one-time walk on the wild side for those who would rather not be involved in the driving experience. Knowing this upfront can make for a blissful life-long relationship or a one-time roll of the dice. While being able to afford a Porsche is a prerequisite, only those with the mind-set to own a Porsche should pursue purchasing one. This is a fitting example of psychographics vs. demographics.
The best way to understand Porsche is not to compare it to other makes, but rather to separate it from the herd. Bean counting and spread sheet analysis will complicate and confuse the issue. It is certainly not the way to understand or appreciate a Porsche. The Porsche in its varied shapes and forms represents a focused, purposeful vehicle. What makes Porsche different is design (engineering) choices and priorities. Underlying themes define and differentiate Porsche. Hence, the “Everything to someone” vs. the “Something for everyone.”
Porsche sells lifestyle rather than transportation. A magazine once suggested that a 2,500-mile test drive would ensure the sale of a Porsche. With a Porsche, the more you drive it, the more you come to understand and appreciate it. Other sport vehicles might give a thrilling ten-minute test drive, but living with them on a day-to-day basis might be an unexpected disappointment.
Selling the tail is a tactic used by most manufacturers. Rather than considering the dog in totality, the buyer is so impressed with the tail, that they neglect to consider the rest of the dog. Get the prospective buyer to perceive value in a specific feature and make that the focal point. The buyer is purchasing the tail and taking the dog that comes with it.
This reminded me of a training session for the Cayenne’s introduction. Lincoln’s Navigator came with a power folding rear seat. The argument was why pay similar money for a vehicle that did not have a power folding rear seat? It was an award-winning argument which surprisingly was not rebutted.
Lincoln was selling the tail. The truth was Porsche offered a superior vehicle in terms of active and passive safety, quality, and engineering prowess. The Cayenne’s engineering was designed to deliver vastly superior attributes as a driver’s vehicle, not to be confused with a mass-production (parts bin-engineered) passenger’s vehicle. Porsche’s research and development dollars went into making the Cayenne into the “Porsche of SUV’s.
Here are fourteen principles that set Porsche apart.
1) Porsche is an engineering company, no, it’s an engineering culture that just happens to build automobiles. The others are automobile manufacturers with engineering departments. Over 4,000 employees work at Weissach and accept engineering challenges from almost all, if not all, of the other automobile manufacturers. Weissach is a think tank with over 3,000 engineers. Porsche also provides research and development for numerous other diverse industries including aviation, boating, and the defense industry to name a few. Porsche, the company, began this endeavor in 1931 and did not build its own car until 1948.
2) Porsche has always looked for the simplest, best answer to any engineering challenge. Ferry Porsche once solved a complex suspension dilemma with a piece of string. The engineers had two identical 550 Spyders. One handled perfectly, the other was unmanageable. Having already replaced every part in the suspension of the second Spyder, they could not resolve the car’s poor handling. With a string, Ferry measured the distance from the right front tire to left rear tire then the left front to the right rear. This resulted in determining it was the frame that was out of alignment. It had never been a component problem. Porsche created a simple solution to variable valve timing in the 968 and continued to evolve this simple yet effective approach. “Always look for the simplest solution to complex challenges.”
3) Continuous improvement of the product is the Porsche way. It is not necessary to wait for government mandates, challenges from the competition, or model year changes. Porsche will make changes as an improvement is found. Ferdinand Porsche was fired more than once by manufacturers for his relentless pursuit of improvement. That is what prompted him to form his own engineering company. This truth justifies buying the latest model year possible when considering a preowned Porsche. One can be sure improvements were made.
4) Systems engineering addresses how subsystems work in concert to yield a sum greater than the total of its parts (synergy). As an example, lowering unsprung weight benefits ride, road feel, steering, handling, braking, fuel economy, and acceleration. With systems engineering, one plus one equals three. With a Porsche it may be as high as four or five. This synergistic approach defies bean-counter analysis. A spread sheet comparison will not reveal the fact that 300 horsepower in a Porsche will outperform 300 horsepower in the competition.
5) Road feel, a virtual central nervous system, is transmitted to the driver via the pedals, steering wheel, and seat. This makes the driver an extension of the vehicle. The feel communicates the exact relationship between the tires and the road’s surface. This is Porsche’s DEW line (distant early warning system). Drivers are immediately informed as driving conditions change. Rolling over a quarter, one should virtually be able to determine if it is heads or tails. Racing engineered GT’s feel like one may also be able to determine the year the coin was minted. Road feel is accomplished without shaking any fillings loose on an irregular surface (see Porsche Intelligent Performance).
6) Brakes and suspension are always superior to the engine’s power. It is not how fast you go; it’s how you go fast. All Porsche brakes are evaluated by accelerating to 90% of the vehicle’s top speed then braking to one hundred kph (62 mph) and accelerating back to 90% of its maximum speed. This exercise is repeated twenty-five times in succession without any brake fade. Porsche brakes are an industry benchmark.
7) Power to weight has always been critical to real world performance. A spread sheet may show perceived competitors with more power than a Porsche, but that does not necessarily translate into better performance. Porsche gained its reputation in racing as the giant killer. Porsche originally ran 1.5-liter engine vehicles against vehicles with up to seven liters of engine displacement.
8) Weight distribution is critical not only in the fore and aft proportions, but also in the center of gravity vertically. This is, in part, the logic behind not going to the trendy retractable metal roofs. Cabriolets and Targa tops utilize magnesium panels under what appears to be a cloth top keeping the weight down while providing better security and strength. In theory, the 911 is an antiquated design, but its rear engine design still outperforms the competition. The rear weight bias puts the weight over the drive wheels for better traction. As the 911 brakes, weight and energy transfer forward balancing the load. Even the location of the fuel tank is considered; weight distribution should be the same with a full or empty tank.
9) Steering may be better described as a guidance system in a Porsche. The steering wheel seems like a formality in virtually willing the Porsche to go where the driver determines. While this seemed like a major challenge when switching from mechanical to electronic steering, Porsche was able to dial in the communication necessary for exact linear response. Porsche steering provides all the communication necessary to pilot these vehicles at speed. Not only does the steering provide precise linear transitions in direction, but also transmits road feel (see #’s 4 & 5).
10) Form follows function and timeless design are baked into Porsche models from their inception. Porsche designs its vehicles around the intended functions and not merely as a trendy design. While other manufacturers embrace change for marketing’s sake (requiring sales to keep up with the latest trends), Porsche evolved its designs, not abandoning a concept that previous buyers have appreciated and accepted. This enhances resale value while verifying the timelessness of the original style.
11) Exclusivity enhances the pride of ownership by continuing to separate “Something for everyone” from “Everything for someone”. Owning a Porsche is a reward that involves all the senses. History and heritage (character and traditions honed to perfection) validate the choice of a discerning buyer. Owners take pride in the fact that their Porsche represents something special. Porsche’s extensive list of options permits buyers to individualize their purchase. While the competition may offer two or three packages, Porsche allows the possibility of personalizing each model to the purchaser’s specifications, not to be confused with, “Why didn’t they make that standard equipment?”
12) The Common Denominator for the uncommon automobile is the one thing that all purchasers agreed upon. Purchasers see Porsche as a reward. Psychographics define different personalities purchasing a Porsche for a wide variety of reasons. Whether the Porsche is seen as a performance vehicle, a work of art, an escape pod, or for any other reason, buyers share a common denominator. Their Porsche represents a reward. The reward can be for arduous work, for station in life, for accomplishment, but always as a well-deserved reward. “Is this a birthday present, an anniversary present, or are you just rewarding yourself?” One should ask, “Is the reward to be enjoyed a few times per year (condo, airplane, boat) or will it be something that can be enjoyed every day?”
13) Porsche Intelligent Performance is the combination of seemingly opposing attributes. It is difficult to imagine that both can be enhanced and not compromising one at the other’s expense. Porsches are adding strength and rigidity while losing weight. They are becoming more powerful and faster while increasing fuel economy and lowering emissions. Handling can be improved while the ride becomes more comfortable. Power is increased while fuel economy has improved. This is what gives us the new models and allows Porsche to proudly proclaim, “Everything we know, so far.”
14) A Porsche represents the critical thinker’s solution to an uncompromised driver’s vehicle. “Porsche, there is no substitute.”