With the emerging emphasis on energy efficiency, John Glynn proposes that Porsche take a leaf out of their history book when planning the next-generation 911.
Whatever your politics, the record price of oil and other non-renewable forms of energy mean that the cars of the future require a fresh approach. Only an imbecile could drive down the motorway surrounded by countless other cars, all powered by dead dinosaurs and all carrying just one person, and think that was indefinitely sustainable in an increasingly energy-conscious world. If we want to enjoy the same motoring “freedom” in the years to come, we must develop a new mindset where our cars are concerned.
Mayor Livingstone of London is one of the people attempting to provoke a people change, by making it increasingly wallet-unfriendly to drive a heavily polluting car through the capital. Porsche GB’s public objection to the £25 daily charge for driving the biggest oil burners into the heart of London might be commercially understandable, but is it ultimately sending out the message we want to hear from the fathers of our beloved 911s? As a long-time Porsche fan, I’m not so sure.
I loved living in London, and still adore the city, but the traffic was always a nightmare: it once took me almost two hours to drive less than two miles from Harrods to the Trocadero for example. I understand the rationale behind the proposals to switch people into smaller cars, or price big cars out of the capital altogether, and I have to confess to some sympathy for the sentiment expressed in Livingstone’s response to Porsche’s application for judicial review of the proposed charges.
“Porsche has a clear vested interest in attempting to block this ground-breaking scheme,” said the Mayor. “They should focus their attentions on cutting CO2 emissions from the cars they produce, rather than pursuing this pointless legal action which we will vigorously contest”.
Porsche has never been a company for pointlessness. To Ferry Porsche, the 911 was all about its relevance versus so-called supercars with barely space for a briefcase, which is famously why 911s have rear seats, and space for a set of golf clubs under the bonnet. Owners know that 911s are practical cars, relevant to everyday life, yet fully deserving of their place at the pinnacle of the automotive experience. Keeping the 911 relevant has to be a Porsche priority.
The earliest Porsches were not hyperspeed machines. The 356 was initially powered by a 40bhp Beetle engine, and Fuhrmann’s four-cam 1500cc Carrera motor is still one of the most revered powerplants Porsche has ever produced. What made the 356 special was its lightness and efficiency, looks to die for and unmolested feel behind the wheel. Early 911s capitalised upon similar characteristics to great effect and, forty-five years later, there is still nothing better than driving that fabulous flat six, set in a chassis blessed with revelatory fluidity.
Porsche has history in renewable energy – the company was once involved in developing wind generators and hydrogen storage systems. Ferry Porsche had best use of natural resources high on his list of personal priorities, believing that improved design and new materials would continue to make cars lighter and reduce fuel consumption. As an organisation founded on outright engineering efficiency, Porsche is perfectly placed to show the world how best to combine sporting personal transport with planetary preservation.
I confess to owning a hybrid car and absolutely loving it. Putting the plethora of media misinformation and manufacturer-driven hate campaigns aside, as a car in its own right, it’s an entertaining drive, with beautiful balance, well judged suspension, great brakes, acres of space (easily beating my previous turbodiesel estates) and even when I drive it like a complete lunatic, it is very impressive on the energy front.
As Porsche inches ever closer to all-out ownership of Volkswagen, a very exciting opportunity approaches to build the company that could well define the form of our future motoring. With first the Beetle and then the Golf, VW gave us the definitive “peoples’ cars”, and a hybrid designed and built by a Porsche-owned VW would be my pick for the car of the future.
Previous Porsche/Volkswagen collaborations have been pretty cars to my eyes. Despite a somewhat surprising lack of power, the shapely 914 and the streamlined 924 were both decent drives: both rear wheel-drive and endowed with wonderful weight distribution. Modern lightweight interpretations of such vehicles, with alternative drivetrains, would serve as signposts to the 911 of the future that no true fan could argue against. A Porsche powered by alternative fuel and with exemplary power-to-weight would also open the marque up to a whole new world of eco-conscious consumers.
Innovative design is where Porsche started, and what enthusiasts past, present and future still delight in. As the next generation of car anoraks grow up in a culture certain to concentrate on power derived from energy consumed, Porsche should get back to basics and develop a lightweight, energy-conscious 911, with all the verve and relevance of the original.
As Ferry Porsche said: “We have to contend today with an increasing tendency towards selfishness in our society. I consider this to be a misunderstanding of the meaning of democracy: we should not think primarily of ourselves, but rather of society as a whole. This way of thinking should guide us in all our decisions”. If that attitude was good enough for Doctor Porsche, it’s good enough for me.
