[Perfectlap]

Went down to the dealer service lot where the PCA was holding a track driving seminar and saw the 987 and 997 in the service lot (both in Silver). Hard to believe but The 997 is longer than the newest Corvette.

Lux, can't believe you didn't imediately jump in and drive it!
The interior and look of the car are secondary to me. And a distant second at that. From everything I have heard the new S is kick ass to drive. Not a single complaint and one magazine rated it above the 997. The performance seems to be on a level that is shared only by the Lotus elise. But the day when I pay $50K for a Toyo 1.8 engine will never come for me.

In terms of the styling it doesn't fit the performance. Well that's just my take, albeit from a former design student. I took one class on auto design taught by a former GM interiors designer, OMG that was sooo much work 7 10 illustrations per critique and that's just one class. Anyhoo This direction towards a more organic circular design is too common amongst roadsters these days. I was hoping that Porsche would have gone in a more aggresive approach like incorporated the Turbo headlights or something similar. (I'm actually considering doing that conversion myslef, I know its expensive but I think this car's performance is worth it). The classic round eyed Porsche/VW look is classic but the past is past. The amoeba shape lights and modern exterior mirrors were indicating a move toward more Italian (Ferrari/Maserati) designs.

I was however expecting a radical change on the interior because consistency or gradual change in the exterior of a successful car's is now the standard in the industry. The Miata and the Boxster were both the best selling car's in each make's history and both kept the design in tact for 7-8 years. I was hoping to see a more minimalist desing this area, keeping consistent with the pure sports car ideal. Instead Porsche went with the Cayene approach of a more LEXUS enviroment. Rather than introducing a smaller steering wheel like on the S2000 (one of my favorite features) they went with a bigger wheel. It would have been cool if Porsche introduced two different interiors, one for the S with a sharper edge to include less novelties and more necessities (like a legitimiate kevlar racing seat not in leather), harness bar, lots of carbon, a higer stick shifter or closer to the steering wheel and overall weight reduction.
The car magazines would have loved that.