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The (Failed) Changing of the Guards

Around the 1970’s, we were seeing a change for Porsche with their design philosophy: Front-mounted engines were now prevalent in the lineup. The 924 debuted, which featured a four-cylinder Volkswagen engine and was front-mounted.

1978 then brought the 928, which was a full-fledged 2+2 Grand Tourer, which featured a water-cooled, Porsche-developed V8 (their first V8 engine), and also front-mounted.

This was seen as a changing of the guard, and the 928 was intended to replace the aging 911. The design was a hit as it won the 1978 European Car of the Year and was seen as design-forward versus the competition. Here was the 928: a modern, water-cooled, pantheon of performance that appealed to the masses, going against the small, air-cooled, difficult 911 that was seen in some circles as a ‘squashed Beetle’.

Little did we know that this momentum would be halted, as 911 sales stayed strong and the rest is history. Here’s an excerpt from Peter Schultz, who was the Porsche CEO around this 928 vs. 911 battle,

“The decision to keep the 911 in the product line occurred one afternoon in the office of Dr. Helmuth Bott de:Helmuth Bott, the Porsche operating board member responsible for all engineering and development. I noticed a chart on the wall of Professor Bott's office. It depicted the ongoing development schedules for the three primary Porsche product lines: 944, 928 and 911. Two of them stretched far into the future, but the 911 program stopped at the end of 1981. I remember rising from my chair, walking over to the chart, taking a black marker pen, and extending the 911 program bar clean off the chart. I am sure I heard a silent cheer from Professor Bott, and I knew I had done the right thing. The Porsche 911, the company icon, had been saved, and I believe the company was saved with it.”

A Modern Powerhouse

Nowadays, Porsche has a diverse lineup that would have been a pipe dream by Ferdinand Porsche. Beyond the 911, they offer a mid-engined coupe and convertible, the Cayman/Boxster/718, a four-door sports saloon, the Panamera, and two sports utility vehicles, the Cayenne and Macan.

Not only that, but they have gone head-to-head with the supercar brands and developed the Porsche 958, the most technologically advanced supercar of the 90s, and the 918, which fully embraces electric technology. The future looks great for the brand and with various vehicles covering many segments, it’s almost a guarantee that the 911 is here to stay for a very long time.

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