CAR Middle East - Porsche 60

PORSCHE Celebrating 60 years

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Celebrating 60 years CAR Middle East Registered at Dubai Media City ITP Consumer Publishing, PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 210 8000 Fax: +971 4 210 8080 Email us at: CAR@itp.com Subscribe: +971 4 286 8559 www.itp.net/subscription ITP CONSUMER PUBLISHING CEO Walid Akawi Managing director Neil Davies Deputy managing director Ali Akawi editorial Editor Shahzad Sheikh shahzad.sheikh@itp.com Assistant editor Tom Bird tom.bird@itp.com Contributing editors Noel Ebdon, Fraser Martin ART Group art editor Christine Burrows Senior designer Paul Brandist Designers Kate Scott, Sarel Meyer Photography head Sevag Davidian Chief photographer Nemanja Seslija PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION Group production manager Kyle Smith Deputy production manager Tyron Webster +971 4 210 8352 tyron.webster@itp.com Managing picture editor Patrick Littlejohn General manager - regional distribution Shaded Ali Shaded shaded@itp.com Distribution manager Karima Ghamlouch karima.ghamlouch@itp.com Distribution executive Nada Al Alami nada.alalami@itp.com ADVERTISIng Advertising director Francis Morgan +971 4 210 8216 francis.morgan@itp.com Advertising manager Sheryl Claridge +971 4 210 8103 sheryl.claridge@itp.com MARKETING & CIRCULATION Brand manager Kate Chapman +971 4 210 8351 kate.chapman@itp.com Retail manager James Rawlins +971 4 210 8116 james.rawlins@itp.com Circulation manager Vanessa D’Souza +971 4 210 8136 vanessa.dsouza@itp.com ITP DIGITAL Director Peter Conmy Sales manager Richard O’Sullivan +971 4 210 8548 ITP Group Chairman Andrew Neil Managing director Robert Serafin Finance director Toby Jay Spencer-Davies Board of directors K M Jamieson, Mike Bayman, Walid Akawi, Neil Davies, Rob Corder, Mary Serafin Published by ITP Consumer Publishing, a division of ITP Publishing Group Ltd. Registered in the BVI Company Number 1402846 © 2008 BAUER Automotive Ltd. CAR INTERNATIONAL CAR Magazine is published in the UK, Brazil, China, Greece, India, Italy, Mexico, Middle East, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Turkey and Ukraine.

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HE FIRST PORSCHE was built sixty years ago (see page 4) and since that moment, the manufacturer has been producing some of the world’s best road cars.

We commemorate this anniversary by examining the Porsche crest (page 2) and take a look at every Porsche car built in the past six decades (page 16). We sample the ultimate example of each modern Porsche together in a comprehensive drive (page 6) and look forward to the all-new Panamera four-door tourer arriving next year. Lastly, we learn more about Porsche’s environmental policy (page 22).

02 WHAT’S IN A NAME? The story behind the famous crest 04 IN THE BEGINNING It all started with the 356 06 GROUP TEST Driving the Cayenne GTS, Cayman S, 911 Turbo and Boxster S Exclusive 14 PORSCHE WORLD Important Porsche places

16 ALL PORSCHE CARS Illustrating every Porsche from the 356 to modern 911 20 PORSCHE CLUB UAE Own a Porsche? Join the club 22 RESPONSIBLE PERFORMANCE MD of Porsche Middle East speaks on the environment

INSIGHT FAMILY TREE

W H A T ’ S I N A N A M E Porsche isn’t just the name of a car. There’s a whole family behind it too – two families, in fact.

The horse comes from Porsche’s home town of Stuttgart’s coat of arms.

It represents the town’s founding as a stud farm over ten centuries ago in the year 950

Company founder Ferdinand Porsche never got to see his name emblazoned in a crest on the nose of a car. He died the year before it was first pinned to the steering wheel of a 356

The antlers and red-and-black stripes belong to the BadenWürttemberg region of Germany.

That’s where you’ll find Stuttgart

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ERDINAND PORSCHE HELPED DESIGN THE Porsche company crest but he never saw it applied to a car bearing his name. It first appeared on the steering wheel of a 356 in 1952, a year after his death. It was added to the bonnet in ’55 and the hubs in ’59.

Ever wondered what the crest represents? The red and black stripes and the antlers are the symbols of the Baden-Württemberg region where Porsche was founded.

Then the text and rampant stallion at the centre refer to Porsche’s home city – Stuttgart was founded as a stud farm a millennium before, in 950.

02 JUNE 2008

There’s more than 60 years of history here.

Porsche is proud of the crest – it hasn’t changed at all in those 56 years – and is also very protective of the badge. That’s why it doesn’t appear on the nose of cars created by aftermarket tuners. On all Porsches you can specify to have the crests on the hubs coloured or have it embossed onto the headrests.

And there’s an odd link with Ferrari’s cavallino rampante. Enzo adopted the emblem of downed Italian fighter ace Francesco Baracca for his cars, but Baracca himself is believed to have copied it from a German pilot he shot down in the Great War, who used the black horse symbol of his home city. That home city? It was Stuttgart.

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Ferdinand Porsche 1875-1951 The first Ferdinand Porsche had little to do with the sports car firm that bears his name.

Production of the Porsche 356, designed by his son, began just three years before he died – and he was already in failing health. Yet Dr Porsche was an extraordinary automotive engineer.

Despite limited formal education he created cars as diverse, original and influential as a petrolelectric hybrid, the monstrous V16 Auto Union racers – and, of course, the Volkswagen Beetle.

F a m i l y t r e e

Louise Porsche 1904 to 1999 Daughter of Ferdinand, sister of Ferry, wife of Anton Piëch, Louise worked for Porsche in its early years as a consultancy and sports car maker but, like her husband, her most important contribution was to produce Ferdinand Piëch.

Ferdinand Anton Ernst (Ferry) Porsche 1909 to 1998 Ferry founded Porsche as we know it, and the Porsche family fortune. He joined his father’s engineering consultancy in the 1930s and learnt well. Immediately after the war he designed the 356 and put it into production with enormous success. But his smartest move was to reestablish the family link with Volkswagen, winning access to VW’s global reach and economies of scale for his tiny sports car company, and stabilising the family’s finances with the exclusive and very lucrative right to distribute Volkswagens in Austria.

Ferdinand Alexander ‘Butzi’ Porsche 1935 to date F A Porsche (better known as Butzi) is the third generation of Porsche to make an iconic car. In this case the 911, but only the looks – he concentrated on design.

After the company was restructured in 1972, Butzi Porsche established Porsche Design and applied his ideals to watches and trains. Now in poor health, he remains Porsche’s biggest shareholder.

Gerhard Porsche 1938 to date A significant Porsche shareholder, since he bundled his stake in with that of his brother Butzi and Ferdinand Piëch’s sister Louise, giving the Porsche clan a significant majority over the Piëchs.

Hans-Peter Porsche 1940 to date A senior manager at Porsche until the family withdrew in 1972; then helped his brother Butzi to establish Porsche Design.

Wolfgang Porsche 1944 to date Can’t match his cousin Ferdinand Piëch’s stellar achievements in the car industry but he is now emerging as one of its most influential figures.

Chairman of the Porsche supervisory board and about to join Volkswagen’s.

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Ferdinand Piëch 1937 to date A Porsche grandson by another name, he helped create the 911 and arguably the greatest and most beautiful racing car ever in the Porsche 917.

After 1972 he went to Audi and invented Quattro, became chairman and CEO of the Volkswagen group in 1993, increasing its portfolio and driving the group upmarket with the purchase of Lamborghini, Bentley and Bugatti. In his time as CEO, the group’s vehicle output more than doubled.

‘Retired’ as CEO at 65 in 2002 but remains the most influential figure at Porsche and VW with his huge shareholding, supervisory board memberships and patronage of both firm’s top executives.

JUNE 2008 03

Anton Piëch 1894 to 1952 This Viennese lawyer married Louise, Ferdinand Porsche’s daughter, and gave his name to the second branch of the family that now controls the Porsche empire. He was imprisoned with Ferdinand for nearly two years by the French for war crimes, after being asked to establish a Beetle factory there as reparations. Piëch’s brother-in-law Ferry Porsche used the payment for his design of the Cisitalia 360 racer to bail them out, but not before the damp Dijon prison had cost Ferdinand Porsche his health. Anton’s most significant contribution to the Porsche empire was to sire Ferdinand Piëch.

Louise DaxerPiëch 1932 to 2006

Ernst Piëch 1929 to date

HansMichel Piëch 1942 to date

Wendelin Wiedeking, 1952 to date Not a Porsche family member, but they ought to adopt him.

Made Porsche CEO aged 40 in 1993 when the firm was making just 14,000 cars and losing $200m each year. It now makes 100,000 a year – and enough money to buy a majority stake in the VW group, which makes six million cars each year.

INSIGHT EARLY DAYS

I N T H E B E G I N N I N G ...

…there was the 356, the perfection of rear-engined Porsche ideals – but it could have been so different.

You can see the petrol tank sitting between the front wheels, above the driver’s feet. Keep it full and you’ll achieve a 35:65 front:rear weight distribution ratio

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ET IN AND THE DOOR CLUNKS SOLIDLY behind you. The ambience is Volkswagen Beetle-esque: quality vinyls, painted steel, rational in character but with an emotional 1950s tug.

Even the ample dome of headroom is similar, yet you sit close to the ground and the scuttle is closer to your chest. There’s a clatter and thud from the air-cooled flat four behind you, though it’s lighter and crisper in tone than the VW’s and shoves with greater insistence. You move along with poise, delicacy, balance and nimbleness, rather than Beetle-style plodding stolidity.

04 JUNE 2008

All of which begs two questions: how much Beetle is there in a 356, and why does this little sports car have its engine in the back?

The Beetle was the brainchild of Dr Ferdinand Porsche, founder of the engineering consultancy Dr Ing hc F Porsche AG, but he was incarcerated in France at the end of World War Two. His son, Ferry, worked on the midengined Cisitalia grand prix car in Italy to raise bail for his father’s release.

Cisitalia also manufactured a sleek coupe based on low-cost tuned Fiat mechanicals – and you know where this story is going.

Porsche returned from prison in 1948 to Gmünd, Austria, where his offices had been relocated away from the bombing raids of Stuttgart. There he was

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It’s no 911 Turbo.

Porsche’s Type 369 flat four is an evolution of the VW Beetle engine, with new cylinder heads, bigger valves and a Solex carburettor per bank, for a 54 percent power boost all the way to 40bhp. By the end of the 356’s career, only the crankcase was shared

presented with the 356/1: a prototype for a low-volume two-seat sports car, put together by Ferry Porsche with a tuned Volkswagen engine, suspension and brakes on a bespoke platform with a wheelbase more than 30cm shorter than the VW’s. Why 356? It came after 355 other Porsche design projects.

With the doctor back, a second prototype (356/2) was built. It became known as the Gmünd coupe, had four seats on a five cm shorter wheelbase, and was styled ahead of its time by Erwin Komenda: the contemporary Jaguar XK120 looks vintage in comparison. It defined the Porsche style as much as the rear-mounted air-cooled engine defined Porsche engineering.

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Boxing clever Ever wondered what the Alfasud had in common with the 356?

More than just a flat-four engine.

Ferry Porsche’s Cisitalia contract in the 1940s came from his connection with Rudolf Hruska, an associate of Cisitalia’s Piero Dusio. A quarter of a century later, Hruska found himself technical director of Alfa Romeo’s Alfasud project.

And so Porsche moved from consultancy to car maker, and the 356 began a legend. An air-cooled, rear-engined legend. Rear-engined for space efficiency, ease of installation, and greater traction thanks to the mass over the driven wheels. Rear-engined because Porsche’s 40bhp 1086cc Type 369 flat four was compact, light but not powerful enough to cause handling problems.

And rear-engined because Ferdinand Porsche wanted it that way.

Ferry’s 356/1 had, in fact, been mid-engined – just like a Boxster, with the entire engine/transmission assembly turned through 180 degrees. It was another trick Ferry had picked up while on secondment with Cisitalia, but not one his father was keen to learn.

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GROUP TEST porsche

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06 JUNE 2008

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traits What is it that makes the 911, Boxster S, Cayman S and Cayenne GTS all Porsches, but also all unique?

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OU WILL FIND A COMMON GENE IN THE FOUR Porsches lined up here for your delication. From the exotic 480bhp 911 Turbo to the more sober 295bhp Boxster S and Cayman S to the hard-pumping 405bhp Cayenne GTS. All very different, but every one a true Porsche. Each car represents how far Porsche has come in the past sixty years from the original 356 (page4) and showcases the German firm’s strive for engineering excellence in everything it produces. Whether a Porsche has rear or four-wheel drive; two, four or even five seats; a driving position inches off the ground or high in the air, boil it down and it’s still a Porsche.

You know you’re getting something special when you get a unique feeling just from looking at a Porsche, let alone driving it.

We have a no-nonsense supercar, the sweetest driving roadster, a sublime coupe and one of the fastest SUVs on the road.

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Porsche 911

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HE 911 TURBO’S 3.6-LITRE ENGINE kit. The front splitter projects forward dramatically, kicks out a gargantuan 480bhp thanks and the rear spoiler isn’t exactly what you’d call to a variable geometry turbo. However, subtle. The optional yellow Porsche Ceramic because of the turbo, power delivery isn’t Composite Brakes grip hard onto the 380mm discs linear. Before the Turbo spools up, the 911 feels (up from the 350mm standards). like a regular Carrera, but once boost has built up, However, as epic the performance offered by the you throw caution to the wind and are thrown Turbo is, you shouldn’t forget the normally aspirated forward with epic force.

Carrera and Carrera S 911s. Even without the boost It’s capable of breaking the 300kph barrier (311kph from Turbo, each provides ample power and the to be exact) and can crack 100kph in just kind of driving experience Porsche is BLACK BEAUTY 3.7secs. Be aware though, performance Carbon fibre adorns renowned for. But for those looking the gear stick, on that level demands respect. for the ultimate, the Turbo is King. centre console and The four-wheel drive system can adjust the three-spoke steering wheel. the split between front and rear wheels What’s not carbon is depending on the road conditions and black leather.

Yellow seat belts what’s demanded by the driver, and a are a neat touch plethora of electronics will try to keep everything in line, but as good as Porsche’s engineers are, they can’t break the rules of physics.

Although they do seem to bend them at times – with the engine hanging out behind the rear axle it’s impressive that the Turbo doesn’t spin itself in circles everytime you plant the throttle. It’s not a supple tarmac terrier – you do feel as if you’re sometimes holding on whilst the Turbo decides for itself where it wants to go.

You’ll be hard pushed to find anyone who isn’t immediately taken in by the Turbo’s looks. In Basalt Black, it’s dark, menacing and mean – you know this car means business. This is perhaps the most extreme Turbo around, as it is fitted with the extra bodykit on top of the already pumped up standard

08 JUNE 2008

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NEED TO KNOW PORSCHE 911 TURBO

Price: $122,900 Engine: 3600cc 24v flat six, 480bhp @ 6000rpm, 457lb ft @ 1950-5000rpm Transmission: Five-speed automatic, four-wheel drive Performance: 3.7sec 0-100kph, 311kph, 13.6L/100 Weight: 1585kg Made from: Steel

GROUP TEST PORSCHE

Porsche Boxster

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XCLUSIVE IS WORD OFTEN BANDED about, usually on things that are anything but. However, Exclusive in the world of Porsche means exactly that. You can create an exclusive Porsche, just for yourself.

The Boxster S seen here has been given the Exclusive treatment – and then some. We’ll start with the most obvious additions, namely the vast splashes of red. The 19-inch alloys are red, the interior’s red, the side strip complete with Boxster S writing is red, even the Boxster S badge on the boot is red as are the rear lights. To counteract this, everything that isn’t red is white – the backs of the sports seats, the rollover bars, the sound system – even the slats in the interior air vents and the air intakes are white. Whilst the overall look may not be to everyone’s tastes, you won’t miss this Boxster S in a hurry.

Regardless of how far or not you go down the Exclusive route, the exceptional Boxster S remains.

The direct steering, the lightness of all the controls and that ultra-smooth engine combine to create one of the sweetest driving cars around. The six-speed manual gearbox is near-perfect in its movement, and provides a much more involving drive than the Tiptronic S box, although slightly more inconvenient in traffic.

Getting to 100kph in just 5.4secs is supremely fast, especially with the roof down and the wind in your hair – driving al fresco in the Boxster S is a must do. Fun is the Boxster S’s raison d’etre.

As a mid-engined roadster it’s exceptionally balanced, and never feels short on power. The diminutive Porsche has been the benchmark by which every other roadster is judged against – and loses to – for the past twelve years.

NEED TO KNOW PORSCHE BOXSTER S

Price: $51,850 Engine: 3386cc 24v flat six, 295bhp @ 6250rpm, 251lb ft @ 4400rpm Transmission: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive Performance: 5.4sec 0-100kph, 272kph, 10.6L/100 Weight: 1355kg Made from: Steel

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GROUP TEST PORSCHE

NEED TO KNOW

Porsche Cayman

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ITH ITS SWOOPING SIDE The Cayman S, like all Porsches, has an excellent haunches, twin exhausts and stubby driving position. Sports seats keep you in place rear the Cayman S is arguably the through corners, and the leather-trimmed steering best looking modern Porsche. wheel is a joy to hold and provides excellent feel The optional 19-inch alloys taken from the from the front wheels.

911 Turbo really help, as does the sophisticated Carrying some 200kg less weight than the 911, Midnight Blue metallic paint. Even at standstill, it’s the Cayman S that feels most active on the this Cayman S has presence. It’s poised, ready to road. Some might argue that it needs more power, attack at a moments notice. but the 295bhp offered up by the enigne behind Unlike many Porsches in the region, this the seats is perfectly adequate. It delivers a 0-100kph Cayman S has the standard six-speed manual time of 5.4secs and a top speed of 275kph, which gearbox which is infinitely better than the five-speed is certainly adequate for 90 percent of driving.

Tiptronic – especially with the optional shorter If there was anymore power you’d feel like you sports shifter which turns it into one of have to hold yourself back, whereas the EXHAUSTING the best manual boxes around.

Cayman S just feels right with what Twin pipes mark the As a driver you feel as if you’re working it’s got. No more, no less.

Cayman S out from the Cayman. Wind in harmony with the car – just one of the engine past the countless parts making that work together magic 4400rpm mark and you’ll to make the Cayman S such a sweet drive. never want to leave The mid-engined rear-wheel drive layout – the sonorous note is captivating gives the Cayman S perfect balance and excellent stability.

However, the flat six engine feels a little wanting at low revs, but once you find the engine’s sweet spot just above 4400rpm where the maximum 251lb ft of torque resides, you will do whatever it takes to stop the revs from dropping. The exhaust note becomes extra sweet and the Cayman S surges forward on each throttle press, connecting driver and road together as one. The 4-piston brakes are more than adequate on the road, only heavy track users should consider upgrading to ceramics.

10 JUNE 2008

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PORSCHE CAYMAN S

Price: $54,800 Engine: 3387cc 24v flat six, 295bhp @ 6250rpm, 251lb ft @ 4400-6000rpm Transmission: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive Performance: 5.4sec 0-100kph, 275kph, 10.6L/100 Weight: 1350kg Made from: Steel

NEED TO KNOW

Porsche Cayenne

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EARING LURID NORDIC GOLD paint, the Cayenne GTS is certainly a hot chilli pepper. Its 4.8-litre V8 pushes 405bhp between all four wheels and is capable of hitting 100kph in just 6.5secs – mightily impressive considering the GTS tips the scales over 2.2tonnes.

The standard GTS ditches the Cayenne’s airsuspension in favour of steel springs which work together with Porsche’s clever active suspension system – a marriage previously reserved for the 911. However, our test car has the air-suspension put back on, an option that sees it gain PDCC – Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control – to boot.

The result is an SUV that’s not only supremely fast, but one that remains flat when cornering.

SUVs are supposed to lumber and heave through twists and turns, but the GTS has exemplary road holding. It automatically lowers itself 9mm when you breach 125kph, and drops another 5mm after 210kph to further improve stability at those high speeds – and it’ll go on to hit 251kph should you be so inclined. In case you’d want to venture off the tarmac and out into the dunes the GTS can be lifted to give a full 250mm of ground clearance and low-ratios help keep you moving.

The electrically-adjustable sports seats are snug – a little too snug for the middle passenger in the rear if we’re honest – but hold you firmly in place.

The black alcantara headlining adds another dose of sportiness, as do the aluminium flashes on the dash and doors.

But the real sportiness comes courtesy of the innocuous looking ‘Sport’ button on the centre console. Press it and the throttle response becomes keener, the exhaust note more vocal, gear changes are harder and the body hunkers even closer to the road. The result is the keenest-driving SUV around. Plant the throttle at any speed and the GTS just surges forward without any drama.

Stopping is taken care of by monster 6-piston 350mm front discs and 4-piston 330mm rears which sit behind red calipers. The visual differences are subtle, there’s a Turbo-look to the rear and the sports design side sills, flared wheel arches and 21-inch alloys give the GTS real presence.

All in all, if you need pace and space, then the Cayenne GTS is going to be the answer.

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PORSCHE CAYENNE GTS

Price: $74,300 Engine: 4806cc 32v V8, 405bhp @ 6500rpm, 369lb ft @ 3500rpm Transmission: Six-speed automatic, four-wheel drive Performance: 6.5sec 0-100kph, 251kph, 13.9L/100 Weight: 2245kg Made from: Steel

GROUP TEST PORSCHE WHAT’S IN A NAME? The Cayman isn’t named after the small group of islands in the Caribbean, but after a small alligator type creature which lives in South America – just as agile as the Cayman KITTED UP Make your Porsche stands out from the rest and choose from the extensive choice of Exclusive or Tequipment accessories FASTER STILL The 480bhp Turbo isn’t the most powerful 911 – the GT2 packs a 530bhp punch from its twinturboed engine. It’ll hit 100kph in 3.6secs and go onto 328kph MORE TO COME The Porsche family currently consists of two types of Boxster and Cayman, fifteen 911s and five Cayennes. In 2009 the Panamera fourdoor grand tourer joins the fold.

Expect epic performance and Porsche dynamics

12 JUNE 2008

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THE VERDICT

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OUR VERY DISTINCT INTERPRETATIONS OF what makes a modern Porsche, each deserving of the crest on the bonnet. But deciding on which is the perfect Porsche – the one that mixes good looks, brilliant dynamics, a quality interior and that dash of Porsche excellence together in a distinct package isn’t easy.

If you want to go off road, or carry a family plus kit, then the Cayenne is your choice. Three distinct characters – V6, S and Turbo – all exceptionally capable on the most demanding terrain. But developing the GTS was an exercise Porsche does best – more performance, more agility and a more immediate driving experience. In short, more sport – visually and technically – and designed for the road.

However, if you’re looking for simply the best driving Porsche, then the decision gets quite tricky. Without a doubt, the 911 Turbo is the quickest – there’s no way the Boxster S or Cayman S is going to be able to keep up on the long straight roads so popular in the region. But throw some corners and a decent driver into the equation and its unlikely the Turbo will get through any quicker.

The stability offered by the Turbo’s all-wheel drive system makes for exceptional traction off the line – hence the amazing 3.7sec 0-100kph time – and physics-bending dynamics.

But life isn’t a quarter-mile drag strip, therefore the decision comes down to whether you want al fresco motoring or the security of having a steel roof above your head. Both the Boxster S and Cayman S deliver so much regardless of your driving talent. And although their flat six can feel a little slow to react at low revs, once you find that magic sweet spot around 4400rpm, you’ll never leave the upper part of the rev range. Yes, they both only sit two, but a Porsche is made with the driver in mind, passengers are just there to hold on tight and enjoy the ride.

If we have to split the pair, it’s the looks of the Cayman S that clinches the deal. That organic line that runs from the top of the headlights, past the windows, gets kicked up by the rear wheel arch and tapers off gently at the back is one of the greatest pieces of modern automotive design. Sitting on the same wheels as the 911 Turbo helps too, and the uninitiated will mistake the Cayman S for its bigger – and more expensive – brother, which is no bad thing.

But you’ll forget the looks once you take the Cayman S for a drive – it’s such a well-balanced and structurally tight package, that nearly anything else on the road feels crude by comparison.

It’s the quintessential modern Porsche – 60 years in the making.

Thanks to Nakheel Palm Jumeirah and Porsche Centre Dubai

If you’re looking for simply the best driving Porsche, then the decision gets quite tricky INDEED Middle East

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P o r s c h e w o r l d The Nürburgring and 11 other pivotal Porsche places.

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10

3 6 12

2 4 5

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Gmünd Ferdinand Porsche moved to Gmünd, Austria in 1944 to avoid bombing raids. The first Porsches were built in sawmills, now the Porsche Automuseum.

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Stuttgart At Zuffenhausen, cars are assembled on three storeys, ending up at ground floor level for inspection.

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LEIPZIG East Germany is home to a on and off-road test track and the production line that sired the Carrera GT and the Cayenne. The Panamera will be built there, too.

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Le Mans Bell, Ickx, Oliver, the 917, 956, 962 – and victories in 1970, ’71, ’76, ’77, ’79, ’81, ’82, ’84, ’85, ’86, ’87. Need we say more?

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Daytona The greatest of 20 victories, a 1-2-3 in 1968 was almost marred when Mitter and Neerpasch flipped their 907s.

Porsche knew little about lift. It knows more now.

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Sicily Ever wondered how the Porsche Targa got its name? It’s a nod to Porsche’s record 11 wins on the Targa Florio road race.

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Mexico Dodging bandits on the world’s most gruelling roads: that’s the Carrera Panamericana of the 1950s. Porsche’s class victory in 1954 resonated all over North America. Today, Porsche’s biggest market is the USA.

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Senegal The Dakar rally of the mid1980s was a hardcore rally raid.

Porsche won in 1984, DNF’d in 1985, then – with an aeroplane, two trucks and a 928-engined Mercedes G-Wagen in support – its 450bhp Rothmans-liveried 959s finished first and second.

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Silverstone Porsche’s ‘Driving Experience Centre’ includes a track with a plate that moves when a car passes over it. Why? To simulate sudden loss of traction. Sounds like the ultimate Hot Wheels circuit to us.

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DUBAI The United Arab Emirates is home to the regional office of Porsche Middle East and Africa.

It is responsible for the brand across the GCC, India, Pakistan, Africa and the Levant. A new office will open in Dubai Silicon Oasis in 2009.

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weissach There’s a gentleman’s agreement that means the local council won’t repair ageing tarmac between Weissach village and Porsche’s test facility. It’s a great chassis test.

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Image (c) 2007 DigitalGlobe/GeoContent/Tele Atlas See it in Google Earth: www.earth.google.com

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THE NURBURGRING

They’re known as the Ring Rats. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Aston Martin – all pounding the Ring to polish their camouflaged cars into production perfection.

Some fail miserably; others simply drive a few laps and claim their cars are ‘honed at the Ring’. Not Porsche.

Porsche and the Nürburgring Nordschleife have a long and intense history. Just five years after the first Porsche emerged they were winning races at the world’s toughest circuit. To demonstrate a fearlessness that defines the manufacturer to this day, Porsche chose to debut a number of cars and technologies at the legendary 1950s Nürburgring sports car races – including the Type 547 quad-cam engine, a disc-braked 356, and the 718 RS and RSK models.

Chief test driver Walter Röhrl says that ‘nowhere is better for finding out how good a road car is than the Ring’. He agrees with former Porsche works driver Derek Bell that the key to a fast lap is how the car handles the cambers and bumps. Conversely, the all-time Ring lap record is held by a Porsche 956 – a car that was difficult to drive around the track because its ground-effect aerodynamics made the car unstable over cambers.

Aussie racer Frank Gardner found the legendary 917 equally challenging when he debuted the car at the Nürburgring in 1969. In his book The Castrol Racing Drivers’ Manual, Gardner said ‘it was grossly overpowered for its diddy 10-inch rims. The computer said they’d be man enough for the job, but the computer wasn’t strapped into the hot seat around the Eifel Mountains’.

Today, the computers strapped to the Porsche mules are more sophisticated. Traditionally, spring:damper ratio, tyre behaviour and aerodynamic work was the focus of Porsche’s research and development at the Ring, and now electronic controls have joined the list.

But the ultimate Nürburgring computer is Walter Röhrl’s brain. In 2004 a 302kph opposite-lock moment at Tiergarten in a 911 GT2 was the reason Porsche switched from 295 to 315 rear tyres. It’s unlikely any mortal would take Tiergarten at 302kph in a GT2, but if they did, by mistake, ‘then it’s helpful if the company has a test driver like me, who has tried it and made it more safe’.

Porsche and Röhrl: kings of the Ring Rats.

race and road cars at the ring…

Year: 1983 Model: Porsche 956 Time: 6:11 Spec: 2649cc twin-turbo flat six, 612bhp, 820kg

Year: 1997 Model: 993 Carrera Time: 8.28 Spec: 3746cc flat six, 296bhp, 1370kg

Year: 1997 Model: 993 Turbo Time: 8.12 Spec: 3600cc twin-turbo flat six, 402bhp, 1500kg

…how they compare

Year: 2001 Model: 996 Carrera Time: 8.14 Spec: 3596cc flat six, 316bhp, 1320kg

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Year: 2005 Model: 997 Carrera S Time: 8:05 Spec: 3824cc flat six, 345bhp, 1420kg

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Year: 2007 Model: 997 GT2 Time: 7:32 Spec: 3600cc twin-turbo flat six, 523bhp, 1440kg

Year: 2003 Model: Carrera GT Time: 7:28 Spec: 5733cc V10, 604bhp, 1380kg

A l l t h e p or s c h e ca r s There’s more to Porsche than just the 911. And here they are.

Gmünd Roadster 1948

The first sports car to carry the Porsche name was certified for road use in June 1948. Built in a sawmill in Gmünd, Austria (hence the name), the Roadster shared the Beetle’s air-cooled four-cylinder engine – but mounted in the middle, not the rear. Ferdinand Porsche soon changed that.

Produced: 1948 Number built: 1 Engine: 1131cc flat four, 35bhp 0-100kph: 23sec Top speed: 135kph

Porsche 356 1949-66

Chic design disguised the heart of a true sports car. The 356 was constantly updated with innovations such as chrome-plated aluminium cylinders, four-wheel disc brakes and the world’s first synchromesh transmission. Heart-stopping looks – and handling to match.

Number built: 77,766 Engine: 1086-1966cc flat four, 35-95bhp 0-100kph: 14.1sec Top speed: 164kph (356A)

Porsche 356 Carrera 1956-64

Wailing four-cam engine developed for the Spyder race car turned the 356 into a proper track weapon. Revving to 8000rpm, this sublime twin-coil motor matched to a lightweight body delivered sensational performance. An over-engineered delight.

Number built: 1247 Engine: 1498-1966cc quad-cam flat four, 100-155bhp 0-100kph: 9.0sec Top speed: 200kph (Carrera 2)

Illustrations Agence Archimède

GENEALOGY ALL THE PORSCHE carS

Porsche Tractor 1948-63

Like all Porsches of the day, the company’s tractors were engineered to punch well above their weight. The Junior’s singlecylinder 14bhp diesel was cooled by a crank-driven fan via the generator – just like a 356.

Number built: 150,000 (all models) Engine: 822-3289cc, 1-4 cylinders, 11-44bhp 0-100kph: N/A Top speed: 32kph

Porsche 356 Speedster 1954-58

In 1954, racers in California were buying 356s, chopping off the roofs and trimming the windscreens to make them them lighter – and quicker. So US importer Max Hoffman asked Porsche to build an official version. And thus the stripped-out 356 ‘Speedster’ was born.

Number built: 4144 Engine: 1498-1582cc flat four, 55-100bhp 0-100kph: 11sec Top speed: 200kph (Carrera)

Porsche 550 RS Spyder 1954-56

With 200bhp per tonne (similar to the current Boxster S) the 550 was a serious racing car – it won the Targa Florio in 1956. But the 550’s real trick was its lowness. Hans ‘Lucky’ Herrmann ducked under a closed level crossing in a 550 during the 1954 Mille Miglia. James Dean wasn’t so lucky.

Number built: 150 Engine: 1498cc flat four, 110bhp 0-100kph: 10sec Top speed: 219kph

Porsche 911 (O series) 1964-73

Strange to think that Porsche was building (and winning with) mid-engined cars when the rear-engined 911 was launched in 1964, but 911s are still built today with rear-mounted flat sixes, so they got it right after all. Spawned the legendary 2.7 Carrera RS and the sublime 2.8 RSR. Number built: 81,100 Engine: 1991-2687cc flat six, 110-210bhp 0-100kph: 7.3sec Top speed: 232kph (2.2S)

Porsche 914 1969-76

Odd styling, but a welcome return to the mid-engine format. Both four and sixcylinder variants were quick and well-balanced but Volkswagen badging in Europe deterred Porsche fans. Increasingly desirable alternative to megamoney 911, the 914/6 in particular is a cult classic.

Number built: 118,982 Engine: 1679cc-2341cc flat four/six, 80-190bhp 0-100kph: 12.7sec Top speed: 155kph (914)

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Porsche 904 Carrera GTS 1964-66

Porsche had to abandon its F1 team so it could afford to build a car for the sub2.0-litre category in sports car racing. The 904 and its variants won the Targa Florio (plus class wins at Le Mans and Sebring) and inspired the ‘9’ series racers. Porsche never returned to F1 as a manufacturer.

Number built: 106 Engine: 1966cc, quad-cam flat four, 180bhp 0-100kph: 5.4sec Top speed: 264kph

Porsche 912 1965-69 (1976 912e)

The four-cylinder 912 was quick, attractive and not as costly as its six-cylinder brother – and it initially outsold the 911 by almost two to one.

It proved to be a fine competition car too. Polish driver Sobieslaw Zasada won his class in the European Rally Championship for touring cars in 1967.

Number built: 30,895 (plus 2099 912Es) Engine: 1582-1971cc flat four, 86-90bhp 0-100kph: 13.5sec Top speed: 185kph

Porsche 911 (G series) 1973-1989

The 911 grew up (and outwards) in 1974. Out went the original’s delicate styling; in came the low-speed impact protection bumpers demanded by US law. The first 911 Turbo, a 260bhp monster, was often found in ditches with a confused expression on the driver’s face.

Number built: 196,397 Engine: 2687-3299cc flat six, 150-300bhp 0-100kph: 7.5sec Top speed: 232kph (2.7)

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GENEALOGY ALL THE PORSCHE carS

Porsche 924 1975-1988

Porsche’s first front-engine car had a transaxle layout and dragged Porsche out of financial crisis. It also spawned the turbocharged, wide-arch homologation special 924 Carrera GT. Le Mans legend Derek Bell owns a rare 924 GTS Lightweight.

Number built: 150,684 Engine: 1984-2479cc four cylinder, 125-210bhp 0-100kph: 9.6ec Top speed: 203kph (1976)

Porsche 944 1982-1991

The 944 was more than a pumped-up 924. Its smooth, torquey big-capacity four-cylinder engine gave the 944 a brawny character – the Turbo in particular was considered to be a better car than the 911. Few cars, even today, get close to the 944’s almost perfect weight distribution.

Number built: 163,302 Engine: 2479-2990cc four cylinder, 163-250bhp 0-100kph: 8.4sec Top speed: 220kph (1982)

Porsche 911 (964) 1989-1993

Porsche proved that four-wheel drive could work with a rear-engine configuration with the epic 959, and so in 1989 along came the 964 Carrera 4.

An ’86 percent’ new car, the 964 in either two or four-wheel drive was (and still is) a fabulous drive. Lightweight RS thrilling.

Porsche 928 1978-1995

Falling sales of the 911 in the late 1960s gave birth to a potential successor, although it didn’t really work out that way. The 928 was, and is, a fabulous GT. Big V8 meant it was the fastest Porsche for a while and futuristic styling (at the time) still looks great today.

Number built: 61,056 Engine: 4474-5397cc V8, 240-350bhp 0-100kph: 6.8sec Top speed: 230kph (4.5)

Porsche 959 1987-1988

With adjustable four-wheel drive, adjustable damping and ride height, Kevlar panels, and individual-wheel ABS, the mid-’80s 959 was as sophisticated as anything on sale today. Homologated for Group B, in 1986 it finished first in class at Le Mans and 1-2 in the Paris-Dakar.

Number built: 329 Engine: 2849cc twin-turbo flat six, 450bhp 0-100kph: 3.9sec Top speed: 317kph

Porsche 928 GTS 1991-1995

Former Formula 1 world champion, Jackie Stewart, said the 928 GTS was the ‘best high-speed sports car in the world’ in 1995, and the last time we checked he knew a thing or two about sports cars.

Number built: 2831 Engine: 5397cc V8, 350bhp 0-100kph: 5.9sec Top speed: 275kph

Number built: 63,762 Engine: 3299-3596cc flat six, 250-385bhp 0-100kph: 5.7sec Top speed: 259kph (Carrera 2)

Porsche 968 1992-1995

944 redux is still one of finest-handling cars ever made, especially in strippedout Clubsport guise. Its 3.0-litre four-cylinder engine with variable valve timing delivered enough performance to frighten the more expensive 911.

Spawned Turbo S – just 15 were built.

Number built: 11,248 Engine: 2990cc four cylinder, 240-305bhp 0-100kph: 6.1sec Top speed: 248kph (Clubsport)

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Porsche 911 (993) 1993-1998

The last air-cooled 911s shared only the roof and bonnet with the 964. Improved handling thanks to an all-alloy rear suspension/subframe combo and deeply desirable, especially in Carrera 2S and 4S guises (Turbo body, atmo engine).

Number built: 68,839 Engine: 3600-3746cc flat six, 272-450bhp 0-100kph: 5.6sec Top speed: 269kph (Carrera)

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GENEALOGY ALL THE PORSCHE carS

Porsche Boxster 1996-2005 & 2005-present

Back to mid-engined layout for Porsche’s entry-level car – and what a car the Boxster is. Went from stunning concept to road car in just four years, but drives as brilliantly as any Porsche ever built.

Revised version launched in 2005 is still the default roadster.

Number built: 210,462+ Engine: 2480-3386cc flat six, 204-303bhp 0-100kph: 5.4sec Top speed: 265kph (RS60)

Porsche Cayenne 2003-present

Porsche purists may have coughed into their branded Gulf Oils racewear when it was born, but the Cayenne was, and is, one of the most important Porsches ever. Porsche sales figures sky-rocketed in developing markets, and has found fans across the globe. Good in the sand, and brilliant on-road.

Number built: 178,747+ Engine: 3189cc-4806cc V6/V8, 250-500bhp 0-100kph: 5.1sec Top speed: 275kph (Turbo)

Porsche 911 (997) 2004-present

When it’s not being a sports car, the 997 is refined, cosseting and relaxing.

It’s even got a Bose stereo. Thing is, when it is being a sports car, the 997 is sublime – and that goes for every model from the basic Carrera to the anthrax-on-wheels GT2: the first 320kph 911.

Number built: 103,414+ Engine: 3596-3824c flat six, 321-530bhp 0-100kph: 3.7sec Top speed: 328kph (GT2)

Porsche 911 (996) 1998-2004

Water-cooled engines and fried-egg headlights sent 911 purists into apoplexy, but the 996 took the 911 into another league. In came a new interior, a longer wheelbase and a wider track. GT3 RS model gave us hot flushes with its red over white paintjob and genuine homologation credentials.

Number built: 175,262 Engine: 3387-3600cc flat six, 296-483bhp 0-100kph: 5.2sec Top speed: 280kph (Carrera)

Porsche Carrera GT 2004-2006

The roadgoing version of a stillborn Le Mans car, the 5.7-litre V10 Carrera GT was a challenge in traffic thanks to its grabby carbon clutch but, that aside, it’s still considered by many to be the best supercar ever made.

And it sounds like no other car ever built.

Number built: 1270 Engine: 5733cc V10, 604bhp 0-100kph: 3.9sec Top speed: 330kph

Porsche Cayman 2005-present

The Cayman is a fabulous car that makes the driver feel immediately comfortable around town – or on its door handles. One of only a few mid-engined coupes available to buy today, the Cayman is one of the sweetest driving cars around.

Number built: 31,456+ Engine: 2687-3387cc flat six, 245-295bhp 0-100kph: 5.4sec Top speed: 275kph (S)

Porsche Panamera from 2009

Porsche’s first four-door Gran Tourismo goes on sale next year. Combining epic performance and Porsche’s excellent dynamics, the Panamera should prove to be a comfortable tourer for the businessman in a hurry.

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LIFESTYLE PorSCHE CLUB

In the club house Local owners of any Porsche from an early 911 to the latest Cayenne are welcome to join ‘THE ONLY CRITERIA TO BE A MEMBER IS YOU must have a Porsche’, says Porsche Club UAE President Karim Al-Azhari (see right). ‘We have over 2500 members making us the largest car club in the Middle East – we’re also extremely active.’

The club’s events are split across three areas – social events, track days and leisure drives across the UAE. ‘We have an annual welcome back party after the summer which is free to all members, this kicks off the season which runs from September to May – giving the members and cars time to rest over the hot summer months,’ explains Al-Azhari.

However, it’s the track days that are the attraction for many members. Held at the Dubai Autodrome, a typical event is split into two. Novices and those who’ve only attended once before go onto track in the morning with an expert giving instruction for 30 minutes, before they are allowed out on track alone. Once club members have proved themselves on the track with the instructor they are promoted to Intermediate status which allows them to drive in the afternoon timed sessions.

During the timed sessions, members can compare laps times against each other in a bid to try and improve their driving on the tricky track. The club hopes to be one of the first groups to use the new F1 track on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi when it opens next year. It’s a long way from the early days which saw track events held on airfields in Fujairah or Ras Al-Khaimah.

But if you don’t fancy taking your car out on track, then attending one of the extremely popular drives might be more your cup of tea. Al-Azhari explains, ‘It’s a more family orientated event, we see a lot of members who we don’t see at the motorsports events.

A lot of people who have Porsches simply like to enjoy them on the road.’

With the club turning ten this year, Al-Azhari and the rest of the club committee have big plans to celebrate the anniversary. ‘2008/2009 will be a fun season, we’ll make sure of that. Whether it’s a woman in her first Porsche, or an ex-racing driver in his twentieth, every event can be enjoyed by everybody.’

For more info visit www.porscheclubuae.com

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OPEN TO ALL The club welcomes all Porsche owners and especially drivers of older classic Porsches which are rare in the region

karim al-azhari

A

S PRESIDENT OF the Porsche Club UAE, it’s only fitting that Karim Al-Azhari is one of the most prominent Porsche racers in the region. He recently won his class in the DAMC Open Saloon Series in a 996 GT2 driving for Al Nabooda Racing. He also competed in last year’s Transsyberia Rally in a Cayenne finishing 10th – an impressive acheivement considering it was his first long-distance rally. His racing prowess isn’t just limited to Porsche as he was Champion of the 2006 and 2007 Gulf Radical Cup, raced in the Bahrain Formula BMW series and has competed in the UAE Autocross Championship.

He was one of the founding members of the club when it was created in 1998, but has been a Porsche enthusiast since he was sixteen. He took his first driving test in a Porsche when he lived in Pennsylvania. He has been instrumental in organising track days, driving events and social events to keep the club’s 2500 members busy across the season. He’s currently awaiting delivery of a 997 Porsche 911 GT2.

SOCIALISING Meet like minded owners during relaxed social events at some of the UAE’s top hotels and resorts.

TRACK TIME The Club organises closed track-day events at the Dubai Autodrome and hopes to be the first to drive on the Yas Island circuit in Abu Dhabi next year.

FUN DRIVES The Club knows all the best driving routes across the UAE – join them for a fun, relaxed drive.

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INTERVIEW DEESCH PAPKE

Responsible performance Porsche Middle East & Africa managing director, Deesch Papke, reveals how the marque has been developing environmentally aware cars since the late 1980s

P

orsches are designed for speed, a great drive and engineering excellence. In a special magazine celebrating those attributes, why should we be talking about the environment?

Porsche as a brand has got a number of core values and directives, the environment is very much one of those. We take our responsibilities very seriously. If you look back in history, as early as the late 1980s we already had very clear directives in regards to what we were going to do about the environment, not only in our cars, but also in our plants and factories, during development and so on. The environment is a very real issue for us, and we carry this through in all the things that we do within Porsche.

In our region, there is pretty much a head-in-the-sand response to anything about the environment. We have cheap fuel, fast roads and clear weather. As motorists, why should we concern ourselves with green issues, especially here?

Our customer base is extremely discerning; they are well travelled and extremely well educated. Yes, the region is a little blind to the environment, but our customers are not. They have requirements and needs and they have the benefit of being in a region which is not entirely environmentally focussed as yet.

However, fuel price has gone up significantly – 60 percent in the last two years. The UAE government has just announced an initiative that means they will spend billions of dollars on energy generation. They are starting to actively look at recyclable energy sources. After all, we have 365 days of sun here, so why don’t we have massive solar farms?

What it needs is one initiative from the government to say: ‘within ten years we want to be green.’ And then it will happen.

As a manufacturer, we feel responsible for what we are doing.

But we are ahead of the game.

At the moment it’s true that motorists here are probably not that interested, they are more interested in how much horsepower and how much speed you can generate. However it is down to us to demonstrate that within the sports car environment we are acting responsibly.

Is there any real evidence that customers are really interested in the environment?

We are having a population explosion, especially in the UAE, and we are being asked questions in regards to hybrid cars and about diesel engines. But in the greater scheme of things, there’s not much with regards to the environment at this stage, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t ready for it.

As Porsche has spent most of its sixty years perfecting its breed of sports cars, the idea of tackling environmental issues must be fairly alien to the company?

EARLY ADOPTERS Not at all. From the mid-70s we were already looking Porsche as a manufacturer has been looking at ways at how we can improve fuel consumption – obviously to improve fuel fuel consumption improvement has a direct knock-on consumption and reduce emissions in its effect on CO2 emissions, so we’ve reduced that by automobiles since the 1.7 percent per year over the last fifteen years. Therefore mid-70s, and has actually reduced CO2 emissions by we have a very real target, and we want to continue to 1.7 percent per year over meet that. the last 15 years Recently, we introduced Direct Fuel Injection in the Cayenne, which again improves fuel consumption and emissions.

And if you look at the type of brake systems that we use and the type of tyres that we fit, you’ll see that everything is about reducing the footprint of the car on the road. If you continue to reduce that, you continue to reduce emissions.

So is it possible that we can drive Porsches today without a guilty conscience? How ‘green’ is a modern Porsche in terms of efficiency, use of materials, longevity and recycling?

It is absolutely green and there is no need for any guilt to drive a Porsche, at the moment we are 85 percent recyclable, and are actually ahead of international targets. By 2012 we’ll be at 95 percent. We use the latest technology with regards to materials, we make sure the paint processes we use employ water-based paint so that we don’t use corrosive materials and so forth. Wherever we can, we are making sure we have an environmental focus.

Cars like the Cayenne are often cited as the number one automotive culprits when it comes to damaging the planet.

How does Porsche respond to the accusations?

We’ve had the Cayenne in the market for just over four years now, and we have reduced its fuel consumption by 25 percent

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over those four years. We will continue to explore every opportunity there is to reduce that.

At the moment all our cars can be driven with 10 percent ethanol fuels and the Cayenne will shortly will be up to 25 percent.

We are currently working on technology to bring it up to 85 percent. It’s most certainly a case of us being aware of what our issues are with the perceptions of the Cayenne in regards to the gas-guzzling environment, and we take that very seriously.

But we’ve shown how we can reduce its consumption.

So if somebody accuses a Cayenne owner of damaging the environment, how should he respond?

‘No it doesn’t. The footprint of my car as opposed to other environments that are causing CO2 emissions, is not very draconian.’

We as a brand are very high profile, so people can criticise us easily, but we can stand up and say these are the things we’ve done, these are the things we are going to be doing in the future in order to make our cars more efficient, so you can proudly continue to drive a Porsche without any sense of guilt.

A number of solutions have been looked at for the future of motoring in the 21st century. Do you think diesel or biofuel are the answers, especially in a part of the world that has been bred on a diet of petrol only?

There are three elements we can bring into this, biofuels are clearly there, because they produce less harmful side effects, diesel is an option and of course hybrids are an option. We’ve already announced that by the end of the decade we will have a hybrid Cayenne – a parallel hybrid – which will reduce our fuel consumptions to below 9l/100km, which is an enormous achievement. And as I mentioned biofuels are already there, we are at 10 percent, working to increase that to 25 percent and longer term, 85 percent.

Are you going to need to create an awareness programme to change the culture of petrol lovers?

I think what’s important is that you just continue to talk about the brand with the core values of the brand at heart. We4

“you can proudly drive a porsche without any guilt”

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INTERVIEW DEESCH PAPKE happily tell people that we are performancebased manufacturer, and at the same time we happily, and proudly, tell people what we’ve achieved with regards to our emissions.

We continue to strive to produce the benchmark in the sports car environment, and we do that quite comfortably. Our cars are lighter, faster, they produce less emissions, and they use less fuel, so it’s all very positive news.

How realistic is going down the fuel cell route – the technology still sounds too sci-fi for the real world?

We are always looking at long-term alternatives.

However you must have a balanced focus; you can look at the pie-in-the-sky solutions, but you must also look at what we can do in the short term, hence hybrids. But the fuel price drives the directions of where things are going, and with the fuel/oil prices the way they are at the moment, the manufacturers will drive very, very hard to find alternatives.

But for now we are focussing on hybrids and reducing our fuel consumption.

Everybody thinks Toyotas are the pioneers of hybrid technology, but doesn’t Porsche actually have a very early connection with hybrid power?

More than 100 years ago, our designers came up with the idea of mounting electric motors on all four wheels, and the so-called Lohner Porsche was created, which was in real terms the very first hybrid.

How soon will we start to see some of these solutions in our region?

We’ve already stated that hybrids will come by the end of the decade which is a very clear directive, the biofuel percentages will increase in due course, so within the next two years you will start to see solutions on our roads.

But with biofuels isn’t there an infrastructure requirement to overcome?

Well it depends entirely on the local fuel environment. The government and suppliers will determine how that is delivered. The trouble is that fuel quality can vary significantly

across the region, from reasonably acceptable to appalling. We know this, because we monitor it as the service intervals are driven by the fuel quality.

Have you tested the Cayenne hybrids in this environment?

Our testing programme goes from artic conditions to very high temperatures, both at sea level and high altitudes. We test all around the world and it’s a programme that’s been going on for some time.

How will you create awareness of environmental issues in your core market, and overcome misperceptions about environmentally-friendly vehicles?

Environmental issues are clearly an educational issue, and that needs to start at primary school, and filter up into higher education and then the broader public. Wherever we get the opportunity we will talk about the environment and our responsibilities around that, but when we get to introducing a car, there will be a campaign around the greater Porsche product bouquet and how hybrids fit into that.

These things are driven by people’s personal sense of responsibility. The customer often drives the directions and the message.

Won’t ‘environmentally-friendly cars’ be perceived as detrimental to the brands core values of performance engineering – a key selling point for Porsche cars?

Not at all, they will strengthen our position.

It will show that we are a responsible manufacturer, and it fits very comfortably within the existing product range, we’re not doing something unique, we’ve always been on the leading edge of technology, both with regards to design and performance. We continue to strive for that and we intend to stay there, so by adding and enhancing our product range, we’re just making it better.

What will Porsches be like to drive at the marque’s 70th anniversary?

As exciting and leading-edge as today; Porsche cars as Porsche has always made them.

what porsche brains have done they Invented Synchromesh In an old nonsynchro gearbox, the driver must use a combination of timing and throttle application to match the speed of the input shaft to that of the output shaft to avoid costly damage. In a modern synchromesh box, the speeds are synchronised by a cone clutch that spins up the speed of the next gear before its dog teeth attempt to engage with the collar on the output shaft. they stopped you crashinG Lifting off the throttle mid- corner used to be followed by the back coming round, which was often followed by sirens and casualty.

The 928 was the beginning of the end of this kind of accident. As a front-engined GT, the 928 was about as different from the 911 as Porsche could get. But one of the standout features was the ‘Weissach’ rear axle This generated toe-out at the rear wheels under braking and deceleration to prevent dangerous oversteer. they made autos fast Before Tiptronic came along you drove an automatic by plonking the lever in Drive and forgetting about it – great for urban duties but hardly the perfect tool for tackling your favourite road. The 964 changed all that, the transmission itself was a conventional epicyclic unit but the big difference was the dual-gate shift quadrant. It gave you the option of pushing and pulling it to go up and down the four forward ratios as you would in a race box. they made manuals fast Porsche will introduce a doubleclutch gearbox later this year but in fact it pioneered the concept during the 1980s on its Porsche 956 race cars. They work like two separate gearboxes contained in the same casing, each with its own clutch, one side engaging the odd gears, the other the even.

So while you’re accelerating in one gear the computer preselects the next gear on the other gearset. The result is automatic convenience with the response of a manual.

they made HYBRIDS Porsche started developing a hybrid engine for the Cayenne in 2005, but back in 1900 Porsche founder Ferdinand Porsche built the first standard hybrid power unit for k. u. k. Hofwagenfabrik Ludwig Lohner & Co, a firm of coachmakers in Vienna, Austria.

His Lohner Porsche featured a conventional internal combustion engine as well as an electric motor in the wheel hub and could store energy in a battery.

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Kuwait

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Bahrain Qatar UAE

Oman

www.porsche.com Porsche Centre Abu Dhabi Salaam Street Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Bldg.

Abu Dhabi, UAE Telephone: +971 2 6745600 www.porscheabudhabi.com Porsche Centre Al Ain Industrial Area PO Box 80873 Al Ain, UAE Telephone: +971 3 7210066 www.porscheabudhabi.com Porsche Centre Dubai Sheikh Zayed Road Dubai, UAE Telephone: +971 4 3213 911 www.porschedubai.com Porsche Centre Oman Qaboos Street Al Ghobra Muscat Oman Telephone: +968 24492544 www.porscheoman.com

Porsche Centre Bahrain Sitra, 792 Sh. Jabber Al Ahmad al Sabbah Highway 611 Al Hamria Kingdom of Bahrain Telephone: +973 17 459 911 www.porschebahrain.com

Porsche Centre Jeddah Madina Road, Kilo 9 Faisaliah District Jeddah 21463 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Telephone: +966 2 683 2000 www.porschesaudiarabia.com

Porsche Centre Doha Al Ain Center Salwa Road Doha, Qatar Telephone: +974 4694 911 www.porscheqatar.com

Porsche Centre Riyadh Dabab Street PO Box 58295 Riyadh 11594 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Telephone: +966 1 466 7788 www.porschesaudiarabia.com

Porsche Centre Kuwait 4th Ring Road Area Al-Rai Block 1 Kuwait Telephone: +965 476 4357 / 8 www.porschekuwait.com

Porsche Centre Al Khobar Dammam-khobar Highway Near Al Nahda Club PO Box 30827 Al Khobar Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Telephone: +966 3 858 8855 www.porschesaudiarabia.com