Spiel

APRIL 2016 48 Am I the only person who thinks "Turbo" means the car actually has something the so-called non-turbo doesn't have? Does the new 911 S have a turbo...or do you need to buy a 911 "Turbo" to get the right stuff? Or do you go the discount route (on a Porsche!?) buy the S, and then hot rod the wastegate to get full "turbo" power? Really? Have the VW marketing guys taken over at Porsche? And what about Mercedes? Does the new AMG 6.3 have a 6.3 liter engine (yeah) or a 4-liter with a couple of turbochargers? Say it isn't so. Let's get back to truth in advertising. The script on the back needs to be honest and tell us what's special. If we keep letting the marketing guys do it our next car's backside will spell out in chrome script "Really big HP T SC AWD S 7SP No-clutch Power steering ABS AC Leather Nav Met Paint SPL". We're going to need a wider car. Onward to more serious matters. A lot has been written about VW and its high-output, (smog that is is), cheatin' emissions control software. They are in the proverbial stuff up to their tailpipes and the light at the end of the tunnel looks like a train coming the other way. How can this happen I hear you say? How could a mega company like VW have an office responsible for cheating software? How could any big-company employee intentionally deceive the boss, or worse, get the boss's approval to do the deed? Was it some kind of management failure…or was it actually a clever engineering solution to a tough challenge? Maybe we need to recall a bit of history. Could it be that the sharp thinkers responsible for making some of the best cars in the world viewed the rule makers as a bunch of inept bureaucrats who couldn't see the sheep in the forest, much less the difference between an on-highway test versus a test stand in the lab? Has it happened before? Let us see... In 1967 the under 2-liter SCCA Trans-am class was becoming a hotbed of competition. Porsche wanted to play, but the rule makers said they would need to homologate a sedan. Sorry Porsche, 911s don't qualify...but Porsche said wait! Look, we have two seats in the back, the 911 is a 4-seat sedan after all. Porsche won the next three Trans-am championships. Have you ever tried to use your 911 for carrying four adults? Where do you put their heads and legs? The idea of a 'sedan' was stretched past recognition. Porsche won--rule makers zero. In 1969 Porsche surprised the FIA and built 25 prototype race cars in an era when nobody built more than a couple at a time. It was a complete surprise to the rule makers who had written the new rules specifically to prevent a car maker from building 7-liter prototypes like the big Ford GT40 mk IV. The 25 car requirement was thought to make big-engine cars prohibitively expensive. Porsche built the required number of 917s and went on to win the 1970 and '71 championships. Porsche wins again--rule makers zero. Article by Eric Kent Photography provide by Porsche AG The new 1967 Porsche compact sedan. Photo from Porsche AG Back Seat Driver The Devil is in the Details "Hello FIA? We have the cars you asked for". Photo from Porsche AG

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