In Book 4 of Porsche: Excellence Was Expected Karl Ludvigsen recounts the dramatic events of 2008-09
that cast a deep shadow over what had been the world's most profitable car maker. Although Porsche became part of the VW Group, as a
consequence of their maneuvers the Porsche and Piëch families achieved effective control of that vast corporation. Porsche?s reaction to
the financial ructions was to launch one great new car after another. Among them was the sensational 918 Spyder, the hypercar whose first
appearance at Geneva in 2010 went a long way to show that Porsche was still Porsche.
These were also the years of the creation and launch of the mid-engined Cayman coupe, which soon established a reputation as one of the
world's best-handling sports cars. In 2016 Boxster and Cayman were joined at the hip under the "718" title, a tribute to the great
sports-racers of the 1950s and 1960s that carried that project number.
In 2009 Porsche introduced the Panamera, its most controversial offering since the Cayenne. This "Learjet for the road" fulfilled the role
of the abandoned Type 989 of the early 1990s. Its complete overhaul in 2016 brought improved styling and new vee engines in a partnership
with Audi. Many of the Panamera's components were shared with the Cayenne, which received a major upgrade in 2017. Since the 2014 model
year it had a cheeky little sister, the Leipzig-built Macan. Although derived from the Audi Q5, the Macan was a Porsche through and
through. Also a fast seller, the Macan secured Porsche?s financial future.
Flying the all-important sports-car flag was the evergreen 911 Carrera, first with the 997 and then the 991. The 992 arrived as a 2020
model with all the bells and whistles needed to keep it at the top of its class. Although a hybrid variant of the 992 was not imminent,
most of the production Porsches were taking advantage of the exploits of the 919 Hybrid. Starting in 2015, this brilliantly engineered
LMP1 racer won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three years running, testifying to Porsche's competitiveness. On the horizon was the all-electric
Taycan pointing the way to the legendary sports-car maker's future.
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Porsche's innovative seven-speed PDK transmission was introduced in the 991.2 for
2009."
Although not an estate car, the tail of the 2014 Panamera 4S had some of the
curves and swerves first seen in the Sport Turismo.
Highlights in Book 4:
· RS Spyders
compete in LMP2 · mid-engine Cayman · 997, 99 and 992 · GT3 R Hybrid · 4-door Porsche: Panamera · Boxster/Cayman
update (981) · Cayenne E22 · 918 Spyder · Macan market success · Domination by 919 E-Hybrid · Tacan for the
future · Porsche model timeline
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Models in Book 4:
Production Boxster (987) Boxster (981) Cayman (987) Cayman (981) Cayenne E2 & E22 Cayenne
E-Hybrid Panamera (970 & 971) Macan 911 (997, 991, 992) 918 Spyder Taycan |
Competition RS
Spyder 911 GT2 911 GT2 RS 911 GT3 911 GTS RS 4.0 911 GT3 RSR 911 GT3 Cup 911 GT3 R Hybrid Cayman
GT4 918 RSR 919 Hybrid |
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