The Demise of Porsche?

I went to Barnes and Nobles today and picked up a recent copy of evo in which they were covering the new Porsche Cayman. Don’t get me wrong, the car is stunning. Given the choice between it and a new 911 I would be hard pressed to make a decision. I do not intend to focus on the Cayman, but rather the implications of the introduction of a new model. No one will argue that despite Porsches growth it has maintained the level of quality Porsche customers are familiar with, but I wonder what the future effects of Porsche’s growth and diversification will be. Currently Porsche offers the Boxter, Cayman, Cayenne, and 911 with a sedan on the way. The original allure of Porsche was the rear mounted engine-a design that arguably defied physics. Porsche lovers favor this irrationality of Porsche…heavy clutches and a commitment to the rear mounted platform of the 911 that borders on irrational. To mean it seems that as Porsche ages it is growing a bit too rational. I recognize the need for revenue growth and offering more models is a great fuel to do so. But by offering sedans and SUV’s I believe Porsche is diluting the diehard appeal that it protected for so long. With every new model that Porsche creates it estranges itself from the image we all associate with Porsche: a 911. Opinions?

Porsche or Miata?

I was at Starbucks this morning when some person said that the boxter was a miati compared to his 996. Does anybody else agree with this? Although the 996 is a more substantial car than a boxter, that does not qualify it as a miata? Not to mention that the boxter outhandled the 996 in every road test given by major magazines! Any thoughts?