Porsche 989
| Porsche | |
|---|---|
|
|
| 989 | |
| Presentation year: | 1988 |
| Vehicle fair: | no |
| Class : | Sports car |
| Body shape : | Coupe |
| Engine: |
Petrol engines : 3.6-4.2 liters (220 kW) |
| Wheelbase: | 2826 mm |
| Production model: | none |
The Porsche 989 was the prototype of a four-door coupé from Porsche from 1988. This prototype never went into series production.
history
Due to the good sales figures for the Porsche 928 , Porsche was considering manufacturing another sporty touring vehicle. With four doors, this vehicle should be an everyday alternative to the existing 928. The head of development Ulrich Bez , who switched from BMW to Porsche in 1988, was supposed to implement the specifications in the development project. These were that the new vehicle should be luxurious and comfortable and still have a sporty character, similar to the vehicles from Mercedes and BMW.
The prototype had a newly developed front engine and rear-wheel drive. The power of the water-cooled V8 engine was around 220 kW (300 hp). The displacement should be between 3.6 and 4.2 liters. The wheelbase of the floor platform was 2826 mm.
The vehicle design was created by Harm Lagaay and already contained some stylistic features that were taken up in later vehicle designs for the Porsche 968, Porsche 993 and 996 . In detail, these were the wishbone suspension and the headlights of the Porsche 959 , which were later also used in the 993. The lines of the body of the 996 were also chosen to be similar to that of the 989.
After 600 million DM in development costs , Porsche AG parted with Bez in September 1991; Project 989 was finally discontinued in January 1992. The price for a limousine was estimated at 160,000 to 170,000 DM. According to Porsche, the only prototype was dismantled again. The main reasons for stopping the development of a four-door sports sedan were the declining sales figures for the 928, the generally declining sales figures in the years 1989 to 1991 as well as a forecast of development costs that exceeded budget planning by 50% and, in the event of the project being continued until the planned market launch In the mid-1990s they were estimated at one billion marks. In this situation, the risks of the development project were rated higher than the benefits for the Porsche company; The then CEO Arno Bohn also had to leave the company in 1992.
The predecessor of this 989 was a prototype of the Porsche 911 extended by two doors, just like the prototype of the 989 was a one-off. The Porsche Panamera , which has been in production since 2009, can be seen as the successor to the Porsche 989 . The first four-door production model from Porsche was the Porsche Cayenne - not as a sports sedan like the 989, but as an SUV .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Page no longer available , search in web archives: manager magazin 10/1991 of October 1, 1991, pp. 8-10a