It鈥檚 Also Felt That In The Ferrari-dominated Market

Another report has emerged confirming that Porsche is developing a new supercar, above the 911 GT2 RS, to compete against the likes of the Ferrari 458 Italia and the McLaren MP4-12C. The new car would be larger than the current 911 but would be priced between the range-topping 911 variant and the 918 Spyder. Porsche CEO Matthias Mueller in an interview with a German newspaper. Muller said the future model would be priced between 鈧?50,000 and 鈧?00,000. Muller did not relate any details on what such a model would look like but it will surely be larger than the 911 to compete with supercars such as the aforementioned McLaren and Ferrari models. Porsche is considering engineering a flat-eight boxster engine for its Ferrari-rivalling supercar, company bosses have admitted. At the first unveiling of the new 991-series 911, Wolfgang Hatz, Porsche head of Research and Development said such an engine was 鈥榩ossible鈥? He told Autocar: "We have to go into that market properly equipped.". Porsche engineers have long been frustrated by the fact that the company鈥檚 iconic flat-six engine cannot be extended much beyond 4.0-liters. It鈥檚 also felt that in the Ferrari-dominated market, eight cylinders are a pre-requisite. Moving to a larger engine would also differentiate the new model from the new 911 and next-generation Cayman range. It鈥檚 thought that the creation of such an engine has been made easier by the engineering working currently being done on the new turbocharged flat-four engine, which will be offered in Porsche鈥檚 planned entry-level roadster. This all-new motor is thought to be modular, allowing it to be extended into the next-generation flat-6 and a flat-8. Hatz also said that a development of the Carrera GT鈥檚 ultra-compact transmission could be used for the new model. Such a transmission would free-up space for the use of the longer eight-cylinder engine.

We arrived at our snow-covered cabin roughly four hours after we left. The roads weren't plowed and it was obvious there was no intention to do so. Perfect. The lanes were far wider than they needed to be with great visibility and next to no traffic. Obviously, there was plenty of fun to be had the next day, strictly for journalistic purposes. The next morning, after removing about two inches of overnight accumulation from the Macan, we set off for Sno Drift. The morning wind was heavy, but initially the snow seemed to hold off. That gave me a bit of time to play around. The Porsche Macan GTS, with those chunky Michelin tires and that magic all-wheel-drive system, was unstoppable in the snow. Every corner was taken with a touch of oversteer, powering through, waxing the wheel, and pointing the nose. There wasn't a single instance where I felt out of control. I would love to get one on some proper snow tracks. The Macan GTS just moves where you want it to. It may look like a crossover, but it sure as hell doesn't dance like one.

The lowered air suspension and the car-like seating position betray its SUV roots. There's no top-heavy feeling, no exaggerated body roll, and no indication that it's any less capable than a performance hatchback or wagon. The steering, brakes, and accelerator all work in perfect tandem. The only letdown was the occasional movement that reminds you that the Macan is still a bit of a 4,000-plus-pound porker. It's loads of fun, but it's not quite as nimble as a true hatch. After a bit of tomfoolery, I set off towards one of the main stages of the rally. A brief look at the time sheet showed a bugeyed Subaru WRX leading, with a Mitsubishi Mirage close behind. The rest of the field was quite a bit back, with various WRXs and STIs filling out the top 10. The snow started to fall on the drive, and only picked up by the time we parked at the stage. From the get go I knew the Macan was going to stand out. The parking attendant seemed surprised to see it.

I didn't even bother with the "it's not really mine" line that comes up oh so frequently. It's just easier to laugh at the terrible joke and move along. We had a bit of time before the cars were set to arrive, so I walked around and scouted some good spots to watch the field. The actual stage was down below, with the spectators standing on a bank. It gave us all a great, stadium-like view where you could see 75 percent of the track from one single spot. While the view was great, crawling through the brush and the snow to get to the vantage points wasn't so easy. While I naively thought I would be the only Porsche in attendance, I managed to find the 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera "RX" owned by Team Illuminata Motorsport. Unfortunately, the car wasn't competing. It sure was pretty with the big lights, knobby tires, and lifted suspension.