2012 Porsche 911 - Video

Porsche has just released a new teaser video, showing heavily disguised prototypes of its upcoming 998 generation Porsche 911 undergoing hot weather testing in South Africa. Vehicle development / testing videos are getting quite popular as a promotional tool. And Porsche have a history of creating some of the best vehicle development promo videos since those pre-Youtube days. In fact, I still have some of early videos featuring the Boxster, Cayenne and 996 models.

The latest video doesn't reveal much about the car's exterior or interior but then again there's nothing much to guess on its exterior looks. After all, how different can a new generation 911 look compared to the previous generation models? Whatever it is, we know for sure that the next generation 911 won't be a disappointment.

For every new generation of 911, it always seems that Porsche has created the ultimate, most usable supercar, and it's hard to imagine how can the bar be raised any further. But come each model generation model, the folks at Porsche will somehow, still manage to up the ante further with careful application of the latest technology. It's the same story with the high performance Turbo, GT3 and GT2 variants. We thought the 996 models were right at the limit already, but Porsche up the stakes again with the 997, and again with the 997 series-2 models. The current 997 generation cars are already the best of the breed and is unlikely that any further improvements can be still squeezed out. History however, suggests that we are likely to proven wrong, again.

In the teaser video, I particularly liked the scene with the kids laughing themselves silly. Every young boy's eye will glisten up innocently at the sight of a 911. In fact, it's something that many of us still feel an emotional attachment to. I still remember my first experience with a Porsche. I was 7 when I first saw a 911. It was a white 964 generation model rapidly catching up and passing my dad's car. You just knew that it's something very special. Adults too will cheer up to the sight of a 911, but not with the same pure emotional joy, but often, it is corrupted by ego, the pursuit of status and doing a one-up against the neighbours or members at the golf club.


Purists will engage in another round of pointless Internet forum debates about how Porsche is no longer a true performance focused car, getting too fat, too comfortable, too easy for any idiot to drive etc etc. While my personal favourite 911 is the last air-cooled 993 generation cars, I don't adopt a Luddites view on cars and harbour nostalgic feelings for all things old. The 911 have always been the most reliable, usable supercar for its time. Every generation of 911 is a barometer of its era, a reflection of societal demands and our aspirations.