Quote:
Originally Posted by XutvJet
I don't understand the obsession of so many honing in on the halo Porsche's and such. Some of the best Porsches are the $15K-30K ones like the 987 Cayman and Boxster. You don't need, much less can use the power of a GT4 on the street where 99+% of Porsches live. Same applies to cars like the Z4M and such. They are perfect for almost all drivers and even occasional track use.
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The top dog performance models are not just a bigger/more powerful engine. They very often include suspension and chassis improvements, sometimes substantially so. Sure, you can probably retrofit some parts (M3 control arms into 328/335 anyone?) or go aftermarket on others and do even better, but some things would be expensive to practically impossible to apply on a base model car. A GT4 has the front suspension and steering rack from a GT3, for example. How much would it cost to retrofit to a base Cayman? More structural adhesive, more spot welds, different subframe pickup points, etc. Even little things like thinner glass, less sound deadening and stiffer bushings can drastically change the character of the car. All of these things will add up in time and money, and in the end you might pay more for an inferior product than if you ponied up for a GT4 to begin with.
That's why cars like the 911 T appeal so much - they bring all the goodies, just without the extra power (which I agree with you is completely unnecessary for the street). Sadly you can't typically pick and choose how you want your car.