[WEC] Porsche Prototype Discussion

[cokata]

Originally Posted by Spyderman

Just emphasizing the point.

I happen to think the shape is very nice (although it took time for it to grow on me). I'll grant you that other Porsches before it were more beautiful, but times have changed and this is the new "normal".

I also happen to think it is more beautiful than the Toyota. (on second thoughts: I'm not sure beautiful is the right word; perhaps I find that it has more character).

IMO The toyota is ugly too, but it's not quite as boxy. Mostly though it's the livery. I just find porsche's livery appalling.

[Spyderman]

Agreed. The livery is uninspired. Hopefully it will be corrected.

I like the snub nose. The stance of the car reminds me of a bull dog. I like bull dogs.

[TF110]

I thought the Toyota was the best looking lmp1 this year. The low drag package at least. The lights werent the greatest, neither were Porsche's imo. I like Porsche's take on the roof height though, gave the cockpit area a closer look to 2013 and earlier.

[lms]

Originally Posted by Spyderman

Agreed. The livery is uninspired. Hopefully it will be corrected.

I like the snub nose. The stance of the car reminds me of a bull dog. I like bull dogs.

agreed. The porche 919 is awesome looking imho. The front fenders with the big headlights look great.
And yes, the livery needs to change next year. Hell, a frickin gulf livery would look better then the current one
http://www.autohebdo.fr//images/maga...903-084403.jpg

Cant wait to see the new car. Brand new design right?

[carbon_titanium]

Originally Posted by lms

agreed. The porche 919 is awesome looking imho. The front fenders with the big headlights look great.
And yes, the livery needs to change next year. Hell, a frickin gulf livery would look better then the current one
http://www.autohebdo.fr//images/maga...903-084403.jpg

Cant wait to see the new car. Brand new design right?

there won't be any new design, just an evolution to adapt an updated aero design on the new carbon monocoque, modified to carry the 8MJ battery package. 2014 TS040 should follow the same philosophy.

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by carbon_titanium

there won't be any new design, just an evolution to adapt an updated aero design on the new carbon monocoque, modified to carry the 8MJ battery package. 2014 TS040 should follow the same philosophy.

I generally agree, but its mostly semantics. It probably is mostly a new car (new monocoque), but at the same time an evolution of the prior car. I expect the car to visually look much the same. That would be a reflection of a good base aero design. As others have mentioned, I hope the livery is updated and not so bland. Of all things nice livery shouldn't be that hard or expensive to do.

However, I am very curious as to what changes they will make under the skin. Items that may not be easy to see initially such as suspension (I am curious if they will continue to use coil springs, or if they will move to torsion bars) and the expected 8MJ system. The focus should be to keep what works and target the weak areas.

Richard

[Articus]

Originally Posted by TF110

I thought the Audi was the best looking lmp1 this year. The low drag package at least. The lights werent the greatest, neither were Porsche's imo. I like Porsche's take on the roof height though, gave the cockpit area a closer look to 2013 and earlier.

Fixed that for you . Jokes aside. But the Audi looked (and sounds) like Darth Vader's daily driver !

[msd76]

Not that any of the current spec LMP1 cars are anything special to look at, but the long tail R18 was by far the best looking and the 919 the worst (the front fenders/head lights look to be designed with the ugly stick). And what makes it worst for the 919 is that its family tree is full of cars like the RSK, 904, 906, 907, 908, 917, 936 and the 956/962. And in that company the 919 is the ugliest of ugly sisters.

Maybe with a Le Mans win and a far better livery she might start looking a bit better!

[oliver88]

They all look better once they start winning...I was never a fan of the 936...until it won !

[carbsmith]

Porsche has rarely created the prettiest cars of their time, the 956 being the only remotely modern looking thing in the first few years of Group C aside maybe. Even the 9R6 was something of a clunker in its pre-Evo form and carried some oddities through until the end.

The 9R3 is about the ugliest LMP designed between around 1998 when they stopped converting Group C cars and the new rules in 2004 and the original 911 GT1 could have passed for a truck beside a prototype or a McLaren.

So the 919 is pretty "Porsche like", but most Porsches have had at least one great paint scheme to make them look better than German aesthetic sense provides.

[Spyderman]

Those of us that are lifelong Porsche fans have learnt to appreciate Porsche design. It is without a shadow of a doubt, an acquired taste.
Rarely is it flashy, and often takes a substantial amount of time before it grows on you.
However, in compensation it tends to be uncluttered and timeless.
A decade or two later it still looks attractive.


BTW - I don't find the 9R6 at all displeasing. To me it was the hideous yellow livery that spoiled the lines of this car.

[Spyderman]

Originally Posted by carbon_titanium

there won't be any new design, just an evolution to adapt an updated aero design on the new carbon monocoque, modified to carry the 8MJ battery package. 2014 TS040 should follow the same philosophy.

If by "there won't be any new design" you mean that the car wont look radically different, then we are in agreement.
The car will be almost completely new. Almost every part has been redesigned and based on lessons learned during the 2014 season.
I suspect that we will see some very noticeable changes in one or two areas. This would explain the lack of any photos from the roll-out.
Having said that, I will emphasize that the overall look of the car will remain very much the same.

[Gingers4Justice]

You can tell there's not a lot of news about at the minute.

No idea why people are stating their opinion as fact on this matter. I've personally liked pretty much every Porsche that's ever raced, but that's just me. All you can really say is that the 919 isn't objectively ugly - if that's at all possible.

These cars aren't designed to please our eyes anyway. Prototypes are designed to be as fast as possible and to push the envelope. That, for me, is where the elegance lies.

Originally Posted by Spyderman

BTW - I don't find the 9R6 at all displeasing. To me it was the hideous yellow livery that spoiled the lines of this car.

Sacrilege! And from a Porsche fan as well

Bold colours will never please everybody but I thought it worked well. But when it comes to bold colour schemes on Porsches, you can't top this IMO.

[Spyderman]

I don't mind that particular livery. It isn't the most attractive to my eyes, but it doesn't repudiate me either.

I don't have an issue with bright colors. My favorite Porsche livery was the 917 "hippy car".

[ATLFalconsFAN]

Originally Posted by Gingers4Justice

These cars aren't designed to please our eyes anyway. Prototypes are designed to be as fast as possible and to push the envelope. That, for me, is where the elegance lies.

This! Couldn't agree more. That said, I've been strong in my conviction that the TS040 is the best looking of the lot.

[porman]

Originally Posted by carbsmith

Porsche has rarely created the prettiest cars of their time, the original 911 GT1 could have passed for a truck beside a prototype or a McLaren.

So the 919 is pretty "Porsche like", but most Porsches have had at least one great paint scheme to make them look better than German aesthetic sense provides.

Beauty is subjective but I really don't follow your comparing the original GT1 to a truck. Bulbous yes, but not truck like. Anyways, I too would prefer a different aesthetic on the Evo but must confess that the 919 looked pretty good in-person.

[wdave0]

Seems to me the kindest way to describe the current crop of LMP1-H cars is "purposeful", but then an engineers' saying would be "form follows function" which is why the cars tend to converge to a similar look over time. I do agree, better livery would help.

[Ephaeton]

Originally Posted by wdave0

Seems to me the kindest way to describe the current crop of LMP1-H cars is "purposeful", but then an engineers' saying would be "form follows function" which is why the cars tend to converge to a similar look over time. I do agree, better livery would help.

..and as others have stated, this purposefulness is a scale of beauty in its own right. Audi's R18s grew on me during the Le Mans 24h, when they were hounding anything that was in the lead... those cars rumbling over the final chicane and setting off over the finish line lap for lap... every single lap I liked them a bit better. It's similar for the Porsches for me, once they overtook enough cars, I liked them

[DistortedSmile]

I don't think any of the current factory P1s are beautiful in the Bentley Speed 8 sense, but they do have this sort of spaceship quality that makes them very striking to look at. I agree the Porsche could do with a better livery though and the Toyota would look much better with 2012 TS030 style headlights.

Originally Posted by carbsmith

and the original 911 GT1 could have passed for a truck beside a prototype or a McLaren.

Blasphemy. That car was awesome.

[TF110]

I think this was the best looking lmp1 since the introduction of the fin


The sad part is it never raced that way. Thats the 2013 TS030 with the closed diffuser, but the 2012 style headlights (which were dropped) and rear wing endplates.

[Spyderman]

Porsche testing for 5 days starts on Sunday. Hopefully we get to see some pictures of the 2015 car on Monday.

[Creep89]

There is already one out:

PorscheNewsroom: First pics of the new #Porsche @24hoursoflemans #prototype #919Hybrid: http://t.co/Ib77mLqc9q @PorscheRaces @FIAWEC http://t.co/jCH8KYYh0F

[Mike E]

That looks much nicer!

[Pontlieue]

Originally Posted by Mike E

That looks much nicer!

Agreed. It looks great. I'd say it's the nicest looking factory LMP1 since Peugeot's withdrawal. Hopefully they'll improve their livery as well.

[Mike E]

It gets better.

https://twitter.com/EnduranceInfo/st...78222593777664