I simply don't get it..., The demise of the 914 was because why? Options

[Air_Cooled_Nut]

During my lunch break on Friday I stopped in a nearby tobacco shop for a Trinidad (the cigar, not my girlfriend (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) ) and the store had a BUNCH of magazines so I checked some out. One particular British rag, 911 & Porsche, had a sexy Martini 911 Turbo on the cover. I bought it. One thing I really like about the British rags is that they are liberal with their color photographs, unlike American ones.

First, there's a very cool article on Porsche tractors and now I want one (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif) But, second, the below insert caught my eye. For a vehicle with continuous praise for handling and race-car features, was it written off simply because of drooping sales? Granted, the 4-banger engine was the only [in my mind] weak link but the six...oh, the six!...was what made the 914.

And this rubbish from the affictiandos (which seem to comprise primarily of 356 & 911 owners) that the 914 wasn't a real Porsche -- why? Simply because of the 4-banger (then is the 912 considered a "Not A Real Porsche")? Because of the VW powerplant (356ers are more VW than Porsche, at least the early units)?. Honestly, what are their reasons? It didn't win [enough] races?

I think they are simply envious (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)

[GWN7]

Some interesting reading.....

Porsche skids off Frankfurt index
Sunday, August 12, 2001

By Susan Mitchell

The decision to drop the carmaker from the MDAX follows a long standoff over Porsche's refusal to submit quarterly reports, which became a requirement for index membership this year.

Porsche disputes the notion that such reports would improve investor relations or provide better insight into the company's financial situation.

Arguing that they would be liable to confuse investors in what is a highly cyclical industry, Porsche claimed that "quarterly reports are first and foremost a plan to drum up business for Deutsche Borse AG and the banks".

It's not the first time that Dr Wendelin Wiedeking, president and chief executive of Porsche AG, Stuttgart, has adopted a somewhat unorthodox approach.

When he took control in 1992 the company was in deep trouble and had spat out four chief executives in the previous 12 years.

He killed off two much-loved model lines, sacked 1,850 workers (the majority white-collar employees), and employed a ruthless Japanese consulting group -- which remains a sensitive issue among Porsche's engineers.

The company accelerated from a stg £98 million lossmaker into one of the world's most efficient car makers. Worldwide, sales have risen sevenfold in the nine years since he has been at the helm and he has introduced the two most successful model ranges in the company's history, the Boxster and the 911.

In the year ending July 2001 sales reached a record high and turnover was excess £3.22 billion, with pretax profits were over £402 million (exact figures are not disclosed).

Porsche's history antedates its sports cars and began when a struggling automotive engineer, Ferdinand Porsche, befriended a fringe politician, Adolf Hitler, at a road race in the 1920s.

After Hitler gained power he was determined to demonstrate the superiority of German cars to the world and the small engineering firm was soon awarded large contracts with major manufacturers.

During the war Ferdinand created the Volkswagen and the company thrived on lucrative contracts for designs of jeep-type vehicles, tanks, airplane engines and parts for the V-1 flying bomb.

Ferdinand had two children: Louise and Ferry. Although Ferry spent the war as a civilian, he was an honorary officer in the SS, an appointment made personally by SS Chief Heinrich Himmler.

A number of key German industrialists were prosecuted after the war, but the Porsches avoided this fate. However, Ferdinand and his son-in-law, Anton Piech, were jailed by the French occupation forces and held without trial for 17 months. A large bribe is alleged to have secured their release.

After the war, Ferry took over at Porsche and Anton Piech was appointed chairman at Volkswagen. Ferry encouraged his sons to enter the business and groomed his eldest, Butzi, to assume control. Louise, who owned the other half of the company, had equally high aspirations for her son Ferdinand.

The cousins collaborated brilliantly over the design of the first 911 in 1963, but the relationship soon soured. In a joint decision, Ferry and Louise banned the younger generation from management.

Porsche was transformed into a publicly traded company, but all voting stock was divided between the two families.

Boardroom rivalries continued and soon tumbled into the bedroom. Ferdinand Piech, current chairman of Volkswagen, had an affair with the wife of one of his cousins and they had two children out of wedlock. The saga reached epic proportions when he married the kids' nanny.

Following the stock market crash of October 1987, Porsche's sales tumbled. Market studies in the early 1990s showed that the public image was so poor that someone spotted driving a Porsche created what one internal source described as "the asshole effect". This was the minefield from which Wiedeking emerged victorious.

Some 50 family members benefit from ownership of Porsche Holding, Austria's largest auto dealer, all voting shares of Porsche AG, one of the last remaining independent carmakers. They enjoy a combined estimated wealth of $6.7 billion.

Deutsche Borse's announcement is not expected to affect investor confidence.

Porsche is to be removed from the index on September 24. But Wiedeking will be more concerned with the launch of the Cayenne into the Range Rover market next year.

Porsche AG, one of Germany's most prestigious companies, has been ejected from Frankfurt's index of mid-size companies by stock exchange operator Deutsche Borse.