Can Porsche Ever Get Beat? Part Two

So, to the second line of my argument that makes Porsche undisputed kings. The reason? The 911 conundrum.

Ahh, the 911. Greatest sports car ever? Probably. And it has its detractors for its image, its consistent styling, its gradual dilution from widow maker to easy-going GT. But the fact is, it's Porsche monopoly.

No one else dares build a rear-engined car, of any sort, because that's the 911's calling card. Put a perfectly sized 6-pot motor in the back of a car and people would cry 'clone!'

Of course, the 911's rear-engined layout isn't just great because of the whole 'great traction, lairy when wet' physics. It also means a true 2+2 cabin, (unlike a DB9, XKR, R8, Evora, etc) and awesome visibility for a coupe. It's pretty much perfect, but because Porsche got there first (and other attempts to go rear engined have been pretty ropey), it's now strictly Porsche territory. I mean, who else remembers the Alpine A610 as a great drivers' car? And as cool as it is, the less said about the DeLorean, the better.

There you have it. Not only does no-one dare price or set up its cars to fight Porsche for fear of getting a fat slap, but in the 911, Porsche holds a vice grip on what is probably the ultimate, perfect, ideal all-rounder sports coupe layout. And that won't change. And that's why the Porsche folk are winners.

Oh and by the way, the next Cayman is going to knock you all dead, because it's the best looking Porker since the Carrera GT. Really, really wouldn't want to be Lotus right now...