2020 Porsche 911 “Revealed”

Timeless Machine – Webster defines timeless this way, not restricted to a particular time or date and Porsche says the new 911 is “therefore a reflection of the past and a vison of the future”.

The new 2020 Porsche 911 is being referred to as a “Timeless Machine”, and is the eighth generation of the 911. Porsche of Huntsville was ready to show off another new vehicle from the stable of exquisite German built sportscars. From the debut of the 911’s first model in 1963 at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany, the 911 has been the benchmark for sportscars around the world. The iconic design has captivated crowds for 57 years and shows no signs of slowing down.

The dealership invited a few local Porsche enthusiasts and the Porsche Club of Huntsville members to be the first to see the 2020 911. Porsche of Huntsville once again had a special “First Look” or “Unveiling” event to show off this ageless beauty. The guests were treated to food and drink as well as music by one of the best Frank Sinatra impersonators I’ve seen in a long time.

Another added treat was the dealership had filled the showroom with a few iconic 911’s from several other decades, so it was fun to see the iconic cars as the design evolved.

The showroom was filled with a crowd of local VIP’s, salespersons, service team members and local Porsche Club members ready to see the classic 911 that everyone has come to love. Always the gracious hosts and on hand to greet every single guest was General Manager George Jones (Century Automotive Group) and Tracy Jones (President-Century Automotive Group). It’s always great to see them mingling with repeat clients, new customers, and old friends as they once again unveiled a new vehicle.

Finally, it was time, as General Manager George Jones (Century Automotive Group) took the mic and stirred the crowd by talking about the rich 57-year history of the 911 and invited them to gaze at the new 2020 911 as the cover was pulled off to reveal the classic yet futuristic silhouette that is timeless in itself.

As the car was revealed, Bradley Dale (Porsche of Huntsville Salesman) gave the technical details of the new 2020 911 Carrera 4S Coupe in an eye-catching Gentian Blue Metallic. It did not take a trained eye to see the many changes, like the wider rear end, and seamless taillight strip which unities all 911 models.

Many in the crowd noticed the design DNA of the slope and style of the front of the car, but at the same time it blended so well with the modern LED lighting technology in the headlights and taillights. The newly designed tailpipes were also eye catching to the crowds. This new 2020 model still carries on the rich history and iconic body lines that have made the 911 a crowd favorite around the world. The all-wheel drive 911 Carrera 4S is equipped with the twin turbocharged 3.0-liter boxer 6 engine sporting 443 HP and 390 lb-ft. of torque. It was also hard to miss the athletic stance the new 911 had due to its larger sizes wheels in the front and rear (20-in wheels in front, and 21-in at the rear).

One more item to note, is that in today’s world of automatic shifting vehicles and lightning-fast shifts, Porsche has made it an option to still order your new 2020 911 with a manual gearbox. The seven-speed is a no-cost option and also saves you 84 pounds if you are keeping track of every little weight-saving item. The manual equipped vehicle will use a limited-slip differential as opposed to the PDK equipped electronic limited-slip diff.

Other significant changes for this new 911 included the new 8-speed PDK transmission, and newly designed PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) system. Also, driver assistant systems like the Lane Keeping Assist, traffic sign recognition and Night Vison Assist takes your driving experience to the next level…German engineering at its finest! Porsche always delivers both form and function, commonly expected from a group that continues to push the limits of performance driving and such a historic racing history.

2020 911 Carrera 4S Coupe 992 (Gentian Blue Metallic) Photo

Let’s look at the stats of the new 2020 911 Carrera 4S Coupe (as unveiled):

• Engine – Twin-Turbocharged 3.0-liter boxer 6
• Horsepower - 443 HP
• Torque – 390 lb. ft. 
• Transmission – Manual or PDK (7-speed dual-clutch automatic)
• Top Speed – 190 mph (track tested)
• Zero to 60 mph – 3.2 sec (with PDK and Sport-Chrono Package)
• Price – *MSRP from $97,400 on the base 911 Coupe ($120,600 on the 911 4S Coupe)  *courtesy of Porsche USA

Porsche of Huntsville always provides Award-winning experiences in all areas: sales, parts, and top-notch customer service. Simply....the best showroom experience in the Southeast. Drop by today and see Jon Cunha (sales manager) or one of the many experienced sales associates and let them show you why a recent Porsche ad sums it up best “we’re driving into the future”.

Rebirth of the SVO Mustang from Ford is on the way, but when?

If you grew up in the 80’s you know what an SVO Mustang is and most likely you dreamed of owning one. Let’s face the facts, the 80’s were not the most popular for car enthusiast due to lack of real muscle cars with any power or torque. However, there are a few exceptions and the Ford Mustang SVO was one of those cars that grabbed lots of attention.

Ford had a newly formed internal group called Special Vehicles Operations Department (SVO) and their job was to oversee both the companies racing programs and production of their limited-edition and high-performance (street-legal) vehicles. They had a new secret weapon that was about to hit the streets in 1984 and was packing a 2.3 liter inline 4 cylinder turbo with 175 HP and 210 lb-ft. of torque. Not impressive in today’s world, but very respectable for the mid 80’s. Eventually reaching 200 HP and 240 lb-ft. of torque by the end run in 1986 (Only a three year run for the SVO 4 cylinder Mustangs). 

The 1985 ½ SVO Mustang was and still is the most sought after with its looks and power (205 HP and 248 lb-ft. of torque). Each year of the SVO production run also had a few other performance goodies that I will not take time to address, but added to their street cred. (Suspension, gears, brakes, etc.)

Now, let’s fast forward 35 years and Ford is once again offering a 2.3 liter inline 4 cylinder turbo Mustang and it’s also gaining lots of attention again. This time around the Ford engineers have been putting in the extra hours to extract a lot more ponies under the hood. The current 2.3 liter EcoBoost version is rated at 310 HP and 350 lb-ft. of torque and is capable of 0-60 mph runs well under 6.0 seconds. That’s some serious performance from the little engine that could!

Not long after the dust settles from the praise-worthy articles about the 2019 EcoBoost Mustang, we get breaking news from Ford that they have once again tweaked their 4 cylinder Pony car and this time the gloves are off and they come out swinging for the knockout punch.

At the New York Auto Show Ford reveals the 2020 Ford Mustang EcoBoost High Performance Package (longest name EVER) will pack even more ponies under the hood. The 2.3 liter turbo 4 cylinder will now sport 330 HP and 350 lb-ft. of torque and is projected to blaze from 0-60 mph in the mid-four-second range! It will also borrow many other performance upgrades from its older brother, the Mustang GT, such as GT front brake rotors, upgraded sway bars, quad-tip exhaust, and specially calibrated magnetic dampers.

Most purist are already asking the question, will this new performance minded 4 cylinder turbo carry the famous SVO badge again as its younger brother did in the 80’s? For now, the answer is no, Ford has even created a snazzy new High-Performance badge with checkerboard trim. But when a spokesperson was asked about bringing back the Iconic SVO badge, they responded and said “Not on this one”.

So I guess we can stay hopeful that the little pony that could may still get branded as an SVO Mustang soon, but for now let’s just enjoy those incredible performance numbers Ford just unveiled. The streets will again be filled with young car enthusiast who will want to gain the bragging rights to those street light challenges that have been known to take place in any small-town USA. Maybe Ford won’t make us wait much longer to shout “Hey…look at that SVO” as we attend those Friday night cruise-in’s and Saturday Cars Shows.

Congrats to you Mr. Ford, way to keep pushing the boundaries and continuing to elevate the performance bar on the American Sports car.

See Ya down the road……..Joseph P. Scott