There are lots of polarized beliefs out there, in the car world, and I do agree to some of them. Donks are bad and so are low-riders. Most Audis look the same and some BMWs are ugly to the bone. But why, for the love of God, do so many people say that a Porsche 911 is just an expensive VW Beetle?
I suspect it has something to do with that British auto journalism that I love so much, and in particular with a tall man who doesn't like Porsche's rear-engined coupe. Mind you, this is the same man who bought a Ford GT, the blue-collar supercar, only to discover it doesn’t fit on most roads in Britain.
So where did this Porsche=Beetle thing start? Well it mainly comes down to the 356, which is Porsche’s first production car, made by Ferdinand “Ferry” Porsche, son of the company’s founder, who designed the Beetle. Both these cars had a four-cylinder, air-cooled engine right at the back and they shared a several parts.
Having common heritage doesn't mean the German pair are the same. The first 356 was road-certified in Austria in 1948. Just three years later, the car had a class win at Le Mans. In the first two years, barely 50 cars were made. But by 1956 when the 911 arrived, about 76,000 had been produced . That's as cool a success story as any told by an Italian company in my book!
You’ve got to remember that when the 356 came out, the automobile as we know it today didn’t really exist. There were no family hatchbacks, no Minis, no Golfs, no SUVs or mainstream turbocharged engines. It would be almost another 20 years before Lamborghini reluctantly made its first mid-engined two-seater, the Miura.
In addition to their past work, the guys at Porsche are true innovators and trend setters today. Just look at the cool way the roof opens on the new 911 Targa, the 918 Spider or the rear-wheel steering system on the GT3. Stuttgart has done more for the German industry in the last year than almost any other brand. Why treat them like a Volkswagen afterthought?
Of course, the most obvious change is that Beetles are front-wheel drive now, while Porsche 911s… aren’t. If you like, the VW Bug has more in common now with the Audi TT, the Jetta and Scirocco than any other cars in the world.
The funny thing about this Beetle vs 911 thing is that if we're to compare brand-new with brand-new, Stuttgart looks like it could teach VW some harsh lessons. Both the 991 (current 911 generation) and the Beetle came out in 2011, but one is really good and the other really bad. While the 991 uses a brand new platform, the Beetle is based on the PQ35 of the old Golf 6. Some people say that the floor pan and a few other components have carried over unchanged, which is almost unheard off these days.
The new 911 has won just about every award and dynamic comparison, being the industry benchmark in terms of driving feel. The Bug, on the other hand, has basically won no awards and struggles to shine, even though its competitors (MINI, Citroen DS3) have a lot of flaws.
That said, I don't hate the current Beetle, in fact I rather like it. At a glance, it looks far better than the old one did and I'd consider buying one if I were in the market for a MINI-type lifestyle car because it's less common and the engines are decent. Especially with the R-line package, it's a looker and it's cheap for what it offers. It's a great many things, but a Porsche is certainly not one of them.
I suspect it has something to do with that British auto journalism that I love so much, and in particular with a tall man who doesn't like Porsche's rear-engined coupe. Mind you, this is the same man who bought a Ford GT, the blue-collar supercar, only to discover it doesn’t fit on most roads in Britain.
So where did this Porsche=Beetle thing start? Well it mainly comes down to the 356, which is Porsche’s first production car, made by Ferdinand “Ferry” Porsche, son of the company’s founder, who designed the Beetle. Both these cars had a four-cylinder, air-cooled engine right at the back and they shared a several parts.
Having common heritage doesn't mean the German pair are the same. The first 356 was road-certified in Austria in 1948. Just three years later, the car had a class win at Le Mans. In the first two years, barely 50 cars were made. But by 1956 when the 911 arrived, about 76,000 had been produced . That's as cool a success story as any told by an Italian company in my book!
You’ve got to remember that when the 356 came out, the automobile as we know it today didn’t really exist. There were no family hatchbacks, no Minis, no Golfs, no SUVs or mainstream turbocharged engines. It would be almost another 20 years before Lamborghini reluctantly made its first mid-engined two-seater, the Miura.
In addition to their past work, the guys at Porsche are true innovators and trend setters today. Just look at the cool way the roof opens on the new 911 Targa, the 918 Spider or the rear-wheel steering system on the GT3. Stuttgart has done more for the German industry in the last year than almost any other brand. Why treat them like a Volkswagen afterthought?
Of course, the most obvious change is that Beetles are front-wheel drive now, while Porsche 911s… aren’t. If you like, the VW Bug has more in common now with the Audi TT, the Jetta and Scirocco than any other cars in the world.
The funny thing about this Beetle vs 911 thing is that if we're to compare brand-new with brand-new, Stuttgart looks like it could teach VW some harsh lessons. Both the 991 (current 911 generation) and the Beetle came out in 2011, but one is really good and the other really bad. While the 991 uses a brand new platform, the Beetle is based on the PQ35 of the old Golf 6. Some people say that the floor pan and a few other components have carried over unchanged, which is almost unheard off these days.
The new 911 has won just about every award and dynamic comparison, being the industry benchmark in terms of driving feel. The Bug, on the other hand, has basically won no awards and struggles to shine, even though its competitors (MINI, Citroen DS3) have a lot of flaws.
That said, I don't hate the current Beetle, in fact I rather like it. At a glance, it looks far better than the old one did and I'd consider buying one if I were in the market for a MINI-type lifestyle car because it's less common and the engines are decent. Especially with the R-line package, it's a looker and it's cheap for what it offers. It's a great many things, but a Porsche is certainly not one of them.
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