Posted on: Oct 21, 2012 | 10,177 reads

Porsche Still Considering 960 Supercar

The on-again, off-again saga on whether Porsche will develop a Ferrari 458 competitor is still going strong despite the relative silence from Stuttgart.

Porsche has long been rumored to be looking at the possibility of building a new high-performance sports car more powerful than the 911 to rival the Ferrari 458 Italia. Now that the 918 Spyder is almost ready for delivery and the new 991-type 911 has successfully launched, it appears that such a mid-engined supercar is still very much being considered. Citing statements made by Porsche CEO Matthias Muller, Motor Authority reports that the supercar would cost somewhere between 300,000 and 400,000 euros.

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In other words, it would be significantly cheaper than the 918, but that much more expensive than even the top of the 911 range - or the 458. Muller gave little in the way of details, but the fact that there's even a price range already being discussed is a sign that Porsche is seriously looking into the project. Previous speculation has badged this project as the 960, but it may be too early to speculate on nameplates. Unlike the 918's hybrid powertrain, however, the 960 could be powered by a version of the 911's conventional twin-turbo flat-six tuned to around 600 horsepower and 550 pound-feet of torque.

Now that Porsche has been fully integrated into the Volkswagen Group, the project could share its platform with the next Audi R8 and Lamborghini's upcoming Gallardo replacement. If Porsche were to build a version of its own, expect to see a production number of around 2,500 to 3,000 units per year. For now, Porsche is reportedly still looking at the numbers to see if it can make a good business case for the project.