The Porsche 989 was a 4-door performance-oriented touring sedan developed by Porsche between 1988 and 1991. This vehicle was never produced, after development was halted in late 1991 and cancelled in January 1992.

History

Increased sales of Porsche's 928 model during the mid-1980s prompted executives to consider adding another large, sporty touring vehicle to the lineup, this time a 4-door that could serve as a more practical but equally powerful and exciting alternative to the 928. Porsche engineer Dr. Ulrich Bez was put in charge of the project and given instructions that the vehicle should be luxurious and comfortable but offer a sporting nature superior to that attained by large saloon cars from

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...

and BMW. Bez designed a new front-engine, rear-drive platform with a

wheelbase In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...

of and power coming from a new 80-degree, water cooled

V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. The first V8 engine was produced by the French Antoinette company in 1904, developed and u ...

with a power output of around . Some discrepancy has arisen as to the

engine displacement Engine displacement is the measure of the cylinder volume swept by all of the pistons of a piston engine, excluding the combustion chambers. It is commonly used as an expression of an engine's size, and by extension as a loose indicator of the ...

, which is reported as being between 3.6 and 4.2 litres. The prototype made from Bez's technical designs was styled by

Harm Lagaay Harm Lagaay (born Harm Lagaaij, 28 December 1946, The Hague) is a Dutch automobile designer. Educated in the Netherlands he completed the studies at the IVA and went to work for a Dutch company Olyslager in Soest. In the late 1960s, Lagaay we ...

, a design which influenced later models and that held many similarities to the 911, despite the difference in engine placement. Specific design influences to later Porsche models include the control-arm

suspension Suspension or suspended may refer to: Science and engineering * Suspension (topology), in mathematics * Suspension (dynamical systems), in mathematics * Suspension of a ring, in mathematics * Suspension (chemistry), small solid particles suspende ...

and

959 Year 959 ( CMLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * April - May – The Byzantines refuse to pay the yearly tribute. A Hungari ...

-esque headlamps which would later be used on the 993 as well as the overall shape and tail-light design which were adapted for the 996 generation 911. After Ulrich Bez left Porsche in September 1991, the project lost momentum. The severe slump in 928 sales made executives re-think the viability of the idea, and low overall profits during the 1989 to 1991

model year The model year (sometimes abbreviated "MY") is a method of describing the version of a product which has been produced over multiple years. The model year may or may not be the same as the calendar year in which the product was manufactured. ...

s meant the model would be far more risky for the company to build than had been anticipated during development. In January 1992, development was halted completely. Although Porsche officials initially claimed that the only prototype was destroyed, it had actually been put into storage. A rear-view photograph of the prototype (silver color, 17 inch Cup II wheels, unregistered licence plate BB-PW 989) is published in the German classic car magazine ''Motor Klassik''. '' Autoweek'' also reported the existence of the prototype. The prototype would eventually become an exhibit at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart. As of 2019, it is exhibited at the Petersen Auto Museum in Los Angeles. Styling cues found in the next generation Porsche 911 (996) see their origins from this prototype. The

Porsche Panamera The Porsche Panamera is a mid/full-sized luxury car (E-segment/F-segment in Europe) manufactured and marketed by German automobile manufacturer Porsche across two generations using a front-engine, rear or all-wheel drive configuration. Pors ...

, launched in 2009, is considered to be the spiritual successor to the 989 project. File:Porsche 989 Prototyp Seitenansicht.jpg, Porsche 989 Prototype side view File:Porsche 989 Prototyp schräghinten.jpg, Porsche 989 Prototype behind/side

History

References

Further reading