LotusDriver

I got my first ever "spy photo" opportunity this weekend. Coming over Loveland Pass on 26 July I saw 6 camoflaged Panamera test cars. I'm guessing this doesn't really add any information that isn't already out there, but I can't help but post my very own photo. :) The first one I saw was parked in a turn-out as I flashed by and my first thougt was to wonder if it was a new 4-door version of the Nissan 350Z. It has a bit of that same beefy, bulky (dare I say bloated?) look. I saw the second one approaching on the road, and even with the headlights all taped up, it was obviously a Porsche and I knew it was the Panamera. A little while later I saw two more in a turn-out (driver of one was peeing) and I pulled over to get a closer look and see if they'd tell me anything. Nope...the guys would barely acknowledge my presence. I tried to strike up a conversation anyway and managed to get a few words out of one (German accent) who only said, "We can't tell you anything." :) Things I noticed while giving the car a quick walk-around: - The interior looked quite nice...what little I could see of it. A lot was covered up with computers and other readouts etc (I assume for testing and tweaking). The rear windows were all blacked out. - The car is HUGE! - The winglike thing on the back of the test cars is actually a cage covering up a deployable wing. - They all had Georgia license plates/ - The guy I spoke to had a Keystone lanyard around his neck. I've seen other posts from last Fall reporting Panameras in the same area...maybe they use Keystone as a base. I didn't manage to hook up with any of them on the road, so I can't comment on performance. I probably should have turned around and seen if they'd play a bit. Anyway, I always reserve my aesthetic judgment on a car until I see it in the flesh since pictures rarely give you the right feel for a car. So, not that anyone cares, I have an opinion on this car now. It's not a good looking car. The lines just aren't right...I think it's the bloated look that doesn't work for me...especially on a Porsche. Porsche seems to have a spotty record on designing cars unless they use their tracing paper to copy the classic 911 look. Cayenne (BAD), Cayman/Boxster (good), GT (sublime), Panamera (bloated). I don't see this car as competing well against the M5 when it comes to looks (and I'm no BMW fan)...I'm guessing most people who buy it instead of the M5 will choose it because they are Porsche fans or they want to be different. Well, that's my opinion anyway...not really worth much. I'm more about how a car performs than how it looks though. I'm sure it's a great drive for a car that size.