You don't have to be rich to drive a Porsche in Beverly Hills

I've been driving my Porsche Boxster a lot lately and I just want to say that anyone that thinks the Boxster is a "girl car" or a "poor man's Porsche" probably hasn't driven one (my comment towards Boxster haters was going to be a lot less pleasant but I try to keep this blog on the friendly side).

I picked up this 2002 regular Boxster in December, and I have never had so much fun driving a car.  Keep in mind, this is not my first time in a Porsche; there is a reason I am The Porsche Guy after all.  My Boxster is my third Porsche and since I've been selling them for almost seven years, I can honestly say I have driven most modern Porsche models.  

Why do I love this little Boxster so much?  In the words of one of our Porsche regional managers, "I would rather drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow."  I can drive the hell out of my Boxster; I can throw it into corners as fast as I want, I can hold every gear until the red-line, I can carve curves like a real racecar driver (I'm not) and this car does everything I want it to.  And with outmost precision.  If I drove a 911 Turbo or any muscle car the way I drive my Zanzibar Boxster I would not be able to write this post because I would be in jail. 

Being in the Porsche business in Los Angeles, I am always hearing "I would love to drive a Porsche but I just can't afford it!"  Let me tell you something; whatever your budget is, whether it is $10,000 or $200,000, there is a Porsche out there for you.  And no matter which one you get, you will love every second of owning it.

Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments.

Isaac Feldman

The Porsche Guy

The New Porsche 911 Carrera 4 AWD Models

As expected, Porsche just announced the addition of the all wheel drive models to the new 991 generation Carrera line up.  These models are more popular for their (slightly) wider rear ends than the fact that they boast a very modern and engaging all wheel drive system.
Here is the press release from PCNA:

The New Porsche 911 Carrera 4

Advanced active all-wheel drive for even more driving fun and safety

Lighter, faster, more agile: the new 911 Carrera 4

Stuttgart. The new Porsche 911 Carrera 4 unites the excellent performance and efficiency of the new generation of the 911 Carrera with the dynamic benefits of the latest version of the active all-wheel drive system PTM (Porsche Traction Management). The typical Porsche all-wheel drive with rear-focused layout in this latest 911 version guarantees maximum vehicle dynamics on a wide variety of road surfaces and in all weather conditions. The new 911 Carrera 4 models deliver traction and dynamic performance the power of four.

The new all-wheel drive 911 is being launched on the market in four versions – as the 911 Carrera 4 and 911 Carrera 4S and each as Coupé and Cabriolet. They sport the same traits as the rear-wheel drive versions: their lightweight body design, suspension, engines and gearboxes are identical, the only exception being modifications related to the all-wheel drive. This means that despite a higher level of engine and driving performance, all four models consume significantly less fuel than the previous models; total savings for individual versions are as much as 16 per cent. In addition, the new 911 Carrera 4 is up to 65 kg lighter in weight.

The most distinct identifying feature of the 911 with all-wheel drive is still the wide rear section: compared to the two-wheel drive 911 Carrera models, the rear wheel housings each extend further outward by 22 mm, and the rear tyres are each ten millimetres wider. The traditional red light band that connects the two taillights has also taken on a new form.

Porsche Intelligent Performance: high levels of driving performance, low fuel consumption
All new models have a 7-speed manual gearbox as standard, and the Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) gearbox is available as an option. The 911 Carrera 4 Coupé with 350 hp (257 kW) can sprint from zero to 100 km/h in as little as 4.5 seconds (Cabriolet: 4.7 s) and reach a top speed of up to 285 km/h (Cabriolet: 282 km/h), depending on equipment features. Fuel consumption with PDK is 8.6 l/100 km (CO2 203 g/km) for the Coupé and 8.7 l/100 km (CO2 205 g/km) for the Cabriolet.

The Coupé and Cabriolet of the 911 Carrera 4 S each have a 3.8-litre rear-mounted boxer engine that produces 400 hp (294 kW); this enables acceleration to 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds (Cabriolet: 4.3 seconds) and a top speed of 299 km/h (Cabriolet: 296 km/h) with a suitable equipment configuration. Fuel consumption values with PDK are 9.1 l/100 km (CO2 215 g/km) for the Coupé and 9.2 l/100 km (CO2 217 g/km) for the Cabriolet.

New: all-wheel drive indicator, Porsche Active Safe, sliding glass sunroof, extended Sport Chrono pack
In the new 911 Carrera 4, a new menu in the instrument cluster informs the driver how the PTM all-wheel drive is currently distributing engine power. In addition, with the debut of the 911 Carrera all-wheel drive models Porsche is introducing the optional Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) to the entire model range, which controls distance to traffic ahead and vehicle speed. When ordered with PDK, the ACC system adds the safety function Porsche Active Safe (PAS), which helps to prevent front-end collisions. In addition, Porsche offers a new sliding glass sunroof as an optional feature for the 911 Carrera Coupé. Driving 911 cars with a manual gearbox and Sport Chrono pack can now be even sportier: In Sport Plus mode, the system automatically double-declutches during downshifts.

The new all-wheel drive models replace a very successful previous generation, of which a total of about 24,000 units have been sold since 2008. This represents a 34 per cent share of total sales of second generation 997 models. This previous generation launched with one of the greatest development steps in powertrain technology that the 911 with all-wheel drive ever made: new were the engines with direct petrol injection, Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) gearbox and electronically controlled Porsche Traction Management (PTM). In July 2011, Porsche crowned the model series with the 911 Carrera 4 GTS, whose 3.8-litre engine was boosted to 408 hp (300 kW).

World premiere at the Paris International Motor Show
The new Porsche 911 Carrera with all-wheel drive will make its first public appearance at the 2012 Paris International Motor Show. The new 911 models will launch at the end of 2012. Prices in Germany are 97,557 euros for the 911 Carrera 4 Coupé and 110,290 euros for the Cabriolet. The 911 Carrera 4 S costs 112,313 euros as a Coupé and 125,046 euros as a Cabriolet. All prices include 19 per cent VAT and country-specific features.

New 911 Carrera S Named 2012 Motor Trend Best Driver's Car

All of us here @BevHillsPorsche would agree with the award from @MotorTrend, but we are kind of biased after all.  Now one of the most respected names in automotive journalism has awarded our 991 S Coupe with the Best Driver's Car award.  You can click here for a link to the entire article and read Porsche's official press release below:

New Porsche 911 Carrera S Named 2012 Motor Trend Best Driver’s Car

Motor Trend has chosen the Porsche 911 Carrera S as its Best Driver's Car for 2012.  The Best Driver’s Car honor is decided after a yearly competition among the best new or improved performance cars available in the U.S. market.  

“‘Best Driver’s Car’ is the highest honor Motor Trend gives to a performance vehicle, which is the main reason it is so coveted across the industry,” said Ed Loh, Editor-in-Chief of Motor Trend.  “Congratulations to Porsche and its 911 Carrera S for beating out such a diverse, yet uniformly excellent field this year.”

“Being named ‘Motor Trend Best Driver's Car’ is a testament to the work of the men and women in Weissach and Zuffenhausen who are so passionate about designing and building our sports cars,” said Detlev von Platen, President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America. “This accomplishment shows that the 911 still has the same magic it’s had for nearly 50 years, as it continues to be both a great car to drive     everyday on the road and on the track.”

Motor Trend editors choose the car that most makes them want to head out to their favorite road and drive.  To achieve this, each contender is run through a battery of  dynamic tests, a 500-mile road trip, hard canyon driving on a closed course and finally, evaluation at the hands of professional driver Randy Pobst at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.  All of that information is then distilled down by seven judges, and after careful consideration, a winner is declared.

The test aims to go beyond the numbers, uncovering the one vehicle that offers enthusiasts the most engaging and rewarding driving experience possible. 

The Porsche 911 Carrera S, along with its opponents for the test, is currently being featured during Best Driver’s Car Week (August 20-24) on Motor Trend's website www.motortrend.com and YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/motortrend.  Enthusiasts can follow all the track testing action that took place at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and discover how each of the competitors performed by viewing 5 separate feature stories and 11 exciting videos.

I moved back home to Beverly Hills Porsche

As much as I enjoyed running the sales department at McKenna Porsche, I had been getting very homesick over the last half a year.  I have been talking with the management staff at Beverly Hills for a while and they had a void here that needed to be filled.  In short, I came in as "Director of Business Development" which basically means I make sure no clients slip through the crack.  Beverly Hills Porsche is the #1 Porsche store in the Western U.S. and one of the top three in the country; we have also held the top spot in the U.S. many times.  I am here to help make sure we keep climbing and permanently become the number one Porsche dealership in the country and the world.

Selling Porsche's in Beverly Hills.  What could be better for The Porsche Guy?!  Please feel free to contact me with any questions.  You can email me by clicking here or call me at 310.804.0974. 

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Here you can see the beautiful view from my office window.