Porsche 989

The Porsche 989 was a 4-door performance-oriented touring sedan concept created by Porsche

Porsche

Porsche SE is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury high performance automobiles, which is majority-owned by the Piëch and Porsche families. Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG , often shortened to Porsche AG, is responsible and manufacturer of the Porsche automobile line...

 in 1988. The vehicle was never produced.

Increased sales of Porsche's 928

Porsche 928

The Porsche 928 is a grand tourer automobile sold by Porsche AG of Germany from 1978-1995, designed as a more luxurious yet still high performance alternative to the firm's sporting mainstay, the durable 911 sports car....

 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.

The Porsche 989 was a 4-door performance-oriented touring sedan concept created by Porsche

Porsche

Porsche SE is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury high performance automobiles, which is majority-owned by the Piëch and Porsche families. Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG , often shortened to Porsche AG, is responsible and manufacturer of the Porsche automobile line...

 in 1988. The vehicle was never produced.

History

Increased sales of Porsche's 928

Porsche 928

The Porsche 928 is a grand tourer automobile sold by Porsche AG of Germany from 1978-1995, designed as a more luxurious yet still high performance alternative to the firm's sporting mainstay, the durable 911 sports car....

 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

Ulrich Bez

Ulrich Bez is a German-businessman and currently CEO of Aston Martin motorcars. He holds a doctorate in engineering from the University of Stuttgart...

 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 sedans from Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of luxury automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. It is currently a division of the parent company, Daimler AG , after previously being owned by Daimler-Benz...

 and BMW

BMW

, is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company. Founded in 1916, it is known for its performance and luxury vehicles. It owns and produces the MINI brand, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.-Company history:...

.

Bez designed a new front-engine, rear-drive platform with a wheelbase

Wheelbase

In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels.- Road :In automobiles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the center of the front wheel, and the center of the rear wheel...

 of and power coming from a new 80-degree, water cooled V8 engine with a power output of around . Some discrepancy has arisen as to the engine displacement

Engine displacement

Engine displacement is the volume swept by all the pistons inside the cylinders of an internal combustion engine in a single movement from top dead centre to bottom dead centre . It is commonly specified in cubic centimeters , litres , or cubic inches...

, 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

Harm Lagaay is a Dutch automobile designer. Educated in the Netherlands he completed the studies at the Technical University in Delft and went to work for a Dutch company Olyslager in Soest....

, a design which influenced later models and that held many similarities to the 911

Porsche 911

The Porsche 911 is a sports car made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. The famous, distinctive, and durable design is notable for being rear engined like the Porsche-designed Volkswagen Beetle it had been based on. The car was also air-cooled until the introduction of the all-new Type 996 in 1998...

, despite the difference in engine placement. Specific design influences to later Porsche models include the control-arm suspension

Suspension (vehicle)

Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose – contributing to the car's roadholding/handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants...

 and 959

Porsche 959

The Porsche 959 was a sports car manufactured by Porsche from 1986 to 1989, first as a Group B rally car and later as a legal production car designed to satisfy FIA homologation regulations requiring that a minimum number of 200 street legal units be built....

-esque headlamps which would later be used on the 993

Porsche 993

The Porsche 993 is the company's internal name for the version of the Porsche 911 model manufactured and sold between late 1993 and early 1998, replacing the 964...

 as well as the overall shape and tail-light design which were adapted for the 996

Porsche 996

The Porsche 996 is the company's internal name for the version of the Porsche 911 model manufactured and sold between 1998 and 2005. It has since been replaced by the Type 997. Both body styles were used in 2005, depending on model. At its debut, it featured the most significant changes to the...

 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

Model year

The model year of a product is a number used worldwide, but with a high level of prominence in North America, to describe approximately when a product was produced, and indicates the coinciding base specification of that product....

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, they now contend that it remains in 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 Porsche Panamera

Porsche Panamera

The Porsche Panamera is a four-door, four-seat luxury sedan, which was launched in 2009. It is front-engined with rear wheel drive, with a four-wheel drive version also available....

, due out in 2009, can be considered the successor to the 989 project.