Porsche 911 Heritage Timeline

by Bruce Herrington

Porsche Cars of North America's program for introducing the 2009 911 to their dealer network was called “Explore the Core” meaning to explore the inner workings of the “Gen II 997.” After the East Coast introduction in Hershey Pennsylvania PCNA flew west to take over the 12,000 square foot ballroom of the Morongo Casino Resort in Cabazon California from September 1st to 19th to provide training for 600 sales and service personnel representing 70 Western region Porsche Dealers.

The Morongo session was actually the third and final event in a series that began In Spain during the spring. While most model changes are delt with by bulliten and on-line trainiing, Porsche AG felt that the 2009 “Gen II” 997 was so new and unique that a special classroom training program was required.

The intense training program was comprised of 8 modules covering overall performance as well as details of the engine (DFI), transmission (PDK) chassis/suspension (PTM/PASM), new electronic systems, comfort and convenience features and styling. PCNA also felt it was important to show the history of the 911 and how it endured through the decades as a sports car with a singular purpose of combining high performance with driving enjoyment.

Chris Gillman, Manager, Sales Training for PCNA asked Bruce Herrington of PCA Riverside Region, to assemble a “Heritage Display” depicting the major eras of the 911. Included in the display were cars provided by the following members:

To better tie the cars to the times, PCNA developed artistic backdrops to highlight the social 'life style' in which each of the 'eras' of the 911 occured. The artwork is typical Porsche quality and the 5 backdrops are presented below.

To show their appreciation for our members providing display vehicles for 20 days, PCNA offered participants a 1 ½ hour classroom summary of the training program hitting the highlights such as the new transmission and fuel injection systems.

The transmission is built like a manual, complete with multi-disk clutch (two clutches actually), has no energy robbing torque converter, and uses a computer controlled hydro/mechanical system to control the clutch(s) and shift the gears.

The engine injects fuel directly into the cylinder, with the timing and duration of the injection 'squirt' controlled by computer, and infinitely variable, cylinder by cylinder. The precision of this fuel control leads to the efficiency and fuel economy gains achieved in an engine that produces more power than any previous Porsche engine of similar displacement.

For further information about the unique features of the PDK transmission and the DFI engine, see the extensive discussions in Pano, Excellence, etc.

The classroom session was followed by a spirited drive from the Morongo Casino to Idyllwild and back in which each participant had their own PDK equipped 2009 Carrera S. With Chris Gillman in the lead on the curving mountain roads we had ample opportunity to appreciate the car's capabilities.

Comments from the drivers included Jim La Monica's statement that after years in a stickshift, his left foot felt lost in the PDK 'manumatic' car. Arnie Shusterman was blown away with the speed and efficiency of the PDK as compared with the Tiptronic. Brent Selinger felt the new Carrera was a fabulous Porsche and very user friendly compared to his 993. Bruce Herrington was most impressed by an 'automatic' that did not up-shift if you lifted off in a corner, and an essentially manual transmission (no torque converter) that would creep forward at idle, when you took your foot off the brake when stopped.

All the participants were impressed with the '09 911 as well as PCNA's “Explore the Core” program. It's reassuring to know that Porsche follows up their innovations in technology with in-depth training of the sales and support team.

Representatives of our local dealers were of course included in the dealer portion of the training. Steve Moorehouse of Desert European Motorcars, felt that the training was the best, in-depth training he'd ever had, with speciaists from Porsche for each system on the car. The students went from room to room for in-depth training in navigation, engine, transmission, etc. The demonstration drive up to Idyllwild was very stimulatimulating. He could not be more satisfied with the training or the hospitality provided by PCNA.

Ed McRae of Walters Porsche of Riverside was with MB previously and has been with Porsche for just a couple of years. This was his first Porsche product introduction experience, and he found it to be much more in-depth than Mercedes versions. He believes that Porsche owner/buyers expect dealer expertise well beyond that expected of other marques. Ed was very impressed with the full day program that included presentations from at least six specialized instructors. At the end of the day, all participants were expected to pass an exam. Ed felt that the Heritage Timeline was a valuable part of the program, to which Walters sent 10 people, at a cost of $600 each.