WorldCarFans has spy shots of a test mule for the coming four-door Porsche, the Panamera. They call it "the 'family' Porsche." Quite an impressive transformation from the brand's previous positioning ["the dad who sees his kids every other weekend and for a month in the summer's Porsche"] or even from the Cayenne ["the guy who doesn't have any kids--that he knows of, heh heh--'s Porsche"].
The engine options range from the Cayenne's current 300hp 6-cyl to some 8-cyl's to the 700hp [!!] 10-cylinder from the Porsche GT--to a freakin' hybrid. They're testing that GT engine inside that BMW 5-series wagon at this very moment.
With a debut set for Geneva 2009, you still have time to a) get a job that makes you mad money, even if it consumes all your waking hours, b) conceive and give birth to some backseat passengers, and c) quit said job, live off the interest, and raise the little rugrats, all before they call your number from the Panamera waitlist.
Or if you're not a Porsche purist, you could bag it, save yourself a couple years' tuition, and get a Lexus GS instead, no waiting.
SPY PHOTOS: More Porsche Panamera [worldcarfans via jalopnik]
Hah! I thought I was the only person who noticed the Lexus resemblance. I kinda like the Porsche though... I was Cayenne-hater but even that's kind of grown on me (probably because there are approx. 8237 of them in my neighborhood here) so I'm willing to give it a chance. I'll even gladly accept one if someone is giving it away. :)
Oh I get it, it's like a chick magnet for dads! Sign me up.
Actually, that's a pretty heavily disguised car and it looks like they were intentionally making the roof line and the rear windows to emulate the Lexus. They put black paint and silver trim around the back to make the window look larger in the rear and hide the tapering. The final car design should much more closely resemble the 911 (inasmuch as is possible, given that it has a front engine design and the 911 is a rear-engine car).
But I always thought the Cayenne SUV was the Porsche for moms and families. Those are the only people I ever see driving those things.
[uh, moms can get their own carblogs. -ed]