European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 04, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Thursday october 4, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 13best of both worlds transmission car Corner Carrera 2 the tip tronic Marvel last week we discussed the All Heel drive porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe d today Well take a look at its counterpart the Carrera 2, this one with the evolutionary tip tronic transmission. Except for the identification badges on the engine cover the two coupes Are identical where appearances Are concerned and both Are powered by the same 3.6-liter Flat six engine the most powerful yet used on a production 911, As we noted last week. As they share the same engine the cars Are similar in performance As Well As appearance although the Carrera 2 is slightly faster and it also uses a bit less fuel in the bargain. This is because the Carrera 4 weighs More some 160 pounds with its All wheel drive setup. There a also a difference where the driving is concerned the Carrera 2 with less cornering ability than the 4, As one would expect. But the Carrera 2 is nicely balanced and stable and its great fun to put it through the turns. The handling and Overall feel in general is a bit lighter than it is on the All wheel drive Carrera 4, but with the different transmissions driving comparisons Are a bit difficult to make. The Carrera 4 was equipped with manual five Speed while the test Carrera 2 Coupe As noted was equipped with tip tronic transmission. This new technical Marvel will also be available on other porsche cars in the not too Distant future see accompanying Story. Developed primarily for the american Market the tip tronic transmission was introduced in january of this year on the 1990 Carrera 2 models. Much of the development came during porsche a world sports car championship years when some of the All conquering 962-c race cars were equipped with a a up Dkl dual clutch system that achieved Power flow shifts for the first time. This system was used in conjunction with a Normal manual transmission. Porsche says the tip tronic introduces a new Era in shift technology combining the advantages of both manual and Auto the tip Tronick a two a amps Carrera 2 has Rounder lines but retains classic 911 shape. A amps Matic transmissions. The tip tronic has two parallel Gates for automatic and manual shift programs the transmission shifting in either program you select without interrupting the Power flow. Computers and sensors of course figure in heavily where the technical design is concerned. In the automatic Gate tip tronic operates like most other four Speed automatics except that the program control avoids familiar disadvantages particularly undesirable up shifts before or in a Corner. The electronic controls a a read the Drivers actions and respond accordingly. In the manual Gate clutch less shifts Are made manually by a a tipping the lever up for up shifts and Dow for downshifts. It be simpler and it All works beautifully. Its also a lot of fun. You shift gears faster than you could with a clutch a speeding through without a need to lift off a and the Power flow is on All the Way. When shifting Down immediate engine braking occurs. You can to Over Rev the engine either up or Down because a safety switch prevents it. To get either automatic or manual you must Start in the a a do position then flip the gear shift lever to the left for automatic or to the right for manual. Its All instantaneous. An instrument Cluster on the dash meanwhile tells which Mode you re in As Well As which gear. Basically the automatic is Best for City driving and heavy traffic while the manual is Best for the open Road. It takes a while to become familiar with the manual Mode but once you do you enjoy it a the a Best of both worlds a so to speak. Still you never have the same a a empathy for the car As you would have with a real manual Gearbox a at least we never did a especially in High Speed cornering situations. But there a no doubt that the tip tronic system will grow in popularity especially in the United states where automatic transmissions Are a a Way of automotive through the gears with the manual Mode the Carrera 2 test car hit 43 Mph in first 84 in second 118 in third and 162 in fourth. The acceleration was exceedingly Strong and the passing Power tremendous just As on the All wheel drive Carrera 4. The Carrera 2, like the 4, has More rounded lines than its predecessor and better aerodynamics but it retains the same classic look of All 911s, a look that has been in Vogue now for 27 years. The Carrera 2 Coupe with tip tronic transmission is available for order at porsche dealers in Germany the tax free Price being $61,075. The Carrera 2 Coupe with the regular five Speed Gearbox costs $58,190. Targa and convertible models Are also available in regular and tip tronic Randy Barnett Auto columnist porsche exec tips tip tronic As Good Way to go Hans Halbach the sales and marketing chief of porsche is Strong on the firms new automatic tip tronic transmission. Discussing the marketing scene and porsche cars during an interview in his spacious office that overlooks the rolling swabian Countryside Halbach said a my Pride and Joy is the american acceptance of the tip tronic transmission., a a it a acceptance is so great that the 911 Carrera 2 models with tip tronic Are already scarce Halbach on the american Market and we re trying to get More into production. But i wont deviate from policy and that policy is better one car too Short than one too a a because the Carrera 2 convertible with tip tronic has sold so Well a Halbach says a we already know the Strong opportunities presented by this transmission. So Tore porsche models will eventually be equipped with it a not just the 911s. In fact we will offer both the porsche 94.4 coup6 and convertible with tip tronic As of the 1992 Model when asked if the tip tronic had been developed especially for the american Market Halbach replied a basically yes the primary need was defined for the . Market. But i would like to stress that its not Only for the . There a a Strong need for tip tronic in cities All Over the world. All crowded cities. Tokyo London Paris. So Many. And As traffic becomes More and More congested tip tronic takes on added importance. A right now 35 percent of All the 911 Carrera cars sold in America Are tip tron in equipped and that figure will soon reach 45 discussing the classic 911 series now in its 27th year Halbach said a a we be never produced As May 911s As we re producing today. At the moment we re manufacturing 96 a Day. During the last 25 years we were not always Able to a Fine tune the 911 with the Market requirements but we re doing so there a a waiting list for 911 buyers Halbach saying the europeans have to wait a bit longer for delivery than americans do because the ordering process is different. In Europe the buyer orders his or her 911 directly from the dealer while in the United states the dealers order from the porsche company. A the 911 Carrera 2 and 4 models Are Selling according to plan a Halbach says a and the new 911 Turbo is about to go on the Market. We will produce about 3,800 for the world Market including 600 for the states. And they re sold out already. Every the 911 Turbo is the most expensive car in porsche a Range the manufacturers suggested retail Price in the United states set at $95,000. So the 911 series marches on successfully and Halbach says a we Hope that the 911 will continue to enjoy a very Strong clientele during the next 25 years. While the improvements continue a aside from the body the Carrera models Are 85 percent new a there will certainly be no change in the famous Halbach says that porsche is always referred to As a Small company a and it is Small when you consider that 34 million cars were sold worldwide last year. But in the sports car Market for cars above the $40,000 level total worldwide sales were 123,200 and porsche sold 31,000 of this total. So we re really quite a big company in our looking at the . Market a Market porsche no longer depends on As it did a few years ago Halbach has Strong Hopes for a sales increase this year Over the 1989 figure. But he a not optimistic about the . Economy in general. A a we la sell 8,500 cars in the states during 1991,�?� he says a and that will be somewhat below our expected figure for this a this is simply because the . Market will not stabilize. There Are too Many uncertainties a he says. A the buying behaviour of the american consumer in regard to All luxury items is still cautious and the buyer is somewhat reluctant. That wont change until Faith is restored in the viability of the american regarding the Dollar Mark situation one that is a major headache for All German car makers who sell vehicles in the United states Halbach says a a it a really a big worry and the rapid deterioration of the Dollar has us observing developments carefully. A i feel the Dollar is undervalued and the Deutsche Mark overvalued. But with the Cost of unification the Mark will come under pressure somewhat. I Hope the prevailing attitude will change in the states As right now i fear the . Is talking itself into a recession and this will Hurt both resources and viability. A these recession rumours Are overrated and the Dollar should be stronger. But the the Dollar Mark situation continues to be difficult. Its my big a
