Brumos Porsche Hosts 2010 Porsche Panamera Gala

With the 2010 Porsche Panamera set to go on sale this weekend, the new four-door Porsche received a fitting unveiling this week from storied Porsche affiliate and race team, Brumos Porsche. President of Porsche North America Detlev Von Platen (pictured below) was in attendance to help unveil Porsche’s “new kid on the block” at an exclusive reveal at the J. Johnson Gallery in Jacksonville Beach, Fla. Besides the three models that were represented each of the car’s trim levels, the Porsche Panamera was showcased next to the last Porsche car to offer a front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout: the 928.

According to Von Platen, the Panamera has been in development for five to six years in order to give the new sedan qualities such as “driving, smelling [and] feeling” that live up to the expectations of the Porsche brand. Once the sedan was unveiled, it was apparent that the designers had hit the nail on the head to make the Panamera look and feel like a Porsche. Every aspect of the Porsche Panamera’s design is unique, yet immediately identifiable as a Porsche. Not only are the Panamera’s 911-inspired lines sleek, sporty and elegant, but the cabin is about as spacious and luxurious as one would expect from a private charter jet.

Contrary to many of the rumors that the Panamera is similar to the Porsche Cayenne SUV, Von Platen emphasized that the sedan is completely unique from the ground up. Equally unique is the suspension and handling of the Panamera that Brumos’ executive vice president and racing icon, Hurley Haywood, played a key role in the fine tuning of the Panamera’s handling during development. While we didn’t have the chance to drive the Panamera, the car has received positive reviews so far for its impressive handling.

Suspension tuning is just one aspect that helps give the 2010 Panamera Porsche-like grip in tight corners, but weight reduction was also a key concern in the car’s design although its base curb weight is still a hefty 3,968 pounds. One of the ways that Porsche helped limit the Panamera’s girth is by using lighter weight materials even in the most miniscule areas. Ray Shaffer, Brumos’ assistant general manager, said that while the Panamera’s 4.8-liter V-8 is shared with the Cayenne SUV, even the engine bolts were swapped out on the sedan’s powerplant to help limit weight.

Like all Porsche models, the legendary 911 sports coupe was a major influence on the design of the 2010 Porsche Panamera which was first unveiled at this year’s Shanghai Auto Show. Inside, the four-passenger cabin is covered in high quality materials from the plush carpet to the soft headliner. The Porsche Panamera competes with high end sedans such as the Maserati Quattroporte and the all-new Aston Martin Rapide as well as (to a lesser extent) the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series.

The 2010 Porsche Panamera will officially go on sale this Saturday in three trim levels. The rear-wheel drive Porsche Panamera S offers 400-horsepower and an $89,800 starting MSRP. Moving up to all-wheel drive, the Porsche Panamera 4S starts at $93,800 which helps to shave almost half a second off the car’s 0-60 mile per hour acceleration. The top performer for the sports sedan is the Porsche Panamera Turbo that starts at $132,600 for the 500-horsepower, twin-turbocharged V-8 dropping 0-60 acceleration time to a remarkable four seconds flat with a top speed of 188 mph.

Special thanks to Brumos Porsche and staff.
Select photos by Jeffrey N. Ross