Interview with Tony Hatter, 993 designer.

[wpozzz99zSS]

Some great insights into the 993 design process..

 

[jonttt]

Great watch :thumb:

I've added the video to the 993 FAQ thread :

http://911uk.com/viewtopic.php?p=849055#849055

 

[tob_today]

Yes that's a great watch :thumb:

 

[diddy_p]

Great video, thanks for sharing. I particularly liked Tony saying that the Cabriolet roof line flows better Vindication in my purchase of a cab! lol

 

[Luddite]

Thanks for posting the very enjoyable and fact filled vid..

When I first saw the 993, I thought it to be quite perfect. I was initially attracted to Porsche on the fundamentals of both simplicity and the quality of the engineering involved in the shape of my 60`s 912, followed by a couple of 911 SC`s and on first glance of the 993, it just looked to me like it was carved from the solid, in that Tony had wonderfully tided up all the extraneous additions that American safety requirements had placed upon the original design concept...?

Evolution ever plays it`s part in our thinking and it seems just as in steeping stones to cross a stream, we are ever reluctant to reach out from a proven standpoint to take the next step, and so it has ever been in that linkage to that previous position seems to hold back the speed of progress to some degree, and it seems some of us are more resistant to change than others.. I admit to being one such. (-:

The power delivery, handling, comfort, and ease of driving of the 993 was at the time of it`s launch leagues ahead of my then circa 100k mile SC, but from the foundation of the well proven stepping stone that was my SC, there were the downsides to be contemplated in any forward movement...Hmm..? Had I not jumped back into my SC but drove off into the future in a 993, those downsides would have been very unlikely to have been considered to the degree that they have been over time..?

The 993 is even longer in the tooth compared to my 991.1 than my SC was in comparison to the 993, and there will ever be those who have chosen the model to which they may be "faithful" to at any one time, and just like most faiths the believers seem likely to create and maintain a somewhat blinkered outlook for a variety of reasons..?

In the case of the 993, it`s improved external appearance a tad diminished once sat behind the wheel, and as previously typed it was not really until I jumped back into my SC that the loss of sight of wing tops in the 993 became so evident, and eventually evolved to become a "thing," perhaps more so having been somewhat amplified when Mr Porsche made a very similar comment in a video I saw some time later..and which like so many other divisions in adoption of belief, such thinking can become a tad amplified..? That being a possibility it seems I am as guilty as the next man..err...person.. oops..! (-:

To affirm or re-affirm beliefs in terms of autoculture can be important relative to the monetary value of whichever icon we might care to adopt, and the more important to the individual or sect that it`s it`s monetary value might be, the more the difference will be promoted perhaps to almost reach neurological levels of a religious chant...(-: A bit like the way a catchy phrase or tune might be used to capture our imagination in advertising or politics..?

Capturing imagination.. Hmm..? Yup seems I have swallowed that whole too... lets see.. My 991 is the LAST of the non-turbo ICE 911`s and to that I can add this or that aspect as recorded on it`s build sheet to further promote it` value, in both monetary and in terms of it`s value as an ICON... Though it is really not a 911, it`s designation is 991, just as the 964, 993, 996, and 997 before were not built under the initial Porsche family influences, but under the pressures and influence of automotive conglomerates amalgamating..?

How to maintain the faith, yeah well we all know the power of advertising, pre-internet winning races was THE way to go. "Win on Sunday and sell on Monday," I was and still am a sucker for that, though at my age a bit of history thrown into the mix helps reaffirm my faith.. Though perhaps best to try to throw a bit of real world RELATIVITY into the mix now and again, or those blinkers might totally blind you in time..?

Interesting to see Tony Hatters garage backdrop.. Being somewhat mature, I have rather too much synergy with that scene, though being a tad older, I have cleared out somewhat..(-: Also as might be expected, I do feel inclined to comment that the 993 used in the intro seems not to have been..err.. well chosen, given the energies that Tony no doubt expended on EVERY detail of the 993... This one seems a tad more suited..?

https://youtu.be/psEcxl1IALE

 

[wpozzz99zSS]

Great video, thanks for sharing. I particularly liked Tony saying that the Cabriolet roof line flows better Vindication in my purchase of a cab! lol

I understand his personal 993 is a black cabrio, fitted with the 993 Turbo wheels and front bumper.

 

[diddy_p]

Great video, thanks for sharing. I particularly liked Tony saying that the Cabriolet roof line flows better Vindication in my purchase of a cab! lol

I understand his personal 993 is a black cabrio, fitted with the 993 Turbo wheels and front bumper.

Correct!

It looks very cool.