The 4-door Porsche Panamera was unveiled to an appreciative crowd at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum (LAAM) last night.  Herb Chambers and the folks at the LAAM went all out.  We got there a little early to get some shots of the car before the crowd. 

The Panamera is a big car!  The wheelbase is 115 inches and the overall length is 195 inches.  The Boxster compares at a much smaller 95/172 inches.  While sized to carry four adults, the Panamera was shaped to move.  The stance is low and wide, the wheels are 18", and Porsche's dedication to their form-follows-function approach was evident in the design decisions throughout the car.

The interior, while designed to be comfortable, was laid out with driving ergonomics as the primary focus.  Manual gear shifting can be done either with the controls on the three-spoke wheel or with the selector on the central console.

The most rethinking about this Porsche is obviously the full-size rear.  The rear section has real leg and headroom, fold-down backrests for more storage, and top-hinged rear lid.  This design not only carries more people, it also carries more gear...up to 1300lbs worth!

The heart of any Porsche is the engine and the Panamera sports a natually aspirated V8 with Direct Fuel Injection (DFI), VarioCam Plus and a variable intake manifold.  What it all translates to is a block which is capable of putting out 400 horsepower at 6500 rpm, enough to move this 4-seater from 0-60 mph in a bit over 5 seconds.  But enough with the spec...below are a few "engine porn" shots for those who did not get a chance to attend.  Click on any of the images for a larger version.

For folks wanting more performance, a twin-turbo engine is available.  It will generate 500 horsepower and can throw you from 0-60 in just 4 seconds.  Using the Launch Control overboast function, those who really need to hit 88 mph and get "back to the future" can shave another 0.2 seconds off the 0-60 time.

While waiting around for hors d'oeuvres, we managed to snap a few shots of the Bi-Xenon headlights in action.  They are standard on all models.  The lights have an automatic dynamic leveling function which throws more light on the road and less at oncoming traffic.  To illuminate the road on turns, the lens will swivel toward the inside of the curve based on the steering action of the driver.  How cool is that?

There is more to the lighting system (LED spotlights, speed-sensitive illumination, etc...), but best to let Porsche take those interested through the details.

The Panamera unveiling event looks to have been quite the success.  It was definitely interesting to see them live... to smell the new interior, to feel the smooth paint job, and to touch the knobs and buttons.  However, the only way to evaluate a Porsche is to see how the car behaves on the open road.  For that experience, we will have to wait a bit longer.   [Permalink] - Porsche Panamera Unveiling Event