Spy Shots: Porsche Panamera suddenly not so bad
by Jonathon Ramsey on Sep 30th 2008 at 6:58PM 
Click above for gallery of reader-submitted Panamera spy shots
We know when it happened, we just don't know why it happened. Autoblog reader Joshua Silverman sent in some cellphone pictures of a Panamera he drove by in Denver, Colorado. And all of a sudden -- like the Grinch's heart growing three sizes -- we liked it. Or at least, we got it.
Just to make sure, we had a look at the last set of Panamera spy shots, the ones that this very blogger lambasted as "still ugly," and, well, we kinda liked those, too. We could see possibilities. When the car is given the S and Turbo treatment, we could even imagine, incredibly, beauty. Have a look at the photos below for yourself, and tell us if we should take a bow for discovering the vision, or take a nap. Thanks for the tip, Joshua!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Sergio 7:01PM (9/30/2008)
It kindo looks like a Eclipse form the front
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arturo 8:39PM (9/30/2008)
it looks like my 2001 eclipse gt. lol
I don't mind the front, but i dislike the back, and it gives me an impression that this vehicle is on the porky side, and it lacks the luxury of Bentley, Mercedes, you know what I mean. too big for me.
John 9:04PM (9/30/2008)
Still not feelin' it.
TJ 10:24AM (10/01/2008)
Is it just me, is it optics/angles, or is this car as tall as the 1990's Maxima seen behind it?
dwightB 7:02PM (9/30/2008)
Um... no, it's still as ugly as all the other spy shots. :-X
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almost Dr. G.. 7:23PM (9/30/2008)
yep, still hideous.. ill take a quattroporte or aston rapide over this anyday..
Josh 7:39PM (9/30/2008)
For that much money you could buy yourself something truly amazing...
... or one incredibly ugly porsche.
Richard 7:55PM (9/30/2008)
+1 on the Quattroporte or - and especially - the Rapide.
But this Porsche? Paint it brown, it looks like poop!
2004m3driver 8:06PM (9/30/2008)
Looks like the took the natural frog design a step further and made a TOAD.
Xcountryflyer 8:37PM (9/30/2008)
It is still hellaciously UGLY.
Mobius_1 6:10AM (10/01/2008)
Yeap, totally ugly, and if they decided to give me one, I'd ask for the camo and put it back on
CeeP 7:03PM (9/30/2008)
Looks ok, looks ok, oh dear god what happened to it in picture three? As you say - still ugly.
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matt 8:38AM (10/01/2008)
Nope, still ugly. Except for the pic of just the nose, because you can't see the car. I really hope Porsche is doing this on purpose and the final production car is secretly beautiful.
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Kumail 7:04PM (9/30/2008)
the back is the only thing i am worried about.
but i am in no condition to buy one so it really doesn't matter to me.
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casey 7:08PM (9/30/2008)
i still don't see anything but an incredibly awkward and cynical attempt at capitalizing on the Porsche brand. Troutman & Barnes build a 4 door 911 back in 1967 for Road & Track Magazine that looked much better. personally i would have shortened the wheelbase a bit, but it's still more of a pure Porsche. i'd rather have a mint 1980 Porsche 928 also, the one with the op-art interior.
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=4036056&postid=51574365
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jinsei888 7:14PM (9/30/2008)
typical of you guys to always jump conclusions on a car's styling potential
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Torrent 7:13PM (9/30/2008)
better. still fugly, but better.
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dave 7:17PM (9/30/2008)
Hmmm. I'm still not getting it, sure the front end is fine, taken in isolation, but the rest of it doesn't inspire me with confidence that it won't be ugly as sin. Mind you, having a decent front end is an improvement on the Cayenne.
If the Lamborghini thing is as good looking as it ought to be given their recent history, and the Aston Rapide sticks to the concept looks, then the Porsche is going to need to be something pretty special and I don't see it.
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Perry 10:16AM (10/01/2008)
I love porsche so i will reserve my opinion until i see one in person........
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Liquidretro 7:22PM (9/30/2008)
And you would drive this over a Aston? . . . . . .
I will wait to give final judgment till I see the production version (I am sure it will be in silver or white at the auto shows :( ) However The only way I would drive this based on its looks right now was if it was a total animal with the Carrera GT V10.
This class of car is not going to be a track animal, it will be used and driven on the roads mainly. Its a status symbol and the people who will buy it want to be seen. So the only logical choice based off looks is the Aston, Lambo and maybe the new CLS AMG(Based off S-Class)
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