When the second generation of the Porsche Panamera broke cover in 2016, the world breathed a collective sigh of relief. Porsche had created a car that was tolerable, handsome even, from some angles, and a marked improvement over the awkward proportions of the ‘970’ first-generation car. Now, whilst the 971 Panamera was easier on the eyes compared to its predecessor, it was far from being a great looking car. The second-gen Panamera falls prey to that same issue that all four-door, four seat high performance cars made by manufacturers that predominantly make sports coupes suffer from: towing the party line. Whether it’s the Porsche Panamera, Ferrari FF or Aston Martin Rapide, all fall foul of having to splice stylistic elements intended for a two-door chassis onto a four-door platform. The result is neither car looking cohesive, or at least having one or two bad angles.
The second-gen Panamera does have some awkward angles, but it’s a great improvement over the frumpy first-gen car, which isn’t saying much. What the second-gen Panamera does do, is conceal a secret weapon. On the very tastiest versions of the second-gen Panamera, the Turbo and Turbo S, there is a secret extending rear wing that gives the two range-toppers some much needed pizazz.
At speeds over 80 mph, the body panel beneath the rear windscreen reveals its true form. What was an insignificant looking piece of bodywork raises only electric rails up into the airstream of the car, in such a way that you’d swear Indiana Jones is hidden nearby expectedly waiting to snatch an as-yet-to-be-revealed ancient idol. When the rear wing reaches its highest point, it transforms, with the two sides of the split centre section moving in opposite directions from one another, with another centre section raising to fill the void between the two opposing wing elements. The process is complete and now the Panamera Turbo/Turbo S is free to lunge for the horizon without fear of high-speed instability.
Only a year later, Porsche added a shooting brake body style to the Panamera range, dubbed the Sport Turismo. A genuinely handsome car, the Sport Turismo’s extended roofline meant designer Peter Varga no longer had to worry about trying to stretch the rear end of a Porsche 911 onto the tail of larger, more ungainly car. But, what about the sub-zero wing? Fear not, the Panamera Sport Turismo has a little wing of its own. The rear edge of the Sport Turismo’s spoiler features a little groove. In this groove, lies a little wing that can be deployed at angles up to 26 degrees when needed. Whilst it does look a little awkward when deployed at its most aggressive angle of attack, this tiny little electromechanical wing helps to add 50 kilograms of downforce.
It’s the little changes that make all the difference.
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