By Paul Kramer · January 20, 2026
“Where horsepower meets conversation”
My cohost, Tim Harris, here at Full Throttle Talk recently wrote a piece stating that Porsche is “accidentally turning into Ferrari.”
And while I get where the feeling comes from considering he’s been a long-time Ferrari owner and played “The Game,” flippers, hype specs, waitlists, ego inflation, blaming Porsche the auto manufacturer misses the mark.
This isn’t an engineering problem.
It’s a culture distribution problem.
Porsche Didn’t Change — The Audience Did
Porsche is still doing Porsche things:
Building absurdly good sports cars
Racing everything they sell
Making cars that survive track days and Costco runs
Iterating relentlessly instead of reinventing theatrically
A GT3 today is more engineered, more usable, and more honest than it’s ever been.
That’s not Ferrari behavior.
That’s Stuttgart being Stuttgart.
Here’s where things go sideways.
Instagram didn’t create hype — it monetized it.
Suddenly cars aren’t driven, they’re:
“Delivered”
“Spec’d”
“Announced”
A paint-to-sample GT3 RS becomes less about lap times and more about likes.
That’s not Porsche’s fault — that’s the algorithm.
2. U.S. Dealerships Learned From Ferrari’s Playbook
Limited cars + demand = leverage.
Some dealers figured out they could:
Gatekeep allocations
Reward “good clients”
Turn engineering masterpieces into social currency
Again — not coming from Weissach.
That’s a retail behavior problem, not a brand philosophy shift.
Porsche Still Builds Cars For People Who Drive
Here’s the tell.
Ferrari:
Restricts use
Discourages modification
Curates ownership as a lifestyle
Porsche:
Encourages track days
Sells parts for abuse
Builds cars that beg to be driven hard and often
A GT3 with rock chips is still respected at Porsche.
At Ferrari, that’s a customer service issue.
The “Ferrari-fication” Is Performative, Not Structural
Yes:
Some owners buy Porsches like Birkin bags
Some cars are garage decor
Some specs exist purely for flexing
But that’s not because Porsche wants that owner.
It’s because the market and media reward visibility over velocity.
Engineering hasn’t changed.
Motorsport commitment hasn’t changed.
The cars still work — brutally well.
The Takeaway
Porsche isn’t turning into Ferrari.
Ferrari is a luxury brand with a racing department.
Porsche is a racing and engineering company that accidentally became a luxury brand.
The confusion comes from:
Social media amplification
U.S. dealer behavior
A culture that values exclusivity more than experience
Blame the mirror.
Not the machine.
Because the second you stop filming and start driving,
Porsche still feels exactly like Porsche.
And that’s the part that actually matters.
It’s not a Porsche AG problem but rather a Porsche IG plague
— Paul Kramer
Paul Kramer is the voice behind AutoKennel, decoding car culture one European sports car at a time. For his takes on all things fast, rare, or slightly unhinged, visit AutoKennel.com or follow @autokennel.
You can reach Paul via voice, text, or WhatsApp at 714-335-4911.
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