Porsche to seal deal with Indomobil

Porsche is believed to be close to finalizing a deal with Indomobil which would see the local carmaker assembling the classic 911 in Indonesia.

According to a report in German magazine Der Spiegel, the German manufacturer has been negotiating with Indomobil to assemble the two-door sports car at its new plant at Bukit Indal.

Indomobil already assembles Suzuki, Mazda, Nissan, Volvo, Ssangyong, Audi and Volkswagen vehicles. However, the addition of Porsche cars would provide the company with a serious image leader.

The 911 range has been the defining model for Porsche and -- at least visually -- has changed very little since it was first launched over 30 years ago.

Its sweeping lines and wide low stance make this 2 plus 2 coupe, cabriolet and "targa" instantly recognizable as a marque alone inspiring many copies but very few equals.

Although individual mechanical components are state of the art and have evolved through the 911's history, the basic car's drivetrain retains its original sports car formula with a rear mounted engine driving the rear wheels.

Four wheel drive models are also available in the range.

Driving the 911 to top speeds of in excess of 275 kph are a choice of two of Porsche's unique six cylinder "boxer" engines.

The air-cooled 3600cc naturally-aspirated engine develops 210kW of power and 340Nm of torque from its horizontally-opposed cylinder banks.

The twin turbocharged version of the same engine pushes the power to 300kW with an awesome 540Nm of torque helping get the car from 0 to 100kmh in 4.5 seconds and to a top speed of 290kmh.

A slick six-speed manual is fitted as standard on most models with the available option of Porsche's four speed "Tiptronic" transmission.

The Tiptronic is similar to a Formula 1 transmission and features two buttons on the steering wheel for clutchless sequential gear changing.

Suspensions are set to make sure handling and stability are congruent with the 911's power output and comprise MacPherson struts on the front and a multilink subframe system on the rear.

Stopping power comes from four wheel discs fitted with the latest generation Bosch ABS5 antilock braking system.