PANAMERA S V8 (MANUAL) 2010 ‘10’ 42,500 MILES £28,880
With 911 & Porsche World’s resident tyre-kicker, Kieron Fennelly
The controversy which greeted the Panamera in 2009 has long died down and we have grown used to its slightly bulbous looks, especially now the Mk2 has been launched to aesthetic acclaim. However, the Panamera’s party trick, the way this two tonne, 4.8 metre leviathan could be driven round corners like Porsche’s other sports cars was apparent from the outset. So if the Mercedes S Class said more about your personal wealth, cosseted you in even deeper leather (and outsold the big Porsche at the rate of five to one), few would argue it was better to drive. The best performing Panameras were the turbocharged V8s, but sensibly (given their potency) these were all 4x4s; if you opted for the £30,000 cheaper S, you could have the 400bhp V8 and rear drive – the specification later selected for the much admired GTS. Panameras all came with PDK transmission, and to a minority of diehards it seemed a shame that on such an unexpectedly rewarding driver’s car a manual gearbox was never apparently offered.
It appears though that in the early years, a manual shift could be ordered: in January 2014 a Pistonheads feature highlighted a one-owner 2010 V8S with the six-speed in its classified section. Four years on that same metallic blue car is again for sale, still in its native Wiltshire at Steve Bull Specialist Cars, after a second owner, a further 13,000 miles and with an asking price £18,000 lower. And a fine example it is: the paintwork is quite unblemished, the unfashionable but practical 19 inch alloy wheels unmarked and the splendid cabin pristine, its black leather offset by tasteful burr walnut inlays. There is not a scuff to be seen and this Panamera seems only ever to have transported its two owners, the boot seemingly never used. The engine, which visually is completely dry, was serviced by supplying dealer Porsche Centre Swindon at 14,600, 22,800 and 40,078-miles, the latter intervention in October 2016. Specification includes PASM and adaptive air suspension allowing ride height ajustment, and that manual gearbox. The question is whether this will translate successfully, or as happened with Jaguar’s F-type (where a manual ‘six’ could be ordered for the 4x4 version) feel heavy and clumsy.
The Panamera fires and idles with a refined rumble.the hydraulically assisted clutch is surprisingly light by 911 standards, visibility is good and as you set off the Panamera’s dimensions seem to shrink around you. The real revelation of this car though is the sense of involvement endowed by the transmission: the gearshift is beautifully weighted and precise (perhaps because the linkage to the gearbox is minimal) and the throttle response combined with Porsche’s high standards in the steering and braking department means that very quickly the Panamera feels as familiar as the 911. Refinement though is the name of the game and the cultured V8, happy burbling along at low revs, does not urge you on as a flat-six would, but when solicited, those 400 horses are keen enough and Porsche’s claimed 0–100kph in 5.6 seconds is surely no exaggeration. Even at normal traffic speeds, though, the Panamera serves up an enjoyable driving experience, enhanced here by interaction with the manual gearbox.
The Panamera is not, however, a 911, and whether this extremely rare version would ever achieve collector or classic status is a moot point. But by any standards, this attractively equipped and little used seven-year-old represents a great deal of modern Porsche for the money. PW