Porsche Panamera makes North American debut

You might have guessed that Porsche was one of the official sponsors of Gordon McCall's Motorworks Revival at the Monterey Jet Center this year by all of the Panameras (Panamerae?) on hand. Although we've already sampled Stuttgart's Quattroporte-competitor in Germany, we got a chance to see and sit in some U.S. versions on American soil for the first time here in Monterey. About a half dozen of them were scattered around the Jet Center, turbos and non-turbos alike. While not the most beautiful cars at the show by a long shot, they certainly attracted a a lot of attention.

To be honest, we were surprised by how many people seemed to love the styling. It was mostly the women, believe it or not, who could be overheard saying how stylish the car was, and more than a few mentioned the Mercedes CLS and Quattroporte when they discussed its looks. Admirers mentioned the clever hatchback and all of the space it provided for luggage. It was the interior, though that seemed to generate the most favorable responses. Roomy and luxurious, with quality details all around, the only negatives we heard were about the number of switches on the center console.