Porsche four-door in the open

These are the best photos yet of the car charged with taking Porsche into the mass market performance saloon business. Just as the Cayenne SUV has boosted the company's volumes (and profits!) to unprecedented levels, the new four-door Panamera will put the brand into the hands of owners previously unable to shop Porsche thanks to the four-seater's blend of space and affordability.

Not due for release until the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, the Panamera will be offered with a range of engine that roughly parallels the company's four-wheel drive (more here). That means Porsche could potentially offer its first sedan at the sort of pricing levels that would pit it four-square against the likes of BMW's 5 Series and Mercedes E and CLS-Class.

That doesn't mean there won't be a super-fast variant, however. Just like the M5 and E/CLS 63 AMG raise the four-door performance bar for their makers, its tipped Porsche will shoehorn a version of the Carrera GT's V10 into the Panamera to take on future top models form Beemer and Benz as well as the Aston Martin Rapide and long rumoured 'small' Bentley.

The Carsales Network's spy pic specialist Carparazzi caught the Panamera about to commence an extensive testing regime at Nürburgring yesterday.

Speculation is that with the launch around 18 months away, Porsche could already have major styling tweaks up its sleeve for the four-door -- hence the car being driven on public roads almost completely without disguise.

-- with Carparazzi

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