Good-looking estate cars are becoming harder to find nowadays. In recent years, several attempts have been made by car manufacturers to spruce up their dossiers of estate cars. The more muscular Audi RS 6 or the bespoke novelty builds, like the stunning Ferrari 365 GTB 4, have spiced up the outlook of such cars a great deal. Now, adding a flair to the category of shooting brake cars, the new Porsche Panamera comes with more space and elegance.
The Shooting Brake Cars
The type of car called the shooting brake originated for big shooting parties. These estate cars used to come with two side doors just like a coupe, but featured a rear estate boot that can provide adequate room for hunting dogs, ammunition, and tartan rugs. These cars have been eliminating the common idea that estate cars are borderline boring. Instead, in the current scenario, the term shooting brake has been used to represent almost any design of a curvy, sporty, and handsome estate car. The new Porsche Panamera is a roomier addition to the category with more panache.
The Porsche Estate Car
The 2022 Porsche Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo features a 4.0 liter twin-turbo V8 engine, delivering 542 bhp of power and an astonishing acceleration of 0-62 mph in 3.6 seconds. Raising the stakes in the category, this model is the first-ever estate car offering from Porsche. In comparison to the conventional Panamera, the interior of the new car includes a higher roofline, an additional seat, and an improved luggage space. The profile of the car definitely leans towards the long and lean retro style of the Reliant Scimitar estate dated back from the 1970s. Providing a serene experience to its riders, the latest Porsche is undoubtedly the range-topper in the market.
The Modifications
The Porsche Panamera saloon version was originally criticized for its somewhat odd backside. Now, coming in the guise of this style, it has never looked better! The outlook of the car gives the impression that it was born to be crafted this way, rather than looking like a reluctant conversion of a saloon car. The interior is spruced up with the best range of cabins, and there’s no compromise in driving performance. The full line-up of Porsche Panamera includes the Panamera 4S, Panamera 4S Diesel, 330 bhp Panamera 4 Sport Turismo, and Panamera 4 Turbo S E-Hybrid and the 542 bhp Turbo Sport version.
Facilitating Factors of Formula 1’s US Boom
The United States is currently witnessing a rapid increase in the popularity of Formula 1. While the British and French Grand Prix both exceeded the one million mark of average viewership, the United States also is setting records in almost every season. With an average of 946,000 viewers per race, the current season has experienced a significant 56% increase in viewership from the last season and a 41% upsurge from 2019. There are several driving factors behind this surprise boost of F1 in the US.
The Netflix Factor
According to John Suchenski, the director of programming and acquisitions of ESPN, the Netflix documentary series named Formula 1: Drive to Survive has certainly helped to create a larger fan base of Formula 1 in the US. The series has brought along more casual fans, who probably were not even dedicated Formula 1 fans. This also has made the US a priority, bringing more opportunities of investing in promotional weight. Using this opportunity, more grassroots level exposure is being benefited by the current ESPN and Formula 1 partnership.
Partnership With Sky
According to Suchenski, in the world of sports broadcasting, the channel Sky does the best job. So, working continuously with their partners in Sky and taking some of Sky’s shoulder programming as well, has helped ESPN to expand its target audience base and to strengthen the dedicated viewership. ESPN has taken Sky’s lead-up on Sunday, which has helped the audience to get under the tent earlier and creating a build-up for the upcoming race. ESPN is also broadcasting Sky’s post-race show digitally, which is helping the fans to continue their F1 experience, even after ESPN or ESPN 2 goes off-air. ESPN has been broadcasting the world championship since 2018, which is also a facilitating factor. The continuity of these F1 contents has bred a familiarity for the viewers, making the sports more easily accessible and ensuring dedicated viewership for a longer span.