sometime carrera saga should finish. Anybody thinks 997 could be last carrera?

Should? Could maybe, but not even that.

Nah, Porsche has more money to extract from their 40 year old child.

The Carrera will continue. The rear-engine layout will survive.

But I think you will see Porsche sports cars with a front-mid engine layout in the future.

997, the last rear engined car from Porsche?? Not in a million years. The car is still going strong and I look forward to the 998 debuting in 3-4 years.

There's no way Porsche would kill the name Carrera or the 911-model with its typical rear-engine layout. Even the flat-six will not change to a V8, especially in those times of downsizing.

It's still very attractive, the GT-models are better than ever, the sales are insane, and it still is one of the best designed cars on the road (bar the supercars of course). The image of Porsche is solely on the 911.

There was a time where Porsche wanted to kill the 911 (the 928 was more powerful, faster, easier to drive and to live with...) but guess who had the last word? Mummy 911.

The 911 will only stop with the end of Porsche. Or with the end of the internal-combustion motor.

It's not because something is ancient that it has to die. The 911 did not stagnate, it is constantly updated and thus has no reason to disappear.

With the next generation I think that Porsche will take the same route as Ferrari, down sizing! During the latest 20 years, cars have gotten bigger and bigger with each generation, and I can't see the need to make the 911 any bigger than what it is now. Weight saving should be the next hottest things. With the F430 successor Ferrari will be giong back to their roots and make the F142 nimble and similar in size to the F355.