Porsche has finally taken the wraps off its first ever four-door GT sports car: Panamera.

Joining the 911, Boxster and Cayman sports cars and the four-wheel drive Cayenne, the Panamera is officially the fourth Porsche model series.

While retaining the looks typical of the brand, through its proportions alone the Panamera stands out clearly in its market segment: measuring 1931mm in width and 1418mm in height, the Panamera is both wider and lower than comparable four-door models. The unmistakable, sleek Gran Turismo silhouette is created by an overall length of 4970mm and short, sporting overhangs front and rear.

In its styling and details, the Panamera follows the design philosophy refined over decades on the 911 and also implemented on the Boxster, Cayman and Cayenne — but combines the looks of a coupé, a classical saloon body, and a versatile interior.

As an example, the Panamera comes with highly individual, strongly contoured air intakes instead of a conventional radiator grille. Striking wheel arches and the long, sleek bonnet create that typical 911 'landscape' at the front of the car characteristic of Porsches for the past 45 years, with the distinctly contoured wings as flanks bordering the flat front panel.

The V-shaped lines along the bonnet, and the rear window tapering out like an arrow towards the tail are typical of a sports car, while the muscular shoulders over the rear wheels, the dynamic sweep of the coupé-like roof-line, and the visible exhaust pipes again signpost the DNA so typical of a thoroughbred Porsche.

Inside it's about comfort in both the front seats and the two firmly contoured individual seats at the rear. The luggage compartment takes every passenger's baggage — the interior's 'variable space concept' with its folding rear seat backrests enables the driver and passengers to adjust the luggage space individually to their personal requirements. The coupé tailgate in the sporting rear end combines versatility for daily use with stylish elegance.

In terms of power, the V-engines within the engine compartment come with six and eight cylinders and range in power from 223kW to 372kW. Some of the engines use turbocharger technology, Direct Fuel Injection making them both fuel-efficient and powerful all in one. The flow of power to the wheels goes either through a manual six-speed gearbox or the Porsche seven-speed "Doppelkupplungsgetriebe" (PDK), or double-clutch gearbox.

In addition to featuring a sports-oriented rear-wheel drive chassis, the top version of the Panamera comes with more sophisticated all-wheel drive arrangement. This is also available for the other versions as an option.

The new four-door Porsche Panamera Gran Turismo will be making its world debut in spring 2009, and the first models will be arriving worldwide from the third quarter next year.