Models
With the United Sports Car Racing series GT Daytona class set to make its debut next year, another of automakers are busy preparing their respective race cars that will compete in the new racing series.
One of them is Porsche, and recently, Porsche Motorsport North America, Inc. announced that its official race car for the series, 2014 Porsche 911 GT America, is already set for production in Stuttgart, Germany.
The car, which is based on the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, will be used exclusively in the new racing series and will come with a host of modifications to make it fit and right for racing duties.
A slew of specific components have been added to the 911 GT America, including a handful of aerodynamic components, highlighted by a new front spoiler with its own diffuser. A USCR-spec rear wing was also installed, as was a new design rear cover and a carbon fiber undertray that aids in maximizing the race car’s aerodynamic balance.
Power for the new race car comes in the form of a rear-mounted, 4.0-liter six-cylinder boxer engine that produces 470 horsepower that mates to a six-speed sequential dog-type transmission with a pneumatic paddle shift system.
Porsche also outfitted the series-specific race car with an Endurance Package, which consists of quick-release couplings for all brake calipers, as well as a fast-fill refueling system for oil, and an oil-level display. Also included are 380 mm (14.96-inch) ventilated rotors with six-pot calipers up front and four-pot calipers on the rear.
Teams interested in fielding racers for the upcoming 2014 USCR season can pickup one of these race cars at a price of $269,000, with deliveries scheduled to begin later this year.
Click past the jump to read about the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
To say that the Porsche 918 Spyder is just another supercar is pretty inaccurate. For one, it’s the most powerful vehicle Porsche has ever built. And another thing: it’s combination of power, speed, fuel economy and low emissions is nearly unrivaled, so much so that even with 918 models priced at over $800,000 a piece, it’s already nearly sold out.
Speaking of sold out, a lot of the customers that paid for the 918 Spyder appear to reside here in the U.S. That’s why Porsche has said that America will receive the biggest allotment of 918 Spyders than any other country with up to 190 models headed our way.
That probably explains why Porsche has taken to great lengths to promote the 918 Spyder in the U.S. Numerous promotional events held in the United States over the past two years, and soon enough, a lot of these actual supercars will be calling the Land of the Free their home.
Click past the jump to read about the Porsche 918 Spyder
The long-rumored Porsche Experience Center, located in Carson, California, has finally been approved. This will be the second Experience Center in the U.S. and will span a total of 53 acres. According to the first details we have on the project, it will include "a museum displaying historical vehicles, a business center, driving simulators, a high-end parts and service area, a restaurant, and a ’human performance center’ designed to train people like race car drivers."
The work on this project will begin at the end of the year and Porsche hopes to have it ready by fall of 2013. However, There is still a lot of work to do, considering they will need to clean up the former landfill site, raze the now-closed Dominguez Hills Golf Course, and demolish the vacant Don Dominguez Apartments.
It looks like this hard work will worth in the end, as the new Porsche Experience Center will also include two tracks — one measuring 2,500 feet and the second one about 5,000 feet. It will include areas where special surfaces replicate rain, ice, and snowy conditions. One of the driver-training sections is a 350-foot-long "Ice Hill," where a steep slope, computer-controlled water jets, and a low-friction surface will challenge even the most experienced drivers and help them improve their real-world skills.
The new Experience Center will also offer lots of activities for kids, track access, dining and conference spaces for car clubs, corporate clients, and other special groups.
Every car nut has daydreamed about building a car. Hell, we do on a daily basis, and building one in real life would cost more money than we could ever imagine having in our checking accounts. Let’s suspend reality for a tick here and imagine that someone handed you a blank check and asked for you to build the ultimate supercar.
Well, we are going to go over all of the supercars and lay out what pieces from which cars would come together to create the ultimate supercar Frankenstein. Now, there are some rules here. We have to make sure things are feasible. Things like slapping a W-16 Veyron engine into a Lotus Elise will not work, therefore it flat out can’t be done.
We’ll review our favorites in each of the three major categories — body and chassis, engine, and transmission — and end it all up by giving you our estimated specifications for our new vehicle.
Click past the jump to experience our build.
On the surface, Switzer performance’s Porsche 997 F900 is the kind of car that petron-heads and environmentalists will both fawn over; it’s a low-emission, 900 horsepower, flex-fuel monster of a Porsche that epitomizes the kind of esteem the Ohio-based tuner has earned in its years in the business.
But the 997 F900 wouldn’t have been built were it not for another Switzer-tuned Porsche that ended up becoming the precursor for the 997 F900. This car was the Switzer Sledgehammer, a 1,000-horsepower, 997 Turbo that made its legend for nine-second passes and standing mile top speeds of close to 200 mph.
Impressive to say the least.
Eventually, the Sledgehammer gave way to a host of other specially-tuned Porsches, culminating in the 997 F900.
This 900-horsepower beast was born from the mind of one of Switzer’s clients from Canada, who, incidentally, already had a Sledgehammer 997 in his hands. Maybe he wanted something different, or maybe he just woke up one day with a renewed sense of responsibility to Mother Nature, but this Canadian client had an idea - or maybe a new fascination - that he wanted Switzer to build.
Thus, the Porsche 997 F900 Turbo was born.
Find out more about the Porsche 997 F900 Turbo after the jump.
For what seems like forever, Porsche has turned out beautiful sports cars one after another and many times these beauties packed quite a punch too. One of these brawn-meets-beauty machines was the limited production 1989 Porsche 911 Speedster.
This model marked the first time that the “Speedster” moniker was slapped on a Porsche in 30 years, as the last one was the 1959 Porsche 356 Speedster. This model was coming at a rather awkward time though, as the U.S. was in a recession and Porsche was really starting to struggle. The famed automaker was banking on this limited model to help re-launch the “Porsche “ name in the minds of enthusiasts.
With its stylish lines and extremely high-powered six-cylinder engine, this model indeed helped thrust Porsche back to what it once was. The question is how does this aging high-performance machine stand up in today’s market?
Well, we will find out soon enough, as one of these rare 911 Speedsters is about to hit the auction block on via RM Auctions on June 9th through 10th in Hampton, NJ.
Click past the jump to read our full review on this classic Porsche
Art Basel is considered the most prestigious art show in the country and with all the art cars we’ve been seeing around lately, it’s almost certain that we’d see one in the event.
Lo and behold, we did. And dear Lord, does it look awesome.
The art car, a 2011 Porsche 911 Speedster, was worked on by Champion Porsche in collaboration with world famous artist Miguel Paredes. The latter, born and raised in New York’s Upper West Side, is an urban realist that specializes in New York graffiti art.
Putting his skills to good use, Paredes designed a psychedelic Japanese-inspired visage on the 911 Speedster, replete with colorful tones, a geisha on the hood, and lots and lots of flowers. Flower power, indeed!
The Art Basel show brought together more than 260 leading galleries from North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa, showcasing more than 2,000 works from artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. While we can appreciate a good piece of art when we see one, the undoubted highlight of the art show was this impeccably crafted Porsche 911 Speedster art car.
To those that don’t know, the 911 Speedster is a limited edition 911 - only 356 have been made - that’s powered by a 3.8-liter flat six engine, producing an impressive 408 horsepower.
Now we know that model no.176 of the 356 models is the most colorful of the bunch.
With news that the last remaining American troops have officially left Iraq, a lot of people are celebrating the fact that our brave soldiers are finally coming home, just in time, at least for some people, for these men and women to celebrate the holiday season with their families.
US tuning company, Champion Motorsport, is preparing a special Porsche 911 as a "tribute to those heroic Americans that the military will return home to spend the Christmas holidays." The one-off 911 was produced by Champion Motorsport in collaboration with the Department of Defense and the ESGR (Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve) of Florida.
Making this particular 911 unique from every other of its kind is that its been dressed with the same camouflage that the military uses in their uniforms and desert steppe. On top of that, the rear profile of the 911 has been enhanced by a number of new aerodynamic components while a new set of black RS98 Forged Monolithic alloy wheels with chrome edging have also been fitted to complement the car’s military look. Meanwhile, the interior of the one-off 911 comes with a predominant beige upholstery, further giving credence to the true theme of the German sports car.
Champion Motorsport didn’t touch the powertrain of the 911, which means that it still carries a 3.8-liter flat six-cylinder engine that produces 500 horsepower and 516 lb/ft of torque.
We all know that automakers have slowly begun to pay more attention to consumer goods as a way of branching out their business models, but in the case of Porsche Design - Porsche’s styling arm - they might have taken it to a whole new level by diving into real estate development.
No, they’re not building their own theme park like Ferrari did, but they did build a new condominium project in the heart of Miami Beach.
The building is set to be christened the "Porsche Design Tower" and will be a collaborative project between the company and real estate developer Gil Dezer. The new condominium is expected to rise on 2.2 acres of real estate along Collins Avenue in Miami, making up 132 housing units on the 57-story building. One of the most fascinating features of the Porsche Design Tower is the inclusion of three robotic car elevators that will allow you to actually bring your own car up to your condos without, apparently, needing your own basement parking.
We’re more than interested to see how the whole set-up is going to work, but we have neither the car nor the funds to make a play for one of those units, which, we expect, will sell for more than what our bank accounts can handle.
But hey, the whole idea of bringing your car up to your condo unit is pretty sweet in its own right. At the very least, you won’t have to worry about it being stolen in the basement.
Whether you’re a kid or not, the name "Walt Disney" should instantly ignite a certain amount of joy. We’ve all been flipping through the television channels and stopped at a Disney cartoon just for a few minutes. Disney has been around for years bringing that kind of long-lasting joy for people, and now they are bringing it once again with the new additions to the Walt Disney World Speedway.
The Walt Disney World Speedway is a racing facility located on the grounds of the Walt Disney World resort near Orlando, Florida, but don’t expect to see Lightning McQueen racing around the track. The speedway has recently added a new Exotic Driving Experience that includes some of the most amazing supercars in the world – the Ferrari F430, Ferrari 458 Italia, Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4, Audi R8, and Porsche 911 GT3 RS 997.
If you are interested, the experience will officially begin on January 16, 2012.
Last weekend, Porsche rocked the Monterey Peninsula with two of the greatest events ever held on this famous piece of land by the sea: the Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV and the Porsche Race Car Classic.
More than 60 years of Porsche history was showcased at the event, highlighted by some of the rarest and most powerful Porsche classics in history. Together with some of the most famous Porsche racers in history, more than 350 race cars were driven in eight different racing groups. The three-day program of on-track competition was complemented by a Concours d’Elegance, which was open to invited race participants, to go with special activities celebrating the decades-long history of the legendary 911 race cars. On Sunday, Oct. 16 the participants were invited at the Porsche Race Car Classic - the largest and most comprehensive collection of early Porsche race cars ever assembled. Next to the cars, this special event also included a feast of gourmet food and vintage wines, with all the proceeds going towards funding lung cancer research.
But one of the most important events was the launch of the new generation 911 on the North American market.
Thirty years after his death, Steve McQueen’s name still reverberates within the auto industry. The man known as the “King of Cool” was not only one of his generation’s biggest movie stars, but also made a name for himself for his love of cars, racing, and a combination of the two.
Speaking of cars, McQueen owned a pretty amazing collection of cars back in the day, one of which is this 1970 Porsche 911 that’s headed for the auction block at RM Auctions in Monterey, California this coming August.
According to RM, the car, all 40 years old of it, still "remains in exceptionally original condition". While some people will be skeptical of buying an old Porsche that undoubtedly has had its fair share of work done to it, those who prefer to see the glass as half-full will point out that this particular 911 still stands as one of the most iconic 911 models in history.
Even if it’s gone through a number of owners after the original, you still can’t deny that this particular model’s first owner is no other than the "King of Cool" himself, Steve McQueen.
UPDATE 08/22/2011: Steve McQueen’s slate gray Porsche 911S ended up selling for a lavish $1,375,000 at RM Auctions this past weekend.
Details on Steve McQueen’s Porsche 911 after the jump.
Special edition Porsche 911 Carreras don’t come out often and when they do, it’s almost a certainty that people will tussle for the chance to own one. So here it is, Porsche lovers, now’s the time to punch your ticket to a 911 Carrera battle royale of epic proportions.
Brumos Porsche, a Porsche dealer from Jacksonville, Florida, has released the exclusive and factory-authorized Porsche 911 Carrera GTS B59 Edition Coupe. Only five of these bad boys have been made so consider yourself extremely lucky if you get the opportunity to own one.
The cars were commissioned as a tribute to Hurley Haywood, the man who won the Daytona 24 Hours five times for Porsche, four times in the 70s and one in the 90s. The special edition 911 Carrera GTS comes full of special edition goodies that justifies its rarity, including a special paint job and Porsche’s own Sport Chrono Package Plus.
"Our special B59 Edition project is nearing completion and soon the driving fun will begin," said Ray Shaffer, Brumos Porsche General Manager.
"It is an honor and a pleasure to be involved so closely with the Porsche factory in Germany and here in the States during the creation of these special 911s."
Granted, these five cars won’t come cheap and it’s more than likely that you’re going to have to fight someone to be the one of the five lucky people to score a model. But if you’re got the resources and the determination to buy one, then hey, more power to you.
Find out more about the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS B59 Edition after the jump.
The fallout from this year’s electrifying Pikes Peak International Hill Climb continues to flood the web weeks after the dust settled on the mighty Colorado mountain.
We’ve already seen video of Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima’s record-breaking run in the Race to the Clouds, but what was lost in all the adulation surrounding the event’s first sub 10-minute time was another record-shattering run by Jeff Zwart. As the record-holder of the 2WD Time Attack class, Zwart took his stock Porsche 911 GT2 RS up the steep slopes of Pikes Peak to post a time of 11:07:869, smashing the record for a stock production car at Pikes Peak by more than 24 seconds.
Unfortunately, even this scintillating run wasn’t enough for Zwart to win the 2WD Time Attack class as that honor went to Pikes Peak legend Rod Millen, who eclipsed Zwart’s time by just three seconds. Having said that, Millen’s time came at the expense of a race-spec machine that produced well over 700 horsepower.
We normally don’t celebrate runner-up finishes, but we’re going to make an exception this time around. The fact that Zwart was able to accomplish what he did with a stock production 911 GT2 RS speaks volumes of what this man is capable.
Check out the video of Zwart’s run to the top of Pikes Peak in the video above!
Just like us, all cars have an expiration date. Now, if your car has reached it’s last leg, you could take it to the nearest dumpster. Or you could get creative and donate it to some cause, like say, the Commonwealth Second Amendment (Comm2A), a group that aims to "bring some sanity to Massachusetts gun laws.
Here’s a Porsche 911, or rather, a completely disheveled 911 with a dead engine and a $20,000 repair bill staring at its owner’s face. Instead of swallowing his pride and forking over the dough to repair the sports car, the owner decided to donate the car to Comm2A, a non-profit organization that aims to protect gun rights.
For their part, the people of Comm2A seemed to have a pretty good idea on what to do with the 911: pepper it with as many gun shots as humanly possible. Might sound like a crime to do to a car like the Porsche 911, but according to Comm2A, the car really had no other purpose; its condition was bad enough that you couldn’t even sell off the parts individually.
So instead of salvaging it, might as well give it some kind of send-off, right?
Continued after the jump, including videos of the carnage.
Ohio-based tuning specialist, Switzer Performance, is fast making a name for itself in the aftermarket industry, having created a growing number of projects that include the Nissan GT-R E900 and the Porsche 911 GT2.
Their latest program is for the Porsche Panamera Turbo and as you can expect, Switzer gave it a robust tuning upgrade. They added their newly developed P680 hardware on the German luxury saloon’s 4.4-liter V8 engine and its resulting output from the standard 500 horsepower and 516 lb/ft of torque to a mouth-watering 680 horsepower and right about 700 lb/ft of torque.
In addition to the P680 hardware, the added boost in output was also aided by the addition of a new intercooler system and the company’s own Siemens ECU upgrade. All in all, the Switzer-tuned Panamera Turbo is now capable of hitting 0-60 mph in a little over three seconds with a top speed of 215 mph. The whole package is now available for a base price of $22,000, which may sound like a fortune, except for the fact that it does give the Panamera enough boost to become a gnarly monster.
For that price tag, it’s good enough for us.
This is Mayhem. Mayhem is a bright, flat-red Porsche 997 that has been tuned to high-heavens by Evolution Motorsports. The Arizona-based tuning company has cultivated a reputation as one of the premiere American tuners of German cars with Mayhem being the latest one of ’em.
So how exactly did this particular 997 earn the nickname ’Mayhem’? Apart from the carbon fiber accents, this Porsche doesn’t look like it got so much of an aerodynamic and performance upgrade treatment from the people over at Evolution Motorsports. That is, until you look for the ’EVT 1500’ stickers found on the bottom of the doors. What looks to be a standard Porsche 997 is anything but.
That ’1,500’ figure is actually the amount of output this car is capable of. That’s right, folks. This particular 997 has an ungodly total of 1,500 ponies under its hood. To achieve that number, Evolution Motorsports took the stock 997’s 3.6-liter engine and modified it to obtain an extra .4 liters of displacement, turning it into a 4.0-liter twin-turbo H6.
As a result of of the modifications, ’Mayhem’ turned out to be one of the stars at the recently-concluded Texas Mile in March 2011. At the event, Mayhem, with all of its 1,500 horsepower ready to pounce, ran a face-splitting 234.6 mph. Welcome to the big leagues, Mayhem.
Check out the video of the Mayhem’s run by clicking on the picture above, then click next to see the Porsche’s prep work before the race!