Following his teaser we shared with you the other day, Chris Harris is back with his full review of the new 991 Porsche 911.
How the world has turned when Harris says it feels like Porsche has nicked the gearbox from the Nissan GT-R and placed it in their hero car. But what of the new electric steering, the longer wheelbase and so on. Have they affected the key handling attributes of the 911 beyond recognition?
Check the video after the break to find out.
We’re around one week away from the official reveal of the Toyota FT-86 and this official promo has been published to help build the mood. Equal parts nostalgia and modern technology it’s clear Toyota wants its Toybaru sports car to build on a legacy of cars that have long been missing from Toyota’s model range.
While only a brief glimpse of the FT-86 is given towards the end of the clip, it’s interesting to see the Toyota–Subaru collaboration so overtly recognised as it is on the engine cover shown in the image above.
Will the final production version so proudly boast the names of the two manufacturers? We’ll find out in a week’s time.
You can watch the video in full after the break.
Porsche has just revealed pictures and basic information on its new 911 Carrera Cabriolet. Obvious exception aside, the Cabrio is basically a carbon copy of the 911 Coupé. The engine and gearbox options are the same, which means a 257kW 3.4 litre engine for the Carrera Cabriolet and the 294kW 3.8 litre unit for the Carrera S Cabriolet.
A 7-speed manual gearbox is standard, while a 7-speed PDK can also be had. The soft-top roof has been used for its lightweight properties and when it is up it retains the profile of the Coupé.
The 911 Cabrio goes on sale in Europe next March, expect Australian sales to follow shortly after.
We thought the Super Trofeo Stradale was going to be the last iteration in the successful Gallardo model range for Lamborghini. But they have managed to squeeze out another one with the LP 550-2 Spyder.
The key is in the 550-2 model designation, that’s 550hp from the well loved 5.2 litre V10 and a 2 for rear-wheel drive. Surely this is the last new Gallardo? If so, it’s a great note to go out on.
Imagine yourself with the top down, an empty stretch of winding blacktop ahead and a glorious Lambo V10 wailing behind your ears, the love of your life beside you; could life be any better?
The top brass from Volkswagen performance arm, R GmbH, say “The future is diesel and all-wheel drive.” Sure, in current day context that makes perfect sense for a Touareg R, for example. But would punters really cough up for a diesel powered hot hatch, such as the Golf R?
Well, as Jeremy Clarkson recently showed, there’s no reason a diesel cannot be a barrel of fun. Certainly, the in-gear acceleration of diesels can be a real laugh.
More pleasingly, though, is the claim of Ulrich Riestenpatt gt. Richter, General Manager of Volkswagen R GmbH, that sending a car on a diet has many benefits, including fuel efficiency. “You can get the same efficiency [as a hybrid] by dropping 100 kilos,” he said. Expect more use of aluminium and, possibly, carbon fibre body panels in future, then.
[Source: Autoblog]
In his latest DVD, Powered Up, Jeremy Clarkson has given a big present to BMW, just in time for Christmas too. As is to be expected he has assembled a stunning array of machinery for his latest production. The Ferrari FF, Nissan GT-R and McLaren MP4-12C, among others, were on hand to win Jeremy’s heart and mind.
But in naming what he reckons is the best and most fun cars of 2011 he ignored all of that exotica and went straight to the heart of Munich. According to Clarkson the 535d Touring is the best car of the year and the 1 Series M Coupé is the most fun. Check the video after the break to find out his reasons.
This image first appeared a bit over a year when Formula One and Ferrari were celebrating 60 years of the world’s premier motor racing category. Of course, Ferrari is the only team to have competed in F1 every year since it began in 1950.
Perhaps, like us, you missed this poster at the time; it displays all the Ferrari F1 cars to have graced racing tracks over the last six decades. No need to miss it twice. Click on the image above for a 1500px version. If anyone knows of a larger sized image out there please drop us a line in the comments section below.
After being revealed back in August the world’s motoring press have now managed to get their lucky hands on the brand new 991 Porsche 911. Here’s a teaser of what they think:
Jim Holder, Autocar: “The seven-speed manual is more of a technical than practical success. Whisper it, but on a fast twisting road the slick shifting PDK is actually more fun.”
Ben Pulman, Car: “Let’s start with the steering, which is now electro-mechanical. The first turn of the (strangely big) wheel will scare you, so light is the steering – it’s there to aid low-speed manoeuvering but feels very odd when the 997 was instantly weighty and direct. If you’ve never driven a 997 you’ll think it’s wonderful; if you’ve been lucky enough to be behind the wheel of a GT3 then it’s instantly obvious that that delectable feel is missing.”
Chris Harris, evo: “The extra front track width, combined with the vast increase in wheelbase gives the 991 a superb chassis. Far less understeer, much more balance and, of course, the inherent traction benefits of being rear-engined remain… it’s a better cruiser, but it’s also a far, far better sports car to drive as-fast-as-you-dare. I didn’t expect that.”
Harvey Rubinovich, evo: “The longer wheelbase and more equitable axle-weight distribution does as advertised and imparts greater stability, so there’s less vertical bounding through turns and better front-end bite out of the corners.”
Jason Barlow, Top Gear: “It takes just three or four corners to realise that, far from being neutered by its changes, the new 911 substantially raises the bar. Yes, the trademark front-end lightness has all but gone now, and as a result that inimitable 911 sensation of being pushed out of a corner as if by a giant hand is wound back too.”
So, generally very positive reviews for the 991, then. But, once the novelty of a shiny new 911 has worn off, will the 911 true believers feel betrayed if the front-end feels like any other sports car?
A recent screen grab from the Audi parts catalogue ‘ETKA’ lists a 184kW/250PS Audi A1 quattro. Let’s assume for a moment that the listing is 100% accurate; that’s quite a lot of power for a little A1.
Best guesses would say that any such engine would be found wearing an S1 or RS1 badge. We reckon 184kW would be around the mark for an RS1. Any more than that and it’d start chewing into S3 territory. Expect an S1, should Audi make it, to have an engine spec more like a Golf GTI at 155kW.
We may not know for a while if this rumour is correct, but we very much like what we’re hearing.
[Source: ParaÃso Motor via Fourtitude]
The voice at the start of this official Porsche promo video states, “You’re going to like this.” The new 316kW Panamera GTS is designed to be a GT cruiser, able to eat up and spit out autobahn miles at a rate almost beyond comprehension. Naturally, then, Porsche has filmed this promo on a racetrack.
Well, what do you think, did you like it?
Chris Harris was at the launch of the 2012 Nissan GT-R held at Silverstone recently. A known lover of Porsches and part-time factory racer, what will he make of the latest iteration of Godzilla? Click through to the break and find out.
Suzuki wants to walk out on its relationship with Volkswagen, just two years after the civil union began. It’s been an uneasy partnership and Suzuki claims the German giant has denied access to its technology and also had concerns over Suzuki’s independence. Clearly Suzuki aren’t happy about this and further claim they have attempted to negotiate with Volkswagen only to be told to talk to the hand because the face isn’t listening.
Last month Suzuki also lodged a notice of breach against Volkswagen, who in return said try to see it my way, we can work it out. Now, it seems, the irreconcilable differences point has been reached and Suzuki wants its 19.89% stake back from VW. The shares were purchased at a value of $2.5 billion in 2009.
[Source: Autoblog]