Not content with thrashing about in the McLaren P1, Steve Sutcliffe from Autocar kept in touch with the common man by thrashing about in an Alfa Romeo 4C on the track with two of its natural rivals, the Porsche Cayman and Toyota 86.
It turns out you may not have your pre-conceived ideas altered, but we expect you’ll still enjoy the journey to having your thoughts confirmed.
The raw sounds from inside the cabin of a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup are a true delight. And thanks to the combination of a brand new 991-based GT3 Cup, Steven Richards, Speedcafe and Sydney Motorsport Park you can experience those sounds right now!
[Thanks to John for the tip]
Porsche has set up a dedicated microsite for the new 911 Targa which features a slider allowing you to open the roof. There’s more, of course, but it’s doing the roof thing that’s the best fun.
We’ve got a couple of other videos too which show the 911 Targa in action.
Porsche factory driver Timo Bernhard takes a few minutes to give us a brief overview of the safety features for the LMP1 category and, of course, the his new car Porsche 919 hybrid.
Finally, we see official information on the all-new Porsche 911 Targa. It’s a return to an old-skool look with that iconic rollover hoop. As reported the roof does operate electronically and when you see the videos of it in action after the break we’re sure you’ll agree it’s a clever bit of kit.
Available only in all-wheel drive the Targa 4 gets the 3.4 litre engine from the regular 911, which means it has 257kW/390Nm to play with. The Targa 4S boasts the now familiar 3.8 litre flat six with 294kW/440Nm.
When fitted with the 7-speed PDK transmission the 1560kg Targa 4 can reach 100km/h in 5.0 seconds and 200km/h in 17.5 seconds. The addition of the Sport Plus option brings those times down to 4.8 seconds and 17.2 seconds respectively.
The 1575kg Targa 4S and its 400hp knock off 100km/h in 4.6 seconds, while 200km/h takes 15.5 seconds. Again, similar reductions are available with Sport Plus option, bringing the sprint times down to 4.4 seconds and 15.2 seconds respectively.
Despite saving 20kg in weight with the manual transmission you’ll need to add a few tenths to those performance figures.
The roof can only be opened when the car is stationary and it takes 19 seconds. It’s pretty nifty to see it work. The rear window lifts up, parts of of the rollover hoop fold out of the way, the fabric roof comes to life and is then cleverly stowed away out of sight.
Not sure about you, but we want one!
This is one of the latest spy shots of the Porsche 911 Targa, expected to debut at the Detroit Auto Show later this month. Reports suggest the main roof panel will be removed electronically. But how?
Looking at the rear of the car you can see the engine cover looks like it will have similar opening to the 911 Cabriolet, which does fold away its roof at the touch of button. Meanwhile the spy shot after the break, which shows the Targa with the roof panel removed, the finish is neat and tidy. Suggesting the rollover hoop may somehow fold out of the way during the removal of the roof panel.
Regardless of how this system operates we trust Porsche can make it work. And for the first time, we think we’re going to genuinely lust after a 911 Targa.
[Source: Autocar]
Mark Webber’s racing career doesn’t resume in earnest until late April when the 6 Hours of Silverstone takes place. That gives him plenty of time to get a handle on the LMP1 regulations for the 2014 WEC season.
That job a little easier for Mark, and the rest of us, with this brief video featuring Porsche’s Alexander Hitzinger, Director of Engineering LMP1.
Porsche has already let slip the 919 hybrid will feature a four-cylinder petrol engine, but they’re yet to confirm the approach to be taken with the Energy Recovery Systems. Hitzinger explains the options available.
New drawings have emerged showing the 991 911 Targa. As you can see the Targa returns to an old skool look with the silver rollover hoop and dramatically curved rear window. Most notably, removable roof panels are back, after the 997 had what amounted to an oversized sunroof.
There has been talk in the past that the Targa would feature an electrically operated roof. We’re not really sure how that would work; based on these drawings it seems the only option would be for the roof panels to be removed by hand.
The 911 Targa is expected to be revealed at the Detroit Auto Show in January.
[Source: MSN]
Porsche held its annual Night of Champions event over the weekend and with that came the news its 2014 LMP1 racecar will be called the 919 hybrid.
Also, as expected, 33-year-old Marc Lieb and 24-year-old Brendon Hartley were named as the final two drivers to form the six-man squad charged with the responsibility of returning Porsche to the LMP1 category.
Wolfgang Hatz, Board Member for Research and Development at Porsche AG, stated: “We are very proud of our strong international driver line-up. Three of the six drivers come from our own Porsche driver squad, two were even Porsche juniors. This is something we are particularly proud of.
“The vehicle name 919 hybrid follows on from the tradition of the Le Mans-winning 917, but it is also with a view to the 918 Spyder, and acknowledges the company’s embarkation into the hybrid future.
“Maximum efficiency in energy consumption is the directive of the new WEC regulations for the works-entered class 1 prototypes – and that is also the direction for the automobile future.â€
It’s not known publicly yet which drivers will share the two 919 hybrids, but looking at the lineup of the six should Porsche decide to go with height that could see Mark Webber share his car with Marc Lieb and Brendon Hartley. Which would leave the other 919 with a crew of Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Neel Jani. You’d be happy with that if you were Porsche, you’d think.
In other news Porsche now has a 51% stake in Manthey Racing, a team which has celebrated success at circuits around the globe, notably including 24 hour endurance race victories at Le Mans and the Nürburgring.
Porsche Origin brings word that the company’s official museum in Stuttgart has welcomed its 2 millionth visitor since opening in 2009. Alas, we’re not in that number, but several AUSmotive readers have been lucky enough to visit the attraction.
Exhibits at the museum have ranged from the 1900 Lohner-Porsche Mixte Hybrid—the world’s first hybrid car—through many production prototypes and one-offs, such as the four-seat Porsche 928-4 presented to Ferry Porsche on his 75th birthday in 1984. Naturally, the company’s legendary racing successes are prominent, with many rare and historic race cars, such as the 1971 Porsche 917/20 ‘pink pig’, on display. Current highlights include the ’60 Years of Super Sports Cars’ exhibition, charting Porsche’s history of exceptional sports cars from the 550 Spyder through to the Carrera GT.
[Source: Porsche Origin]
What do you get when you cross a Porsche 911 Turbo with a 911 GT3? A 911 GT2! That’s the simple explanation anyway.
Under the hood, sorry, in the boot, you’ll find a 3.8 litre flat six twin turbo offering up 412kW to the power gods, while the handling demons get to revel in a chassis inspired by the always sublime GT3.
As you will see and hear from this spy video the GT2 looks awesome, sounds awesome and most probably will be awesome.
Due to its rear-wheel drive only drivetrain and stonking power the GT2 is nicknamed the “widow maker”. We’d really like to put that reputation to the test one day!
[Thanks to John for the tip]
Do you have a 3D printer out the back gathering dust? Don’t know what to do with it? Well, why not make your own Porsche Cayman.
Porsche invites you to do this by offering a print-ready file for download. So, what are you waiting for?!