Category: Porsche

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Derek Bell drives the Porsche 956 at the Nürburgring

Derek Bell drives the Porsche 956 at the Nurburgring

Earlier this year the memory of Stefan Bellof was honoured with the renaming of Pflantzgarten II to the Stefan-Bellof-S at the Nürburgring. During qualifying for the 1983 1000km race Bellof clocked a lap time of 6:11.13. More than 30 years later, it’s still the fastest ever lap recorded on the Nordschleife and the only lap to average over 200km/h.

To mark the naming of the Stefan-Bellof-S, Porsche wheeled out its 956.007, the very car Bellof drove in the 1983 1000km race at the Ring. On hand for driving duties was Porsche legend and all round nice guy Derek Bell.

After the break you can ride with Bell on a bridge to gantry lap of the Ring. It’s a comparatively sedate ride, although Bell still gets around at a pretty respectable pace. Your day will be better for watching this!

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Porsche

Porsche gears up for Macan launch

Porsche Macan

Porsche is readying us all for the launch of the new Macan SUV with a dedicated microsite, which includes a new teaser image and two new sketches.

Of the new Macan, Porsche says:

Build a compact SUV? No, we’d rather think outside the box.

We’ve built what we always build: a Sports Car. Five doors, five seats and yet intimate with the road; boasting plenty of space for hobbies, leisure and sport. But no room for compromise. Compact, concentrated and intensive, but still powerful. Practical but never ordinary.

There’s also a teaser video showing a couple of prototypes on the company’s Weissach test track, as well as carving it up on some sand dunes. We hate to admit it, but we think Porsche is about to make the SUV very cool!

The official launch of the Macan is scheduled for the LA Auto Show on 20 November (although we expect details will be released a day or two earlier).

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Porsche

Porsche sings happy birthday to the 911

Eight generations of Porsche 911

Another high profile 50th birthday bash is being celebrated this year, for the Porsche 911. To help get you in the mood for singing happy birthday to the world’s favourite rear-engined sportscar Porsche has employed a member of each generation to sing you a tune.

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Porsche

Porsche Macan details leaked and more

Porsche Macan leaked slide

Jalopnik brings word of a series of leaked slides, allegedly from a Porsche dealer function in Atlanta, Georgia. First up is info on the Macan SUV.

From that info we get a re-confirmation that the Macan will be revealed at the LA Auto Show in November. But we now know (or think we know) the Macan will enter the market with a 3.0 litre V6 for the Macan S and a 3.6 litre six-cylinder for the Macan Turbo. Presumably the engine in the Turbo will be V6 too. US pricing for the S will kick off at $52,000, while the Turbo will be priced from $75,000 (yeah, it sucks to be Australian sometimes!).

Get this, for added confusion, both of these engines are said to be turbocharged.

Casting some doubt over the legitmacy of this info, perhaps, is the fact the image of the Macan in the slide above is not an official Porsche photo, rather a rendering from German rag AutoBild.

The Cayman and Boxster get in on the gossip too, with suggestions there will be GTS models added to each range. Expect a launch in April next year and an extra 15hp and new 20″ alloys among the headline features.

Also included in this leaked info is word on the new 911 Targa, available in either Carrera 4 or 4S designation, which is said to have an auto roof function. Will be fun seeing that in action with the usual Targa rollover hoop, but we’re sure Porsche can find a way.

There is a chance all this info is unreliable, so we’ll just have to sit tight and see what Porsche has to say over the coming months.

[Source: Jalopnik]

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Accessories & Tech Porsche

Michelin rides the Porsche 918 gravy train

Porsche 918 Spyder

When you’re a part of history you want the world to know all about it. Sometimes when you’re bragging about your special talents that can be tiresome. But other times, even though the viewer knows they’re being sold a product, the content of the message excuses the otherwise cynical intent. This video is one such instance of that.

We all know the Porsche 918 Spyder lapped the Nürburgring in 6 minutes 57 seconds. An amazing lap, we’re sure you’ll agree. What you probably didn’t know is that time was all down to the specially developed Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres. Well perhaps not, but Michelin would love it if you thought that was the case.

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Porsche

Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet revealed

Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet

If you put a 911 Turbo and a 911 Cabriolet together you get a missed opportunity. Oh, you also get a 911 Turbo Cabriolet, of course. And speaking of missed opportunities, Porsche doesn’t do them with its 911, so that’s why they’ve just given us an all-new 911 Turbo Cabriolet.

Why anyone would actually want a 383kW 911 hairdresser’s car is anyone’s guess, but it’s a free world and all that. Perhaps they don’t, they might want the 412kW Turbo S version, and good luck to them.

We’d just stick to a GT3 and perhaps a Boxster, too, if we were that desperate to the feel the wind rush past where our hair used to be.

For those of you do want a roofless 911 Turbo there’s more pics and a couple of press releases waiting for you after the break. There’s a video as well, but even Porsche understands the pointlessness of it all; there’s as much air time for the hard top models as there is for the cabrios.

Australian buyers will have to wait until the second quarter of 2014 to get their hands on one of these and you’ll need the best part of $390K for the regular model and over $460K for the Turbo S. Yes, really! And that’s without on road costs.

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2013 Frankfurt Motor Show in pictures

2013 Frankfurt Motor Show

The lights have been turned off at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show and the mammoth task of dismantling the huge displays has begun. To recap what you may have missed here’s a selection of 120+ pics reminding you what was on show.

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Motorsports Porsche Video

Take me to the river

Porsche 964 911

Left 3, 100, then into barrier and drop me in the water!

We’re guessing that’s not the actual pace notes read out to amateur racer Harry Kleinjan in the moments leading up to this spectacular accident. And, thankfully, we can joke about it because both driver and navigator escaped without harm.

The incident happened in the Hellendoorn Rally held in the Netherlands on the weekend. You can see before and after footage after the jump!

[Source: autoblog.nl (translated) | Thanks to Paul & John for the tips]

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Porsche

A brief history of the Porsche 911 Turbo

Porsche 911 Turbo

With its all-new 911 Turbo enjoying the limelight at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show Porsche has taken the opportunity to bring us up to speed on the history of its iconic Turbo range.

The first 911 Turbo was released in 1974 under the watch of Ernst Fuhrmann (Porsche chairman 1972–80). In the press release below it’s stated: “Fuhrmann insisted the character of the Turbo – quiet, relentless, enormous power – lent itself to a true high performance GT with every creature comfort Porsche could conjure, and at a premium price tag. This ‘turbo template’ has been followed for every generation of 911 Turbo since.”

Porsche 911 Turbo

  • 1974 – (930) 3.0 litre, 190kW
  • 1977 – (930) 3.3 litre, 220kW
  • 1990 – (964) 3.6 litre, 235kW
  • 1995 – (993) 3.6 litre, 300kW (all-wheel drive introduced)
  • 2000 – (996) 3.6 litre, 309kW (twin-turbo and water cooling introduced)
  • 2006 – (997) 3.6 litre, 353kW
  • 2013 – (991) 3.8 litre, 383kW
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Porsche

Build your own Porsche 918 Spyder

Porsche 918 Spyder in guards red

Word is that Porsche has almost sold all of its 918 Spyder hybrid hypercars. They’re only making 918 of them and the first delivery is expected on the 18th of September (there’s that 918 number thing again).

And unless you have the seven figures likely required to buy one for yourself the closest you’re likely to get is to pretend you’re building your own. Don’t like the 918 in guards red, then go make your own at the official configurator. You’ve got 11 other colours to choose from!

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Porsche Video

Watch the 918 Spyder break 7 mins at the Ring

Porsche 918 Spyder Nurburgring record

After the break you can see onboard video of Marc Lieb’s full 6:57 lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife set in a Porsche 918 Spyder ‘Weissach Package’.

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Porsche

Porsche 918 Spyder claims Nürburgring lap record

Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach Package

Last week Porsche took a pair of production-spec 918 Spyders to the Nürburgring and created history. The 887hp/652kW petrol electric hybrid has just been officially launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show and Porsche used the occassion to announce the 918’s Nordschleife lap time.

Factory racing driver Marc Lieb was at the wheel of a 918 Spyder ‘Weissach Package’ for the record time and lapped the Ring in 6 minutes 57 seconds. Proving the record was no fluke fellow Porsche drivers Timo Kluck and the legendary Walter Röhrl also lapped in less than 7 minutes.

Previously, a prototype 918 had lapped the Ring in 7 minutes 14 seconds. The new mark is, according to Porsche, the fastest time ever for a production-based car homologated for road use.

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