Let’s state right off the bat that this clip from Drive, with Mike Spinelli as host, isn’t going to be the most exciting video featuring the Porsche 918 Spyder you will ever see. But at least the hyper hybrid doesn’t catch fire.
Spinelli puts Porsche’s claim that the 918 can do 12 miles (around 20km) in all-electric mode to the test, by driving from the top of Manhattan to the bottom.
[Thanks to John for the tip]
After the flaming GT3 fiasco the last Porsche needs is the sight of a 918 hyper-hybrid going up in smoke. Alas, that’s exactly what happened to this 918 Spyder in Toronto.
The incident took place at a petrol station and the cause of the inferno is unknown. Let’s hope it remains an isolated incident and that the car itself wasn’t the cause of the blaze.
There’s an amateur video of the 918 fire after the break and if you have sensitive ears nearby make sure you turn the volume down a little.
[Source: Jalopnik | Thanks to Tiaan for the tip]
As the only man to compete on the Circuit of Americas in both the World Endurance Championship and Formula 1 Mark Webber took some time out on the weekend to share his thoughts on the two categories.
LMP1’s just a bit heavier … I need to be a little bit more patient with the car, [the] F1 car’s obviously a very light and nimble [car], downforce is the biggest difference.
More downforce on the F1 car, obviously that makes it probably more precise, a lot more load on the driver, but yeah, it’s just that downforce is a big factor on a track like this but then also power wise, we have probably more power with the Porsche.
There’s no contest there, Michelin is a real racing tyre, Pirelli was for show business in Formula 1. These are real racing tyres so it’s a tyre which all the drivers can enjoy, which was backed up when Andre Lotterer raced [for Caterham] in Spa and he was very surprised at how the grip level was very very low on Pirelli and the Michelin tyre gives a lot of grip for a long time.
They’re just different categories, I think the F1 car as a driver you want to go quick as possible, so that was the ultimate machine. I never got to drive an F1 car here when F1 was at its peak, obviously it dropped off in the last few years in terms of pace because of the regulation but when it was at it’s peak in the mid 2000s it would be a really good track.
[Source: motorsport.com]
In dreadful conditions across the weekend Audi won a rain soaked 6 Hours of the Circuit of the Americas. It was a race where all three major LMP1 teams enjoyed time in the spotlight, but the experience of Audi was shining when it mattered most.
The #8 Toyota TS040 started the race on pole, with the two Porsche 919s behind. Sebastien Buemi was in the lead Toyota and built up a strong lead early. Then, about 100 minutes into the race, chaos ensued after a massive downpour saw cars sliding everywhere except on the racing line.
Race organisers had little choice but to bring a halt to proceedings and the race was red flagged for around 45 minutes. Heavy rain had been experienced during practice and qualifying sessions prior to race day as well. So the teams at least had some idea of how the track would react in the wet.
Although, the rain during the race was torrential and both Toyotas ended up off track losing a lap to the field while they recovered. The #20 Porsche 919 also lost time after an unwanted excursion.
After the restart it became a race between the two Audis and the #14 Porsche, which was leading during the latter stages of the race until a loss of power saw the car drop to fourth. From there a one-two victory was Audi’s for the taking and they didn’t falter.
2014 6 hours of COTA (top six)
In the lead up to Rally Germany the Tuthill Porsche 911 RGT caught our eye. So this video recap, featuring words from the car’s builder and driver, Richard Tuthill, was something we were very keen to see. We think you might like it too.
An RGT Cup? With a fleet of 911 RGTs competing? Yeah, that would be pretty cool.
Porsche has released a short video taking us inside the assembly hall where 911 GT3 Cup racecars are made. Truth be told there could be a bit more detail shown in this clip, but it’s still a great way to start the day.
Since its release the 991 Porsche 911 GT3 has enjoyed something of a bumpy ride. Of course it is loved by many, but those engine dramas were a blip on an otherwise exemplary record.
Undeterred, Andreas Preuninger is back to wax lyrical about the car he oversaw. It’s a “new” video published by /Drive and has been titled “Porsche GT3—Feast For the Senses—Editor’s Cut”. It’s been entered in the 2014 Jalopnik Film Festival.
If you think you’ve seen it before, you probably have. But who’s really going to complain about being read a bedtime story by the father of the GT3?
If you can stomach the planet’s insatiable desire for SUVs then you’ll be primed for this review from Autocar. It’s the BMW X4 up against the Porsche Macan. Two SUVs likely to polarise opinions on numerous levels, but two SUVs that are likely to be among the best in their class.
Specifically, Autocar has compared a BMW X4 xDrive30d M Sport against a Porsche Macan S Diesel. And at 1895kg and 1880kg respectively these little “small” SUVs have a lot of weight to throw around from their elevated positions.
So, they’ll be crap handlers right?
As well as the key WRC-spec machines at this weekend’s Rally Germany there will be another car attracting headlines. It’s this 997 Porsche 911 GT3 which has been built by Tuthill Porsche.
The Porsche 997 RGT has, as its name suggests, been prepared in accordance with FIA WRC rules for GT cars. Business owner Richard Tuthill will do the driving while former Chris Atkinson co-driver Stéphane Prévot will be calling the notes.
There’s a couple of videos after the break showing the car in action. We wish Richard and Stéphane all the best this weekend. Let’s hope it’s not the last we see of them on the WRC tarmac circuit.
Clearly no longer members of the Flat Earth Society (yes, they do still exist), Porsche informs us the world is a curve and that we should go out and play.
They chose to do this by taking a Cayman GTS somewhere in Northern Italy, to a very cool go kart track, and having some fun.
That would have been a good working day for those involved in making this clip!
Remember that seriously cool Porsche 917 we told you about last month. That’s right, it’s up for auction in a bit over a week. Turns out it has a very cool back story.
Actually, it also turns out the car may no longer be for sale. It’s not currently listed on the website of selling agent Gooding & Company; we’ve fired off an email to see what we can find out.
Anyway, returning to the background of 917-024. It was entered by Porsche in the 1969 Spa 1000km race. It tested at Le Mans, although never raced in anger. After Porsche was finished with it former factory driver Jo Siffert bought the car and then loaned it out for use in the legendary Steve McQueen film Le Mans. Siffert was also used during the making of the film for many of the driving scenes.
In 1970, after filming of Le Mans had finished, the car had reached the end of its useful life. Regulation changes meant the 917 was no longer able to be raced and back then there were no Goodwood Revival or Festival of Speed type meets of any merit to extend the car’s life.
Siffert was killed in a minor race meeting at Brands Hatch in 1971. His 917 remained with his estate until 1978 when it was bought by a French car collector. Unbelievably, by today’s standards, chassis 917-024 then sat in a barn, and idle, for 23 years.
In 2002 the car was discovered by Uwe Meissner, from German-based restorers Modena Motorsport. The 917’s owner had recently passed away and Meissner brokered a deal with the estate to sell it on and found a backer willing to buy and fund the required restoration project.
After the break you can see a short video on the car’s restoration. It was a no expense spared operation! We’ll let you know if we hear back from Gooding & Company, too.
[Source: Car Build Index | Thanks to Tiaan for the tip]
UPDATE 6 August: Here’s the from Gooding & Company: “The car has been withdrawn from the sale. Gooding & Company does not comment on property withdrawn from our auctions.”
