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Porsche

Porsche Classic recreates 1969–1975 dashboards

Porsche Classic dashboard 1969-1975

Porsche Classic has announced it will be selling brand new dahsboard recreations for 911 models built between 1969 and 1975:

A sophisticated manufacturing process combines high quality that meets today’s standards and a design that is true to the original down to the details. The dashboard consists of a modern substructure and the original surface structure. The fluted texture and tactile feel, gloss and degree of black are identical to the original. The new part can be ordered from any Porsche centre, and in Germany it costs 951.99 euros including VAT.

Modern manufacturing techniques also mean the new parts will be less likely to crack and warp compared with the original items.

The recreated parts are classified as OEM and while the purchase price may not seem too scary, the requirement to remove the windscreen for installation may up the labour costs somewhat. And, of course, Porsche suggests using official Porsche Classic partners to carry out the work.

It’s very cool to see Porsche looking after its brand and customers in this way.

Categories
Bugatti

2016 Bugatti Chiron rendered

2016 Bugatti Chiron rendering

While I was driving around Germany in April Car magazine published this rendering of the new Bugatti Chiron. It will be the replacement for the iconic Veyron.

What can we expect from the Mk2 Veyron? Let’s start with a reworked version of the 16-cylinder engine found in the old car. Power is expected to peak at a mammoth 1500hp (1100kW), matched by a staggering 1500Nm of torque. There’s also rumours of some electric hybrid gubbins featuring to help achieve that eye-watering headline power figure.

The Chiron’s v-max is predicted top out at licence-wrecking 463km/h (288mph) and the increasingly irrelevant 0–100km/h sprint will be all over in just 2.0 seconds.

Oh mama!

Maybe the Veyron I saw lapping the Nürburgring during an Industry Pool session (pictured below) was a precursor to the Chiron?

[Source: Car]

Categories
Volkswagen

Volkswagen launches new corporate fonts

New Volkswagen typefaces, May 2015

Maybe Volkswagen read my little typography rant published to Instagram after my Autostadt visit back in April (see below). Maybe they didn’t, but what they have done is launch two new fonts to take the brand into the future.

Gone is the still very functional and successful VW Headline and VW Utopia fonts, in use since 1997, and in comes the new VW Head and VW Text fonts.

MetaDesign has been working with Volkswagen since 1994 and launched the old fonts back in the late 1990s and is also responsible for the new designs, which radiate “dynamism, modernity, and the human touch”.

You can compare the two above and below, with the old style on the left and the new world order displayed on the right.

What do you think? Do you even care? I certainly do and if it means that shitty “Auto” text on the light switch will be gone then I will be very pleased!

[Source: Car and Driver & MetaDesign | Thanks to Wayne for the tip]

Categories
Porsche Video

Harry drives a 1989 Porsche 911 Turbo

Harry Metcalfe, 1989 Porsche 911 Turbo

The latest video added to Harry’s Garage is this clip featuring a 1989 Porsche 911 Turbo. Harry Metcalfe once again gives you all the details you never knew you’d find interesting and while there’s no sideways hooning you can’t come away from one of his videos without learning something new.

Categories
Lancia Video

Harry drives a Lancia Delta Integrale Evo II

Harry Metcalfe with his Lancia Delta Integrale Evo II

Harry Metcalfe is a pretty cool dude. Not only was he the original founder of Evo magazine, but he has an extraordinary garage of seriously cool cars. He’s known for his Lamborghini Countach, but he has a lot more to show the world than that.

Which brings us to this wonderful Lanca Delta Integrale Evo II. It’s a rallying and hot hatch icon and Harry raids his old Evo back catalogue to add this clip to his Harry’s Garage Youtube channel.

Metcalfe’s style is calm and full of details. It’s proper car nerd stuff! You’re going to enjoy this.

Categories
MINI

A jet powered MINI, what could possibly go wrong?

Jet powered MINI crashes at Snetterton

A jet powered MINI on a mildly moist Snetterton race track. It’s all fun and games until the first corner comes along!

Thankfully, it appears, the driver emerged unscathed from his fuselage.

[Source: Mattzel89]

Categories
Toyota

Toyota remains most valuable automotive brand

Toyota is the world's most valuable automotive brand

Earlier this month the annual Brandz Top 100 most valuable brands 2015 report was released. Topping the list, and by some margin, was technology giant Apple with a brand value of US$247b. Valued at US$29b Toyota is rated the most valuable car maker in the world, coming a relatively lowly 30th in the top 100 listing.

Surprisingly, only six auto makers made it into the top 100: Toyota (30), BMW (34), Mercedes-Benz (43), Honda (78), Ford (80) and Nissan (93).

Rounding out the list of top 10 automotive brands are Audi, Volkswagen, Land Rover and Lexus (see more detail in table below).

The Brandz listing has been published 10 times now, with Toyota ranking first for automotive brands eight times and second two times.

For our Australian readers, four of our local brands to make it into the top 100: Commonwealth Bank (48), ANZ (59), Telstra (82) and Woolworths (88).

The full report can be accessed from the WPP website.

Categories
McLaren Video

VIDEO: McLaren F1 v McLaren P1

McLaren F1 v McLaren P1

The mighty McLaren F1 in a road test against the even mightier McLaren P1. Or is it? In some respects the end result doesn’t matter too much. For one thing you’d take either, or both, if you could. And secondly, the fun is in finding out which one is best, don’t you think?

Thank you Evo.

Categories
Audi Nissan Porsche Toyota WEC

2015 LM24: Quick reference guide to LMP1 cars

Porsche 919 hybrid

The official FIA WEC website brings us a quick reference guide to the class of 2015 LMP1 cars. This year we have representation from Audi, Nissan, Porsche and Toyota. And the best thing about LMP1 is that the cars are all different.

Front-engined, mid-engined; rear wheel drive, front wheel drive, all wheel drive; petrol, diesel and all with varying types of energy recovery systems. It really is a technological masterclass, which will eventually heavily influence the cars we drive on the roads.

In order to try and equalise performance the cars have strict fuel flow limitations they must adhere to. That is, each car has a capped amount of fuel it can use on a single lap, using the 13.6km Circuit de la Sarthe as the basis.

You can download a full season PDF guide (54mb) from the WEC website, which goes into greater detail. After the break a quick reference guide is all yours.

The 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans will take place on the weekend of 13–14 June, with an official test session to be held this Sunday.

[Source: FIA WEC]

Categories
News Porsche

How do you spell Porsche?

Porsche 911

This in from twitter:

@OllieDjMartin A friend in Dubai took his 911 in for a prang repair, this is what Porsche did… BRILLIANT!

For the record, it’s P-O-R-S-C-H-E.

Categories
Ford Video WRC

The wheels are falling off

Jari Ketmoaa, Ford Fiesta RS WRC, Rally Portugal

Jari-Matti Latvala won Rally Portugal on the weekend, rounding out a dominant 1-2-3 clean sweep for Volkswagen. We’ll get to that another time. Until then, another Jari made headlines with his spectacular aerial work.

Watch Jari Ketomaa launch his Ford Fiesta high into the sky. That was the good part. It soon turned very bad and very ugly.

Thankfully both Jari and his co-driver, Kaj Lindstrom, emerged without injury.

[Thanks to Julian for the tip]

Categories
Porsche Video

VIDEO: Porsche 911 GT3 RS on track

Porsche GT3 RS

Suffering from a bit of Mondayitis? Then watch this video, it’s almost six minutes in length and features a Porsche 911 GT3 RS on an otherwise empty circuit. No music. No commentary. Just the purity of machine and track.

[Thanks to John for the tip]