Tag: 911

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BMW MINI Porsche

Isn’t that nice

MINI congratulates Porsche

In a rare show of inter manufacturer love BMW has passed on an official note of congratulations to Porsche for the 50th anniversary of the 911. They’ve done so as stewards of their own 50-year-plus icon the Mini/MINI.

There’s a full statement and more pics from BMW after the break, but this paragraph gets to the heart of the message:

It’s tempting to wonder how different history would have been without the creators of these two successful cars. Neither Sir Alec Issigonis nor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche had any inkling that their designs would come to be considered immortal icons of modern times. Indeed, you would have needed a very clear crystal ball to see that Porsche had just dreamt up the most successful sports car of all time and Issigonis the “world’s only cool small car”.

BMW also makes reference to that questionable MINI v Porsche publicity stunt at Road Atlanta back in 2010.

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Porsche

Porsche 911 50th Anniversary Edition revealed

Porsche 911 50th anniversary edition

Porsche has said happy birthday to its iconic 911 with this special 50th Anniversary Edition. Based on the 911 Carrera S it’s powered by a 294kW 3.8 litre flat six (increased to 320kW for the US market) and adorned with model specific 911 50 badging.

It will be presented to the public for the first time at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show in September, 50 years after the very first 911 debuted at the same event.

Other notable features of the 911 50 are its wide body, taken from the Carrera 4, and retro-inspired treatments to the rear engine cover and Fuchs-like 20″ alloy wheels. The retro theme is carried inside, too, with green lettering on the main dash cluster and a pattern reminiscent of the original Pepita tartan on the electric leather seats.

Available in a flat black and two unique exterior colours—graphite grey and geyser grey metallic—the 911 50 is described as a limited edition, although no detail is given in the press release below as to the number of cars to be made.

The video after the break features a graphite grey 911 50 and an original 911 in the same colouring. The 991 is fantastic, of course, but that old skool 911 makes us go weak at the knees; it just looks so perfect.

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Porsche

991 Porsche 911 image gallery

2012 Porsche 911 (991)

To honour the father of the original 911, FA Porsche (1935–2012), and on the occasion of its 2012 World Performance Car title, here’s a gallery of 50 images showcasing the 991 Porsche 911.

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Porsche

Worldwide premiere of RHD 991 Porsche 911

RHD 991 Porsche 911

Porsche has a long and proud history in Australia. Indeed, Australia’s first Porsche dealer, Norman Hamilton, encouraged and helped pay for Porsche to make the first ever right-hand drive model after coming to a handshake deal with Dr Ferdinand Porsche.

It’s fitting, then, that the worldwide debut of a right-hand drive 991 Porsche 911 took place in Melbourne at an invitation only event on the weekend held to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Porsche in Australia.

The car shown above, a 3.8 litre Carrera S, will remain in the country ahead of the first batch of new 911 deliveries expected in March 2012. Start saving, you only have until then to get your $230K together if you want to be one of the first to get your hands on a new 911.

While there’s no official press material as yet, we can thank AUSmotive reader Wayne for sending in these exclusive pics. Nice to see the Carrera GT is still in the country too.

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Porsche

Chris Harris reviews 991 Porsche 911

991 Porscje 911 reviewd by Chris Harris

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.

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Porsche

2012 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet revealed

2012 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet

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.

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Porsche

OFFICIAL: 2012 Porsche 911 (991) revealed

2012 Porsche 911 (991)

Following last week’s leaked images Porsche has lifted the veil on its all-new 911. While many wags will joke that nothing has changed, Porsche appears to have done a great job in managing the balance between heritage and progress (see our 991 v 997 comparison for more).

Aside from minor gripes about the wheel design and front LED styling we think the 991 is a great looking 911. The shapes around the rear wheel arch are unmistakably 911 and the side profile leaves nothing to chance.

Porsche generally take a less is more approach to their official material and as a result only basic details and just 13 images have been revealed to date. That’s not much when you consider this is just the third genuinely ‘all-new’ 911 since the original model in 1963 and the 996 in 1998.

Of course, the 991 will make its public debut in Frankfurt Motor Show (15–25 September). But the order book opens before then on 1 September and deliveries will start in early December. We’re not sure how much longer Australian buyers will need to wait, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see new 911s in local dealerships before the end of Q1 2012.

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Porsche

OFFICIAL: Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0

Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0

First filed 28 April.

Porsche has today released official info on the 911 GT3 RS 4.0—it’s been the worst kept secret around—and it will be limited to only 600 cars worldwide. With a 4.0 litre flat six engine sporting a crankshaft from the RSR racecar the GT3 RS 4.0 has 368kW (500PS).

Available only in white or black, performance from the sub 1400kg supercar is brisk, as you’d expect. Indeed, Porsche reckon the RS 4.0 can lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7 minutes 27 seconds.

Plastic windows, carbon fibre reinforced body panels and a lack of interior equipment help keep the weight down. A few suspension components from the GT2 RS have been re-used, as well, with an aim to sharpen this GT3 RS even further than the now old 3.8 litre RS.

Porsche claim this is the ultimate RS model, but the lack of carbon ceramic brakes as standard equipment means there is still room for improvement insofar as the ultimate track components go. With an asking price of €50K more than the RS 3.8 you’d reckon Porsche could have coughed up for the ultimate brakes.

We’d still say yes, of course, but perhaps this RS 4.0 can be described as being a bit of a parts bin run-out model, rather than a pure disciple of RS ideals.

Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0—basic specs

  • Engine: 4.0 litre flat six
  • Power: 368kW (500hp) @ 8250rpm
  • Torque: 450Nm @ 5750rpm
  • Weight: 1360kg (inc tank of fuel)
  • 0-100km/h: 3.9s
  • 0-200km/h: under 12s

The official press release from Porsche AG and all the pics released to date are available below.

UPDATE 1 May: Porsche Cars Australia tell us that less than 10 911 GT3 RS 4.0 models will be finding their way down under. Those lucky enough to be on the exclusive list will be asked to part with $409,100 plus on road costs.

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Porsche Targa Tasmania

Porsche takes a look at Targa Tasmania 2011

Targa Tasmania 2011

At this year’s Targa Tasmania rally Porsche was celebrating two anniversaries, the first being the 20th running of Tasmania’s ultimate tarmac rally, the second being the 60th anniversary of Porsche in Australia.

The Porsche Musuem shipped over at least four cars to Australia to run in the event, including the iconic 911 SC to be driven by Walter Röhrl and Christian Geistdörfer; just as they did at the 1981 San Remo rally. There was even a Carrera GT road car on the Apple Isle during Targa. Clearly then, Porsche was taking this event very seriously.

You get the sense they were hoping Röhrl would write a fairytale story by winning the classic outright category, with Jim Richards to join in the winning fun in modern outright at the wheel of his 911 GT2 RS. In the end a driveshaft problem for Röhrl and a blown hose for Richards put paid to those hopes.

However, Porsche did have cause to celebrate when Rex Broadbent piloted his 911 Carrera RS to a fifth consecutive classic outright Targa Tasmania title.

After the break you can see how the Porsche media team captured the event over the course of the rally, as well as downloading three bonus AUSmotive wallpaper-friendly images. Simply click on any of the pics to view them in 2000px sizing.

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Porsche

From road to racing

The Porsche 911 GT3 RS is essentially a racecar for the road. At least, that’s what the marketing men from Zuffenhausen would have you believe. So, how close is the GT3 RS to the 911 GT3 Cup in reality?

Autocar had a crack at explaining it to us late last year. Now Porsche UK has had a turn, as well. The clip above was released earlier in the month as part of Porsche’s display at Autosport International.

[Thanks to Richard for the tip]

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Porsche

Porsche 911 Black Edition

Porsche 911 Black Edition

We know the new 991 Porsche 911 isn’t too far away; we’re expecting to see it debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. That means it’s now almost run-out time for the current 997 911. On cue, then, Porsche has released details of the 911 Black Edition.

The Black Edition is based on a regular 3.6 litre Carrera model and has black paint, of course, some black detailing inside and a couple of badges to go with. There’s model specific 19″ alloy wheels and plain “911” badging on the back. Porsche say the Black Edition will cost the same as its Carrera counterparts and to help try and give this “run-out” model some cachet it has been limited to 1911 examples.

And, that’s pretty much that.

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Porsche

Another 991 Porsche 911 rendering

991 Porsche 911 rendering

French website L’Automobile brings us some new renderings of the upcoming 991 Porsche 911. The front view is pretty much the same as we saw last August. This time, though, you get a look at the backside of the new 991.

Most other details for the next-gen 911 remain as reported last year. So, we can expect the wheelbase to be increased by 75mm or so, allowing for improved engine mounting and rear seat room. A weight loss of some 50kg is anticipated, along with a better aero package and the use of efficient technologies such as stop-start and brake regeneration. The interior layout will draw heavily from the Panamera, as well.

The latest speculation suggests the 991 will debut later this year at the Frankfurt IAA in September.

[Source: L’Automobile | translated]