Car Sport 2011: Porsche

Showing posts with label Porsche. Show all posts

10/27/10

Porsche is Reducing Fuel Consumption with every New Model it Introduces

No manufacturer, not even performance orientated Porsche, can ignore the "green wave" that has hit the automotive industry. With hybrids and EVs becoming increasingly popular, it's clear that sports cars have to step it up a notch.

It doesn't really matter to pencil-pushing government officials that, in the real world, high performance vehicles aren't driven as much, so, in the overall scheme of things, they actually pollute a lot less than your suburban folk's Prius. They just want to see numbers.

So, Porsche is going greener with each new model it is launching, the Cayenne being the vanguard of this effort. The Germans achieved significant fuel savings in the New European Driving Cycle (or NEDC), ranging from 13 to 23% for all available model series in comparison with their predecessors. This means all Porsches using naturally aspirated engines consume 0.5 to 0.6 less liters of fuel per 100 km.

The Stuttgart firm's engineers achieved this by switching over to direct fuel injection and adopting newer transmissions like the PDK dual-clutch auto and the Tiptronic S eight-speed automatic. Other measures taken to make Porsche as green as ever are massive weight savings (i.e. 185 kg/408 lbs for the new Cayenne Turbo) - and we'll be seeing more of that in future models.

The 911 Carrera with PDK consumes only 9.8 lt/100 km (24 US mpg), while the Boxster S and the Cayman S do with 9.4 liters per 100km (25 US mpg).

The Cayenne is even more frugal, with the Cayenne S Hybrid really shining on this task. Good for a total output of 380 hp (283 kW), Porsche's hybrid is almost as powerful as the previous generation Cayenne S (385 hp/287 kW), yet it returns a combined 8.2 lt/100 km (28.7 US mpg) representing a 40% gain in fuel economy with CO2 emissions of 200 g/km. Wealthy tree-huggers rejoice.

By Csaba Daradics

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Kubatech Tunes the Porsche Carrera GT to 660 HP

Kubatech, a self-proclaimed engine software expert from Mechernich, Germany, has introduced a new Stage II tuning kit for the Porsche Carrera GT, which adds an extra 48 hp (36 kW) and 52 Nm (38 lb-ft) of torque. The German firm achieved this by modifying the engine management system and fitting a new Cargraphic sport exhaust system.

With 612 hp (456 kW) delivered by the 5.7-liter V10, the Carrera GT is anything but underpowered, still who can resist a nice, round figure like 660 hp (492 kW)? The Stage II kit also helps increases the GT's top speed, from the standard model's 330 km/h (205 mph) to 343 km/h (213 mph). The company also states that the 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint has been reduced, but didn't release any numbers.

Kubatech will charge you €10,699 (or US$14.837) for this modification, which is usually completed in 2 to 3 working days.

By Csaba Daradics

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GrandGT: TechArt Tunes Porsche's Panamera Turbo to 571HP

Joining the world premiere of the 2011 Cayenne-based Magnum at next month's Auto Zurich Car Show in Switzerland, will be yet another new tuning proposal from Porsche specialist TechArt, this time based on the Panamera sports saloon. Dubbed the GrandGT, the tuning firm's new customization program revamps the Panamera Turbo's exterior and interior styling, and performance.

Starting with the exterior dress up, the German tuner's wide bodykit provides a more aggressive appearance to the Panamera. It includes a modified front bumper housing integrated LED daytime running lights and a front splitter, a carbon fiber hood, side skirts, a fixed rear wing, a new rear bumper with additional air vents and a diffuser.

There are also new front and rear fenders, which increase the car's width by 21mm and 42mm on each side respectively, while the body colored headlamp trims, new exhaust tail pipes and a choice of alloy wheel designs in sizes 20-, 21- and 22-inches complete the exterior makeover.

For the interior, TechArt's program offers buyers a wide variety of customization options ranging from an entertainment package with two 7-inch screens that are integrated into the front seat backrests to a full leather treatment with decorative stitching in custom colors.

Under the hood, the TA 070/T1 powerkit lifts the 4.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8's output from 368 kW (493-hp) and 700 Nm to 426 kW (571-hp) and 830 Nm, while there's also a new sport exhaust system producing a throatier sound.

Details on pricing and availability will be announced at the unveiling of the car at the Auto Zurich Car Show.

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Found: Oldest Porsche Import in the USA is a 1952 356 Cabriolet

The owner of the "Strawberry Red" 356 Cabriolet pictured above has earned the bragging rights for owning the oldest Porsche model sold in America. The discovery was made as part of the My Porsche Classic Search, which was launched in August to celebrate the brand's 60th anniversary.

The Porsche Classic Search was conducted online with owners having to submit documentation that their Porsche was one of the earliest in its category to be retailed in the USA.

The oldest documented sale was this rare 1952 356 Cabriolet owned by Dr. Robert Wilson of Oklahoma City, Okla. According to the company, Wilson's car was imported in November of 1952 by Austrian businessman, Max Hoffman, in New York, who brought the first Porsche cars to the U.S. beginning in 1950.

The 356 Cabriolet, which is powered by a 60-horsepower 1.5 liter engine, was discovered in a salvage yard by Wilson many years after landing on this side of the Atlantic. Wilson bought the car and painstakingly restored it to its original condition.

Porsche said its search also yielded the discovery of an even rarer and older model, a blue 1950 356 Cabriolet owned by Richard Brumme of Annapolis, Md, which was one of the very first series production 356s built in Stuttgart, after the company relocated from Gmund, Austria. However, this car was not actually retailed in America so the title went to Wilson's 356.

Aside from the oldest Porsche sold in the US, the company also made a list of the oldest models in each range:

1965 911: Barry August of Clarksville, Md.
1965 912: Steve Torkelsen of Wilton, Conn.
1970 914: Ralph Stoesser of Marco Island, Fla.
1977 924: Jay Hoover of New Haven, Ind.
1977 928: Jim Doerr of Richmond, Va.
1983 944: John Denning of Covington, Wash.
1992 968: Jeffrey Coe of Trumball, Conn.
1997 Boxster: David Adrian of Worcester, Mass.
2004 Cayenne: Adam Reichard of Magnolia, Texas
2005 Carrera GT: Robert Ingram of Durham, N.C.
2006 Cayman: Eugenie Thomas of Martinez, Calif.

The Stuttgart-based firm said it plans to honor the owners of all of these cars with an exclusive badge issued by the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, and by featuring photos of the cars at the new "Sixty Years of Porsche in America" exhibit, which opened in the museum on Oct. 12. Furthermore, Wilson's 356 Convertible will make its way to Porsche's LA Auto Show stand in November.

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All 500 Examples of 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS Sold Out

It took a bit longer than GM's $75,000 Neiman Marcus Camaro Convertible, which sold out in three minutes, but Porsche has managed to secure customer commitments for all 500 units of its limited production 911 GT2 RS less than two months after the supercar's world premiere at the Moscow Auto Show in August.

According to the Stuttgart automaker, here in the U.S., the company has pre-sold 133 examples of the 911 GT2 RS, all of which will be delivered to their respective owners in February 2011.

The new 911 GT RS is motivated by a 3.6-liter six-cylinder boxer engine boosted by two turbochargers with variable turbine geometry, producing 620-horsepower and 700Nm or 516 lb-ft of peak torque. Power is transferred to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox, with Porsche claiming 0-100km/h [62 mph] sprint time of 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 330 km/h [205 mph].

The company also states that the new 911 GT2 RS is the fastest and most powerful road-going Porsche ever built turning the Nürburgring race track in just 7 minutes and 18 seconds. Read more about the R in our previous post here.

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