Porsche recently dropped off a new 911 GT3 at Jay Leno’s garage where racer Justin Bell picked it up for a bit of a road trip. Before the trip, Leno and Bell discuss their preference for normally aspirated manual transmission Porsches over the more powerful turbos and dual-clutch PDKs.

On his way to Laguna Seca for the spring American Le Mans Series event, Bell finds a perfect little road for his own private hill climb and gushes over the responsiveness of the non-turbo engine and enormous Brembo binders. At Laguna, Bell hooks up with factory pilot Patrick Long to discuss the differences between the Flying Lizard Motorsports 911 he races and the roadgoing GT3 which spawned it. Even within the limits of the rules set out by the ACO, Flying Lizard and Porsche have managed to find a lot of creative ways to extract more speed out of their competition machine.

Technorati Tags: Porsche 911 GT3

Stuttgart. In its session today, the Supervisory Board of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, gave the green light for series development of the Porsche 918 Spyder. Reflecting the overwhelming response from the public and customers to the Concept Study, the Supervisory Board gave Porsche’s Board of Management the mission to develop a production model based on the car already presented. This concept version of an ultra-high-performance mid-engined sports car with plug-in hybrid technology made its debut at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show and at Auto China in Bejing, hitting the headlines worldwide.

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Michael Macht, President and Chairman of the Board of Management of Porsche AG: “Production of the 918 Spyder in a limited series proves that we are taking the right approach with Porsche Intelligent Performance featuring the combination of supreme performance and efficient drivetrain concepts. We will develop the 918 Spyder in Weissach and assemble it in Zuffenhausen. This is also a very important commitment to Germany as a manufacturing base.”

The Concept Study of the 918 Spyder allows CO2 emissions of just 70 g/km, corresponding to fuel consumption of 3.0 litre/100 km (94.1 mpg imp) in the NEDC, on the one hand, and the performance of a super-sports car, on the other. This extremely efficient drivetrain technology then forms a symbiosis in the 918 Spyder with truly outstanding design and high-tech motorsport achievements. Further product details of the 918 Spyder will be disclosed in the months to come.

Technorati Tags: Porsche 918 Spyder

Electric drive will take on an increasingly important role in the further enhancement of Porsche Intelligent Performance. To combine greater efficiency with even lower fuel consumption and emissions, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is working consistently not only on the ongoing development of hybrid concepts already in regular production, but also on practical tests as part of the Stuttgart Model Region for Electromobility, using three research cars with all-electric drive based on the Porsche Boxster.

In the test process, these three electric Boxsters are to provide an initial first important insight into new electric drive components and battery systems for all-electric vehicle drive. This field test intended to also provide further findings on the infrastructure required for electromobility, user behaviour and the demands made of future products, is to start in early 2011.

Michael Macht, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Porsche AG, sees this contribution made by Porsche as absolutely essential: “We will definitely be offering an electric sports car in future. But such a concept only makes sense if it offers product qualities typical of a Porsche.”

Porsche has been committed to electric mobility for a long time, thus helping to preserve the environment and save resources in our world: The spectacular concept study of the 918 Spyder high-performance mid-engined sports car with plug-in hybrid combines high-tech breakthroughs in engine technology and electromobility with a truly fascinating range of further qualities.

Emissions otherwise to be found only on a super-mini of just 70 g/km CO2 with three litres fuel consumption for 100 kilometres in the NEDC (equal to 94.1 mpg imp), come with the performance of a super sportscar developing well over 600 horsepower.

The hybrid system of the 911 GT3 R Hybrid has been developed especially for racing, with two 60 kW (82 hp) electric motors on the front axle boosting the 480 hp six-cylinder power unit fitted at the rear. Replacing conventional batteries there is an electrical flywheel power storage system re-charged whenever the driver applies the brakes and thus delivering energy to the electric motors. The 911 GT3 R Hybrid has already proven its racing qualities in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring.

Introducing the Cayenne S Hybrid, Porsche also offers the first production car in the range able to run under electric power alone. With maximum output of 380 hp, the Cayenne S Hybrid makes do in the NEDC cycle with just 8.2 ltr/100 km (equal to 34.5 mpg imp), and CO2 emissions reduced to a mere 193 g/km. This hybrid technology will also be featured in the future Panamera S Hybrid due to enter the market next year.

Technorati Tags: Electric Porsche Boxter

Meet the maddest Porsche for many a day! The new 911 GT2 RS is faster than Ferrari’s 599 GTO, and is capable of matching or improving on figures posted by the German company’s own legendary Carrera GT.

With 611bhp and a lightweight body, it sprints from 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds, 0-100mph in only 6.8 seconds and 0-124mph in 9.8 seconds. The listed topspeedis a conservative 205mph. And all of this is achieved using a regular manual transmission – there’s no twin-clutch PDK option.

To extract such performance from a standard GT2, the RS uses new intercoolers, pistons, as well as a revamped engine management system – which gives extra turbo boost – and a new exhaust. The chassis is very similar to the GT3 RS’s, sharing its wider tracks and huge tyres.

Aerodynamic modifications include a new front splitter, an aggressive-looking diffuser and a larger rear wing. The result is nearly as much downforce as the GT3 RS offers.

This couldn’t be an RS without some weight savings, so there’s a carbon bonnet, ultra-light front wings, carbon mirrors and carbon diffusers. In all, 70kg has been shaved from the previous GT2, leaving a kerbweight of 1,370kg.

It looks outrageous, with its naked carbon bonnet and vast wings, but when you get inside, the drama disappears. Apart from the snug carbon bucket seat, it feels much like any other 911.

In fact, at low speed you could be forgiven for wondering what all the fuss was about. The RS rides as well as a Carrera on sports suspension, the steering is no heavier and the car we drove featured air-con (a no-cost option) and sat-nav.

Find an open road, though, and it comes alive: the steering is superb, the damping exceptional and the engine just keeps pulling. The manual gearbox has a short throw and requires positive inputs.

In the past, the GT2 has been labelled the faster, less enjoyable relative of the GT3. Not any more: the new GT2 RS serves up all the chassis talents of the latest GT3 RS, and adds hypercar levels of speed. It’s addictive stuff.

Technorati Tags: GT2, Porsche 911

No doubt, buyers of the 2010 Porsche Panamera, whose starting retail price is $90,775, are well insulated from the economic turmoil – and that’s before they are encased in the Panamera’s 4,000-pound mass, 16 feet of metal from bumper to bumper.

Only about 4,700 of these rare cars have been sold in the United States so far, and the drive in a Panamera is special.

The V-8 engines deliver awesome power and acceleration so quick, a driver can race up to other cars in traffic in a heartbeat. At the same time, the Panamera’s interior appointments can be sumptuous and the array of driver-controlled buttons for seats, suspension settings and more, overwhelming. Throughout, the heaviness of this extra-long vehicle serves as a constant reminder that this isn’t a usual Porsche.

Launched in this country in October last year, the Panamera has been available in three levels, all with V-8s. The base model, with 400-horsepower V-8, is rear-wheel drive, while the mid-level 2010 Panamera 4S, has the 400-horsepower V-8 plus all-wheel drive and a starting manufacturer’s suggested retail price, including destination charge, of $94,775. The top 2010 Panamera Turbo comes with a 500-horsepower, twin-turbocharged V-8, all-wheel drive and a starting retail price of $133,575.

A new entry model with 300-horsepower V-6 is planned for introduction shortly, and it will carry a starting retail price of around $75,000.

Panamera competitors include other high-performance, luxury sedans such as the 2010 Mercedes-Benz CLS550, which has a 382-horsepower V-8, rear-wheel drive and a $74,575 starting retail price tag.

The size and styling of the test 2010 Panamera 4S made onlookers do doubletakes. From the front, the car looked like a two-seat 911, but with a longer hood that’s needed to accommodate the front-mounted V-8. It’s only when people started to take in the full side view of the car – seeing the four doors instead of the 911′s two doors and the extra length – that it began to sink in that this was a different Porsche.

Driving the Panamera, I had to adjust, too. I was accustomed to slipping into tight parking spaces with the Porsche 911s I had tested. But the Panamera is a foot wider, outside mirrors included. It also has long doors, so I had to skip compact-sized parking spots and seek wider and longer spots instead.

The Panamera has seats for four lucky riders who travel in style. Seat cushions are thick, supportive and comfortable for long drives, even in the back seat. And the optional luxor beige full leather interior looked and felt rich in the test car. The only problem came in certain sunlight conditions, when the light-colored leather swathed on the dashboard reflected up to the windshield, creating glare. The same situation occurred at the parcel shelf behind the rear seats, because it, too, had the light color and would reflect up to the rear window.

The 4.8-liter, double overhead cam V-8 in the Panamera 4S was mated to a dual-clutch, seven-speed transmission that operates normally as an automatic but can be shifted manually sans clutch pedal. Torque peaks at 369 foot-pounds at a commendable 3,500 rpm, which provided good get up and go in nearly all driving situations in the test car. I had to watch the pressure I put on the accelerator, because the accelerator in the test car needed more than a light touch.

Shifts could be noticeable in both slow-speed, easygoing travel as well as aggressive driving. And the brakes in the test car, with more than 4,000 miles, took some getting used to because braking power didn’t come on linearly. Rather, there was a sense of artificiality in the brake feel and brakes would grab, rather than smoothly slow the car at times.

For a test car that topped out at more than $100,000, the Panamera 4S seemed to be showing some wear and tear early. For example, the 19-inch tires were worn in areas.

Everyone rides low to the pavement in the Panamera, so views out the front are limited to the back ends of taller vehicles. But once the traffic is behind the Panamera and roads open up, the car moves purposefully and flawlessly, with the body mass well-controlled, in turns and on twisty roads. Also, the test car’s steering was precise, but not twitchy.

The interior was quite quiet, unless the car was accelerating hard, and then deep V-8 sounds came to the fore.

Fuel economy is poor. The all-wheel drive test model was rated at 16 miles per gallon in city driving and 24 mpg on the highway. This is worse than many sport utility vehicles. The Panamera has a large 26.4-gallon gasoline tank, allowing it to travel more than 400 miles before needing a fillup. Premium fuel is required.

The cargo area of 15.7 cubic feet expands to 44.6 cubic feet if the back seats are folded down.

The Panamera comes with a full complement of safety equipment, including antilock brakes, curtain air bags and electronic stability control. But some driving aides, such as parking sensors, are options.

In the spring, more than 3,100 Panameras were recalled because their safety belt locking mechanism might not work if a front seat was adjusted ” towards an extreme position” at the time of a crash, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Technorati Tags: doubletakes, draws, Porsche, Rare, sedan

Say what you will about Porsche, its diversification into four-door sedans and SUVs at the cost of its racing program, and its plot to take over the world. Push come to shove, the German automaker isn’t the type to roll out a show car just to raise some eyebrows before relegating it to a museum somewhere – nice as its new museum is. So when Porsche took the wraps off the 918 Spyder concept in Geneva, people took notice.

How many people, and to what extent, exactly? Bloomberg reported back in April – mere weeks after the car’s debut – that Porsche had already received expressions of interest from 900 well-heeled folks. NowBloomberg is back on the record saying that, over the past few months, that number has ballooned to over 2,000.

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Having built 1,500 examples of the Carrera GT, Porsche will reportedly put the 918 Spyder into production with 1,000 firm orders in place. So if half those interested parties put their money where their proverbial mouths are, production looks like a distinct possibility. And just as the 918 Spyder is tipped to eclipse the Carrera GT’s performance (to say nothing of its environmental credentials), so is the 918 expected to trounce its predecessor’s price: at half a million euros (approximately $630,000), the production 918 Spyder would be the most expensive vehicle ever offered by Zuffenhausen.

Though automatic transmissions aren’t our favourite pieces of gear in sports machines, the way the Panamera’s seven-speed PDK double-clutch unit works is just brilliant. It not only senses the movement of your right foot, but also gets important information from the V8?s computer to further improve on-road urge. And the engine’s computer talks to the tranny’s computer at the same time, sensational.

The sound of the engine was too muted for our revhead senses until we discovered a handy button on the centre console. It bypasses segments of the mufflers and permits the full roar of the big V8 hits to assault your senses. We immediately took our road test Panamera through one of our favourite tunnels, did a few U-turns, just in case we hadn’t got it right the first time through. Then savoured the exhaust and spent the rest of the trip smiling outrageously.

If there’s a complaint about the Porsche Panamera’s it’s that the tail-end treatment is on the bulky side. However, we soon worked out that the rear wing can be kept raised at all times by pushing another button on the console. This breaks the flow of the lines of the tail and gives a more positive look to the Panamera’s rump.

But you should be aware that a policeperson may know that the wing rises when the Porsche speed reaches 120 km/h and accuse you of travelling at that highly dangerous rate (oh for German speed limits…). In which case you can smile sweetly and point out the wing-raising button.

Porsche sees its Panamera as a GT (Grand Tourer) rather than a full-on sports model. But we beg to disagree, this really is a serious sports sedan. The steering is lightening fast. Feedback through the wheel is excellent and Panamera grips the road at speeds that may feel impossible to those who aren’t used to the characteristics of car likes this. The ability of this two-tonne machine to swerve and recover in emergency situations is simply stunning. Make a big mistake and the electronics simple step in and get the Panamera back on the straight and narrow again.

Porsche Panamera is a big car, bigger than a Commodore or Falcon. It may be low slung but this is a sports saloon not just a coupe with easy access to the back seats. There’s a decent amount of legroom in the two rear bucket seats and the headroom, while not all that generous, certainly won’t cause hassles for most.

Ceramic brakes were one of the options in ‘our’ road test Panamera 4S. These provide enormous amounts of stopping power when used seriously and never showed the slightest sign of fading, even on our seriously steep downhill course. However, the ceramic brakes are aimed at high speed cruising and we found them difficult to modulate at traffic speeds as they grip too suddenly on initial pedal application at gentle speeds.

Ride comfort is good thanks to the ability to dial up different stages of suspension interaction. You probably wouldn’t be a passenger all day in the great Australian bush and come back feeling fresh as a daisy. But the driver is still going to be smiling…

This is a brilliant example of a four-seater sports saloon. One that seems sure of success on the Australian market where we love big machines capable of swallowing up huge distances without breathing hard.

2010 Porsche Panamera 4S 4.8-litre two-door coupe specifications:

ENGINE:
Capacity: 4.806 litres
Configuration: V8
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 12.5:1
Bore/Stroke: 89.0 x 96.4 mm
Maximum Power: 294 kW @ 6500 rpm
Maximum Torque: 500 Nm @ 3500 rpm

DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: All-wheel drive
Manual Transmission: Not offered
Automatic Transmission: Seven-speed
Final Drive Ratio: NA

DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4970 mm
Wheelbase: 2920 mm
Width: 1931 mm
Height: 1418 mm
Turning Circle: NA
Kerb Mass: 1860 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 100 litres
Towing Ability: Not recommended for towing

SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Double wishbone, gas damper, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Independent, multi-link, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated Disc
Rear Brakes: Ventilated Disc

PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 5.0 secs

FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Type: Petrol 98RON
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 11.5 L/100km

GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 4.5/10
Air Pollution Rating: 6.5/10

STANDARD WARRANTY:
Two years/unlimited km

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Technorati Tags: DCT, Drive201BMW

This Porsche is really a Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde, as the six cylinder performs more in line with the old lumbering SUV’s mentioned earlier, the Twin Turbo V8, while setting you back in your seat, will also set your wallet back as well. The MSRP on the Cayenne ranges from around 46k, all the way up to 126k depending on how you want it. Resisting 516 ft lbs. of torque and 500 HP reaching 60mph in 4.9 seconds may be too hard to resist for some, but be prepared to pay for it.

Here is a small piece of the review by thecarconnection.com

TheCarConnection.com’s expert reviewers have compiled their own driving impressions together with a thorough search of the web’s road tests and reviews to compile a comprehensive review to help you make the best buying decision possible.

Likes:
Excellent handling
Potent acceleration in Turbo form
High-speed stability
Excellent front seats

Dislikes:
Space-inefficient interior
Fuel economy for V-8 models
V-6 still doesn’t accelerate like a Porsche
The Cayenne is Porsche’s only SUV, and it’s the brand’s best-selling vehicle in North America. Such a successful recipe is worth sticking with, and accordingly Porsche has announced no updates for the 2010 model year, though two special-edition models are available: The Transsyberia S and the GTS PD Edition 3. Those models offers unique equipment and appearance packages on the standard S and GTS layouts, respectively.

The 2010 Porsche Cayenne sees essentially no visual updates inside or out, with the front and rear exterior updates of 2008 and the intake/exhaust updates of 2009 carrying forward to 2010. The contoured taillamps and Turbo-specific LED versions are still characteristic of the vehicle’s styling, and the prominent lower air dam up front balances the dual exhausts out back.

In base V-6 form, the 2010 Porsche Cayenne won’t easily be confused for a fast vehicle of any form. It gets to 60 mph in about 8 seconds, which is downright anemic for a Porsche-branded vehicle. Slow response off the line is to blame for most of the sluggish times, as in-gear passing power is good with both the standard six-speed manual transmission and the more common six-speed Tiptronic automatic.

Two V-8 engines are available for 2010: a 4.8-liter rated at 385 horsepower sits under the hood of the Cayenne S, while the Turbo S gets a twin-turbocharged version of the same engine rated at 500 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. That much power delivers truly Porsche-like acceleration without questions, hitting 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds.

Little has changed cosmetically, but I enjoy the lines of the Cayenne, still with a new iteration destined for 2011, which if rumors of the ending of the model line are true, could be the last for Cayenne. We will have to wait and see, but one thing is for sure, the Cayenne can be as nasty as you want it to be. You can take her out to dinner at the highest class restaurant, or get dirty with her at the night club. The choice is yours.

Technorati Tags: Cayenne, Porsche