2011 Porsche Cayman R gets skinny in LA

Porsche has just announced the 2011 Cayman R, previously referred to in the rumormill as the Cayman Clubsport. Think of it as a purer interpretation of the company’s baby sports bruiser, much like the Boxster Spyder is to the standard Boxster. 

With weight saving tricks like aluminum doors, sports bucket seats and unnecessary hardware like the radio, air-conditioning and storage compartments deleted, the Cayman R hits the scales 121 pounds lighter than the run-of-the mill hard top. Porsche engineers also threw in a slight pump in power, throwing the final figure from the 3.4-liter flat lump to 330 horsepower. All told, the changes are good for a 0-60 run in the 4.7-second range – a full .2 seconds quicker than the base Cayman S.

Outside, Porsche has fitted the Cayman S with new 19-inch lightweight wheels, and aesthetic tweaks like a subtle stripe package, contrasting-color mirrors and black-accented headlight bezels. We don’t exactly know how much Porsche is going to ask for this gem, but in the grand tradition of offering less content for more money, we don’t expect it to be cheap. Look for live shots from the 2010 LA Auto Show later today. In the mean time, hit the jump for a quick video and Porsche’s official press release.

25 years of Porsche Exclusive

Unless you’ve found yourself shopping for a 911 recently, you may not know that Porsche offers a unique customization program for all of its vehicles straight from the factory. If you’ve got the will and the credit score, the German manufacturer will be happy to custom tailor your vehicle to nearly any specification, complete with interior or performance enhancements. The company says that it has a team of around 100 workers whose sole job is to make sure customers get exactly what they want out of their new Porsche.

The program isn’t exactly new, either. Porsche has been custom tailoring its products for 25 years now, and to mark the silver anniversary, the company is producing just 356 examples of the 911 Speedster that we saw at the Paris Motor Show. The car joins the likes of the 2009 911 Sport Classic – a machine that saw a similarly low production run of just 250 units.

For those of us who simply can’t find it in our checking accounts to lay our hands on the 911 Speedster, Porsche is planning a raft of other, more affordable products to celebrate with, including a book on the company’s history and a special exhibit in the Porsche Museum. Hit the jump for the press release.

Review: 2010 Porsche 911 Carrera S

Driving a Porsche in Germany is akin to climbing rocks with a Jeep JK in Moab, piloting a luxury yacht in the Mediterranean, flying a Long-EZ into Oshkosh or guiding the Skycycle X-2 over the Snake River Canyon – the machine is a perfect choice for the venue.

With a personal European vacation already scheduled, it was an ideal opportunity to review a 2010 Porsche 911 Carrera S in Deutschland. During one full week of touring, I’d have the opportunity to drive the venerable sports car nearly a thousand miles through German Bavaria. The planned route would wander through wooded forests, cross fertile farmland and follow the banks of the Rhine River. There would be days climbing through the spectacular Alps, and countless miles spent zooming down unlimited sections of Autobahn.

There is no better place on earth to drive a Porsche than in Germany and it was going to be my job to prove it…

Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid to hit U.S. dealers in November

Only a few more days remain before the arrival of the 2011 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid. It’ll carry a $21,000 premium over the plain-Jane V6 Porsche Cayenne, but for your $67,700 you’ll hold onto the performance and gain a helping of frugality. The supercharged, 333-horsepower six-cylinder with battery help does 0-to-60 in 6.1 seconds and 25 miles per gallon is the highway return. Plus, you get a max speed of 37 mph in electric operation and all that instant torque. You’ll find more info in the press release after the jump, and your checkbook is probably on your dresser if you’re ready to do this dance right now.

Porsche upgrades world’s best-selling racing car with new RS-based 911 GT3 Cup

As many Porsche 911s as you think you might see at the golf course, yacht club or shopping mall, that’s nothing compared to the legions regularly running around racing circuits worldwide. Aside from the myriad open GT grids dominated by Stuttgart machinery, the iconic German sportscar is the spec racer of choice for various national Porsche Carrera Cup championships and the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup that supports F1 races around the year. Those series use the versatile 911 GT3 Cup. With over 1,400 sold since 1998, Porsche maintains that it’s the best-selling racing car of all time, and it has just announced a new model for the 2011 season onward.

Whereas the outgoing Cup racer was based on the street-going 911 GT3, the new model starts life as the harder, faster and sharper GT3 RS. That means a wider body that can accommodate bigger wheels, tires and brakes. It also carries the larger 3.8-liter flat-six with 450 horsepower – 30 more horses than the outgoing model coming from 200cc of added displacement. It also looks more like the RS, with an aggressive aero package and LED lighting for when tracks go dark and dreary.

1952 356 Cabriolet crowned as America’s oldest Porsche

This is Porsche’s 60th anniversary in America, and the automaker began a search in August for the oldest model in the country. Today, it announced the winner: Dr. Robert Wilson’s restored 1952 Strawberry Red 356 Cabriolet and its 1.5-liter, 60-horsepower tail-mounted engine. It was brought into the country by the man who brought Porsche to the country in 1950, Max Hoffman.

Turns out there’s an even older Porsche here as well, although it was brought here, not sold here. Richard Brumme has a blue 1950 356 Cabriolet, one of the first produced, according to Porsche. The company also sought the oldest models from each of its twelve other lines, and incredibly, almost all of them are on the East Coast. Only two are west of the Mississippi, and one of them is in Texas. A 2006 Cayman is left alone to represent California.

All 500 examples of the Porsche GT2 RS have been spoken for

A limited-edtion, 620 horsepower sports car is quite an enticing piece of machinery. Porsche is building just 500 examples of its 2011 911 GT2 RS and – unsurprisingly – they’re all spoken for. The twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter flat-six powered 911 can run from 0-62 miles per hour in just 3.5 seconds. If there’s enough room, the car will keep accelerating until it hits 205 mph. It’s an amazing piece of German engineering and the price tag is an equally amazing $245,000.

Want to see one in action? Stop drooling all over the images in the gallery and take a look at the video after the jump.

Porsche 911 Speedster sings a blue note

Another day, another new iteration of the Porsche 911. Not that we’re complaining. This time around we got to feast our lucky eyes on the limited-edition 2011 Porsche 911 Speedster while it makes its world debut at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

The 911 Speedster is designed to pay homage to the original Porsche 356. Combine the French Racing Blue paint job, 408 horsepower flat-six engine and a low run of 356 models, and we expect the 911 Speedster to be sold out by the time you are done looking through the high-res image gallery below.

Merdad Porsche Cayenne 902 Coupe coming to MPH Show

The Porsche Cayenne has never really received the kind of warm embrace from Porsche purists that the suits at Stuttgart would prefer. Never mind the fact that the Cayenne sells in droves, thereby allowing the company to continue to build physics-melting sports cars, the SUV is as far from the lightweight, low-slung creations that made the company famous as you can get, and that just rubs some folk the wrong way. Well, stand back Porsche fans. It looks like Merdad is out to right those wrongs.

The tuning company is planning to unveil a lowered, two-door version of the Cayenne at London’s MPH show in November. Along with shedding its rear doors, the SUV will pack anywhere between 550 and 750 horsepower, depending on the level of tuning, and should be able to dart to 60 mph in around 4.4 seconds in its most powerful guise.

That all sounds pretty tasty to us, especially since we have a Cayenne-sized soft spot in our hearts for two-door SUVs. Even so, we’ll have to wait until we see some real-live photos of the creation to make up our minds as to whether or not this is an improvement on the German SUV’s recipe.

Paris Preview: Porsche 911 Speedster channels original 356

So many Porsches, so little time. Reports came in just yesterday that Stuttgart was planning an ultra-hardcore GT3 RS as well, but the German automaker has now announced an altogether different variant of its iconic sports car: the 911 Carrera GTS, which will make its official debut at the fast-approaching Paris Motor Show.

Recalling the original 356 and the three successive Speedsters to come since, the new 911 Speedster cuts a classic (if a bit awkward) hunchback profile and 60mm lower windshield. The wide-body stance is the same found on the Carrera 4 and the aforementioned GTS, with which it also shares (along with the similarly retro911 Sport Classic) its 408-horsepower flat-six engine, driving the rear wheels through the company’s PDK dual-clutch gearbox.

Created by the Porsche Exclusive department, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, the 911 Speedster honors the 1950′s classic from which it draws its inspiration, with only 356 examples on offer. The unique shade of French racing blue comes standard, and continues on the rather, um… interesting two-seat interior, with Carrera White available at no extra charge.

Porsche sending off 997 with 500-hp 911 GT3 RS

Just when you thought that the Porsche 911 GT3 RS couldn’t get any more enticing, word crops up that German sports car manufacturer has a new special edition planned. If the buzz cropping up over at Teamspeed is to be believed, Stuttgart is working up a special edition RS to end all RS models. The car will be limited to just 500 units, each one packing a heady 500 horsepower from a 4.0-liter mill. That represents a 50 horse jump over what’s available in the standard GT3 RS and 65 more ponies than the “base” GT3.

The news comes courtesy of Teamspeed member AlexG, who despite the urging of his fellow forum members, won’t share his source. Even so, the GT3 RS Limited Edition is supposed to make use of the same flat-six engine found in the mighty RSR. Pricing is supposed to fall well below the 911 GT2 RS but above the standard 911 GT3 RS. We’re guessing that the sticker will fall somewhere close to $200,000 if/when it goes on sale in July 2011.

Paris Preview: 2011 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS

If you’re in the market for a new 911, but don’t want the same Carrera S as your neighbor and the GT3 is just a wee bit too hardcore for your tastes, we don’t understand you. Thankfully, Porsche does and the answer to your prayers is coming to Paris. Meet the 2011 Porsche Carrera 911 GTS, the new middle-child of the ass-engined family.

If the body work looks familiar, that’s because it’s cribbed from the all-wheel drive Carrera 4 – a trick Porsche has pulled off several times in the past. Nestled between that 44mm wider track is an upgraded 3.8-liter flat-six putting out 408 horsepower (23 more than the standard S, 27 less than the GT3) and 310 pound-feet of torque, now peaking at 4,200 rpm – 200 rpm earlier than in the S.

Power is sent exclusively to the rear wheels (and as it should be), with a manual six-speed transmission coming standard and a seven-speed PDK as an option. Select the Sport Chrono package along with the dual-clutch ‘box, and Porsche claims you’ll be cracking off four-second 0-60 runs all day long.

Aside from the widened haunches, the GTS is set apart by its 19-inch center-hub RS Spyder wheels, SportDesign front and rear fascias, black Alcantara trim and assorted body and interior bits.

Porsche delivers over 22,500 Panamera models in year one

Perhaps on the corporate side Porsche hasn’t had much to gloat about lately, but on the product side it’s cigars and bubbly and told-ya-so’s. When the Panamera took to the track it won its very first race in the Italian Supercar series, and that came just as the 25,000th four-door was being built at the Leipzig factory. It’s a good thing the factory was working so hard: 22,518 of those Panameras have been sold after just a year on the market.

A finer peek into the numbers reveals the Panamera 4S is the sales king, followed by the Turbo and the Panamera S. And in the “No Surprise At All” file, Los Angeles leads individual markets with 890 deliveries. Follow the jump for the press release on the ugly-but-quick duckling turned sales swan.

Porsche 918 Spyder to get more power when it reaches production?

What could be better than a mid-engine Porsche with a 500-horsepower 3.4-liter V8 and an additional 218 ponies courtesy of a pair of electric motors? More power, obviously. And that’s exactly what a report fromAutocar alleges is going to take place for the upcoming 918 Spyder. According to the report, Porsche is said to be enlarging the displacement of the gas-swilling engine in order to extract more grunt from the mill.

The Brit pubs goes on to posit that the production 918 Spyder, which was first seen moving under its own power at Pebble Beach, will sport both soft and hard tops along with a somewhat beefier front end in order to provide adequate crash resistance. Also, somewhat predictably, the concept’s 22-inch wheels are very likely to be downsized and the side exhausts may be rerouted to the rear when the hybrid supercar hits the market.

Assuming all goes according to schedule, Porsche is said to be planning a run of about 1,200 918 Spyders,each costing over $625,000 (£400,000) when it finally goes on sale sometime around 2014.

Jay Leno gets private time with Porsche 918 Spyder

One of the things we like most about Jay Leno, aside from being a hugely knowledgeable car guy, of course, is his access. Who else would Porsche pick for some private time in a hangar with its forthcoming hybrid supercar, the 918 Spyder, during last week’s festivities in Pebble Beach? Certainly not us. We waited by the phone, but sadly Porsche never rang.

Jay did get the call, however, and in addition to being allowed to place his all-denim outfit within inches of the 918 Spyder, he also got face time with Michael Mauer, Head of Design for Porsche. Jay didn’t have total access, however, as Mauer shot down his request to open the hood and view the car’s high-tech secret powertrain.

Porsche 918 Spyder moves under its own power in Monterey

While we’ve heard rumblings that Porsche was going to show its hot new 918 Spyder Hybrid Concept here atPebble Beach, it appeared that the car was only going to be shown to a select few at private events scattered around the Monterey Peninsula during the week.

Well, today at the Pebble Beach Lodge, site of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the company surprised us by driving the hybrid supercar up to the concept lawn for all to see – and hear. They did a quick turn around after sitting still for a second and as the V8 rumble died away, the car started moving forward again. A couple of people were taken by surprise as they thought the driver may have forgotten to engage the parking brake, but no, the car had switched over to battery power.

We shot a little video and took a few pics as we pushed through the massive scrum surrounding the car when it finally came to rest. Follow the jump to see the video and click below to see our high-res images.

BREAKING: Porsche approves 918 Spyder for production

As expected, the Porsche supervisory board has approved the development of the 918 Spyder concept into a series production model. The 918 debuted as a concept at this year’s Geneva Motor Show with a plug-in hybrid powertrain claimed to provide 78 miles per gallon.

The concept used a 500-horsepower V8 along with a pair of electric motors with 109 hp each and a lithium ion battery that can provide 16 miles of emissions-free driving from grid energy. The powertrain is not expected to be changed much for production and Porsche has not announced when 918 will be available. There has been speculation that the production model could cost up to €500,000 (about $650,000 USD), although if it comes to the States, it should be eligible for a federal tax credit. Even with up to $7,500 it still makes the Chevrolet Volt look downright cheap.

Before you start looking in your couch cushions for a down payment, check out the official press release after the jump and our high-res gallery below.

Porsche 911 Sport Classic is proof that money really can buy happiness

The Porsche 911 Sport Classic, introduced late last year, never made it into North American showrooms. The Feds wanted it certified, and with a production run of just a couple hundred units, the German automaker couldn’t accomplish the task in a financially feasible manner. That’s a cryin’ shame, as the gray 911 sporting retro-styled Fuchs wheels and a ducktail is likely one of the best street vehicles to ever come out of Stuttgart.

As good fortune would have it, we crossed paths with a 911 Sport Classic factory prototype in France at the2010 Le Mans Classic earlier this month. Not only were we able to spend three days with the ultra-limited-edition Porsche, but we had the opportunity to take her out for several hot laps of the complete Le Mans circuit. What differentiates the Sport Classic from the Carrera S, and what’s the story behind those retro-styled touches? How does the Sport Classic drive, and can it be compared to a track-ready GT3? Lastly, what’s the justification for such a high sticker price? Find these answers, and more, after the jump.

Man, Sorry Just Doesn’t Cut It: Porsche Panamera Turbo by Mansory

Enough is enough here, people. Sure, Mansory has given us a couple of lookers, like the Bugatti Veyron Vincero and the Aston Martin Cyrus. But there isn’t enough carbon fiber in the world to make up for some of its more questionable lapses in judgment. We’re talking here about the Pepto-pink Bentley, the gilded Rolls, and this latest Porsche Panamera.

Now the renderings which Mansory released back in October didn’t look bad, per se. At least not in relation to the unfortunately-shaped vehicle on which it is based. But somewhere along the line from conception to realization, all measure of good taste appears to have gone right out the window. One of the many windows, anyway.

It’s hard to argue with what Mansory has done under that long front hood. After all, what’s not to like about boosting the Turbo’s output from 500 horsepower all the way up to 690? The claimed four-second 0-62 sprint is hard to find fault with too. But they’ve lost us after that. The exterior has been fitted with an outlandish carbon fiber body kit, including front skirt, hood, LED running lights, wheel arches, side skirts, diffuser and rear wing. And those specially-designed wheels, of course. But if you can’t stand the sight of the garish bodywork, don’t even dare check out the custom interior with its Polo-Sport-on-acid two-tone leather upholstery. If you’re a glutton for punishment, though, you can check it all out in the gallery below. Just don’t say we didn’t warn you.

First Drive: 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder drops a weight class and hits harder than ever

The blueprint goes something like this: Take an aging sports car and raid the corporate parts bin for a few high-performance items likely stolen from a flagship model. Tweak the suspension tuning, throw on some wider rubber, pare down the standard features, add a smidgen more horsepower and then make a few cosmetic changes so it stands out on the showroom floor. Finally, slap on a more expensive price.

We’ve seen it done many times, but rarely executed so well. Using the recently freshened Boxster S as a starting point, Porsche has developed an entirely new Spyder model that joins the Boxster lineup as its new flagship. While the two-seater follows the aforementioned recipe, we have to admit that it appears to be anything but kit-based and shortsighted.

Porsche recently gave us some seat time with its latest concoction in the mountains above Malibu. What has the automaker done to distinguish the Spyder from its lesser Boxster siblings? What key ingredients have been added – or are missing – to make it so special? Is it the best-handling Porsche model in today’s lineup? This and much more to be answered after the jump.

First Drive: 2011 Porsche Cayenne Turbo sheds 4,177 Twinkies – and it shows

Imagine, for a moment, that the Porsche engineering team has dropped 4,177 individually wrapped Twinkies on the lab floor. The yellow cream-filled sponge cakes are scattered shin-deep across the smooth ceramic tiles and kicked into the corners by technicians wearing white lab coats as more hit the floor. Individually, the cakes aren’t very heavy. However, add 4,177 of the treats together and they weigh nearly 400 pounds.

Those thousands of Twinkies represent the average weight removed by Porsche on its all-new 2011 Cayenne. Thanks to a massive diet, the automaker’s SUV emerges as a toned athlete – and we just spent two days flogging it on the track and off-road course at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. What’s under its fresh new skin, and where did all that weight go? How does the Cayenne perform on the track? Just as importantly, has it lost its off-road capabilities? Find out this and more after the jump.