This weekend, Madison Snow clinched the 2011 IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge at the series� stop at Laguna Seca. At first this would sound like just another champion driver winning their series until you find out that Madison isn�t even old enough to legally drive. He�s 15.

So how does a kid who doesn�t own a driver�s license come to win one of the most intense race series in the world? First, the name Snow should sound familiar to those who follow motorsport. Madison is the son of Melanie Snow, a local veteran racer from Pleasant Grove who just got drafted into the first all-women driver crew in ALMS history. His family has a history and we think it�s a safe bet to assume he�s living up to their speed-filled expectations.

Secondly, Madison was brought up behind the wheel of a kart. He is a product of numerous karting series at Miller Motorsports Park, which eventually lead to numerous sessions behind the wheel of a Mustang at the racetrack�s Ford High Performance Racing School. Looks like he paid attention well, because on Sunday Snow drove his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup over the finish line to clinch the title well before the end of the season thanks to a full 47-point lead over the series� second place driver. That�s not a win. That�s a landslide. He�s even got one more race at Road Atlanta, one that he says he�ll be able to �just have fun out there.�

Source: DailyDerbi

Although Porsche has released photographs showing the interior of an automatic-transmission-equipped 2012 911, we're still waiting on a clear look at the shift-yourself variety. Chas Hallet from WhatCar.com managed to get up close and personal with the newest 911, and he was kind enough to snap a picture of the shift pattern.

Source: AutoBlog

One of the 911’s most dividing characteristics is its signature, age-old design. Some laud the German brand for maintaining tradition, while others take a different viewpoint; Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear’s main host, once commented that “Porsche has the laziest design team in the world.”

Well, to the (potential) delight of those in tune with Clarkson, Misha Design have released a body kit for the 997 911 Turbo. In addition, some of the parts also have performance advantages for the undisputedly awesome, legendary sports car.

The changes start at the hood, where the 911 gets a more flat front, punctuated with an elevated center, as normally seen on American muscle cars. This creates hood vanes, which help with intake and downforce. Carbon fiber blades can further sell the very rectangular look. On the back, carbon fiber diffusers and venture grills that come with the custom rear bumper help generate downforce while decreasing weight, making the car more nimble and maneuverable. The custom rear spoiler also adds downforce and can go up or down, for either downforce or max speed as required. The front of the car is lowered, which both adds a look of menace and removes some of the 911’s eminent practicality.

Source: eGMCarTech

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.

Source: AutoBlog

The folks at Sportec have announced an upgrade to the SPR1 M that they will debut at the Salon Privé Motor Show in London. Badge the SPR1R the model now features carbon / Kelvar body panels, carbon fiber under floor, an active suspension, a roll cage and carbon ceramic brakes. With all those modifications, the model now weighs around 110 pounds less than the SPR1 M.

Powering the Sportec SPR1R is a 3.6L bi-turbo making 846-hp and 642 lb-ft of torque. That allows it to run from 0-62 mph in 3 seconds, 0-124 mph in 8.6 seconds and 0-186 mph in 18.9 seconds. Top speed comes in at an eye-watering 236 mph.

Source: eGMCarTech

Porsche said the first of its redesigned 2011 Cayenne models have begun arriving at U.S. dealers. The new Cayenne S is priced from $64,675, while the Cayenne Turbo starts at $105,775. Prices include a $975 shipping charge.

The all-new Cayenne S Hybrid, priced from $68,675, won't reach showrooms until fall, when it will be joined by a base Cayenne, starting at $47,675. More in the jump!

For 2011, the Cayenne gets all-new sheetmetal and a roomier cockpit, plus such available high-tech features as Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus, Porsche Dynamic Light System, Lane Change Assistant, Adaptive Cruise Control and Automatic Start/Stop.

The Cayenne S features a 400-horsepower 4.8-liter V8, while the Cayenne Turbo is fitted with a 500-hp twin-turbo version of the same engine. The base Cayenne gets a 300-hp 3.6-liter V6, and the Cayenne S Hybrid mates a 333-hp supercharged 3.0-liter V6 with a 34-kw electric motor.

EPA has rated the Cayenne S at 16 mpg city and 22 highway and the Cayenne Turbo at 15/22. Fuel-economy ratings aren't available yet on the base Cayenne and Cayenne S Hybrid.

Source: InsideLine

Here's something unexpected. Mini USA has announced it's challenging Porsche to a formal race, where the go-kart-like Cooper S will take on the infamous 911 Carrera S. This may seem like a far stretch, seeing as how the Cooper is down on power by over 200 horses, but Mini is confident that its more nimble, lighter hatch can out-maneuver the big 911 on the track.

This certainly isn't the first automaker challenge we've heard of this year, and we're hoping Porsche steps up to the plate. The event will take place on June 21 (that's in two weeks!) at Road Atlanta, which as Mini points out, is right around the corner from Porsche's North American headquarters.

Source: AutoBlog

After a couple of leaks here and there, the 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS has finally been revealed. The new 911
GT2 RS will make its world debut in August at the Moscow Auto Show and will go on sale in the U.S. in October with a starting price tag of $245,000.

Power comes from a 3.6L flat six with twin, variable-geometry turbochargers allowing for a total of 620-hp, up from the 530-hp on the outgoing GT2. Weight has been cut by 154 pounds for a total of 3,020 pounds, allowing the car to have a power-to-weight ratio of just 4.9 lbs per horsepower. Mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox, the 2011 911 GT2 RS goes from 0-60 mph in just 3.6 seconds and keeps going until it hits 205 mph. Stopping power comes from Porsche Composite Ceramic Brakes (PCCB).

Porsche says that the car lapped the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7:18, beating the Corvette ZR1 around the famous German track. With that in mind, Porsche says that the 911 GT2 RS is the “fastest and most powerful road-going sports car ever built in the history of Porsche.”

Porsche will limit production of the 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS to just 500 units.

Source: eGMCarTech

There are a some Porsche enthusiasts who feel every Porsche should have a boxer engine in the boot, but each and every month the sales totals tell us that customers are far more interested in vehicles they can live with on a daily basis. The large-and-in-charge Cayenne is a perfect example. It's certainly not a 911 at five-feet tall and 4,400 lbs., yet the big SUV continuously sells in higher volume here in the U.S. than its sportier stablemates.

With Porsche in the middle of changing over to the 2011 Cayenne, the 911 and Cayman/Boxster had a solid opportunity to come out on top, but April's sales figures shows that the newest of Porsches, the four-door Panamera, shot right to the head of the class. The decidedly front-engined, boxer-less Porsche Panamera routed its stablemates with 678 sales, the big sedan's best month yet. Those 678 sales are nearly double that of the 911, its next closest competitor in the Porsche line-up.

Source: AutoBlog

Porsche boss Michael Macht says that staff in the firm are fully committed to building the 918 Spyder, the biggest shock - and hit - of the Geneva motor show.

Taken from drawing to show car in under five months, the 918 mixes a 500bhp petrol V8 with two electric motors for a combined 718bhp. Porsche has calculated that it could be quicker than the old Carrera GT around the Nordschleife.

Porsche has yet to commit to producing the car - but speaking to Autocar, Macht admitted that the positive reaction to the 918 had already swayed opinion within the firm.

"There is no one inside Porsche who doesn't want to build the 918," he said. "The response has been marvellous; we will ask buyers to sign letters of intent."

"The 918 Spyder provides the answer to whether there can be high-performance cars in the future," he added. "Many have said they are finished. This car shows they are not."

Source: AutoCar

At the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Porsche
is showing its new Porsche 918 Spyder Concept, a plug-in hybrid open-top supercar with a mid-mounted V8. Porsche has just released a 2 minute video describing the story behind the concept.

Refresher: Power for the Porsche 918 Spyder Concept comes from a 3.4L mid-mounted V8 making 500-hp. The engine is mated to two electric-motors sitting on the front and rear axle with an additional output of 218-hp. Power is driven to the wheels by Porsche 7-speed Doppelkupplungsgetriebe PDK transmission, allowing the 918 Spyder Concept to go from 0-62 mph in 3.2 seconds with a top speed of 198 mph. Drivers are allowed to choose from four different driving modes including E-Drive, Hybrid, Sport Hybrid and Race Hybrid. The E-Drive mode let the 918 Spyder concept run on pure electricity with a range of 16 miles. Video in the jump!


Source: eGMCarTech

A new Porsche 911 GT3 R racer with a novel hybrid drive will have its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show on March 2. As with any other Porsche race car, the 911 GT3 R Hybrid will serve as a moving laboratory for the company to explore the use of hybrid technology in road-going Porsche sports cars.

Based on the 911 GT3 race car, the hybrid version adds an electrical front axle drive with two electric motors each developing 60 kW that supplement the familiar 480HP four-liter flat-six 'boxer' petrol engine at the rear.

Therefore, the 911 GT3 R Hybrid get four-wheel drive with apparent gains in traction. More in the jump!

However, unlike your typical road-going hybrid car, the 911 GT3 R does not use a heavy set of batteries to power the electric motors. Instead, this 911 features an electric flywheel power generator mounted inside the cockpit beside the driver to create electricity.

The flywheel generator acts itself as an electric motor with its rotor capable of spinning at speeds of up to 40,000 rpm. It stores energy mechanically as rotation, or kinetic, energy and is charged-up whenever the driver applies the brakes, with the two electric motors reversing their function on the front axle and acting themselves as generators.

Porsche says that with this system, energy formerly converted into heat, and thus wasted, upon every application of the brakes is now converted into additional drive power.

The additional power is available to the driver after each charge process for around 6 to 8 seconds.

In addition, the hybrid drive can also be used to increases fuel efficiency and make pit stops less frequent.

Porsche said that after the car's debut at the Swiss show, the 911 GT3 R Hybrid will be tested in long-distance races around the Nürburgring, Germany including the 24 Hours race around the 14-mile Nordschleife circuit in mid-May.

Source: CarScoop

Porsche announced today that it will expanding its 911 lineup with the addition of the new 2011 Porsche
911 Turbo S. Building on the 3.8L 6-cylinder from the 911 Turbo, the Turbo S adds two exhaust gas turbochargers for a total power increase of 30-hp to 530-hp and a torque of 516 lb-ft.

The 2011 Porsche 911 Turbo S comes exclusively with the company’s 7-speed Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK – aka Porsche’s Double-Clutch Gearbox) and Porsche Traction Management (PTM) all-wheel drive. With the addition of PTV, Launch Control and Sport Chrono Package Turbo featured as standard, the new 911 Turbo S can run from 0-62 mph in 3.3 seconds and 0-124 mph in 10.8 seconds. Top speed comes in at 195 mph.

Despite the increase in power and performance, Porsche says that the 911 Turbo S will return an estimated combined fuel-economy of 21 mpg, not more than the 911 Turbo and enough to make it the most efficient sports car in its performance class.

The 2011 Porsche 911 Turbo S will hit dealerships in Coupe and Cabriolet as of May 2010 in European markets. U.S. availability and pricing details have yet to be announced.

Source: eGMCarTech

A further development of the 911 GT3 Cup that was presented in September for one-make cup racing, the new 'R' model replaces the 911 GT3 Cup S in Porsche Motorsports' model range fully complying with the FIA GT3 regulations.

The GT3 R, which tips the scales at just 1,200 kg (2,646 lb), features a larger 4.0-liter (instead of 3.8-liters) six-cylinder boxer engine than the Cup model delivering 480 horsepower (+30HP) and other technical developments designed to improve the performance of the car further still.

These include an anti-lock braking system, traction control and an electronic throttle with 'blip' function on gearbox down-changes that are said to make it much easier for drivers to get used to the GT3 R race car than the prior Cup S model.

Porsche says that the new car is also more appropriate for the ambitious amateur racing driver rather than purely experienced professionals.

The GT3 also comes with additional flared wheel arches front and rear while to improve aerodynamics, the underbody of the car is completely covered and features a rear diffuser. Furthermore, compared to the prior Cup S model, the range of adjustment on the rear wing has been increased.

The fully adjustable suspension system comprises of height-adjustable McPherson struts with variable SACHS two-way shock absorbers and double coil springs up front and a rigidly mounted sub-frame with a height-adjustable multi-arm axle together with adjustable SACHS two-way shock absorbers and double coil springs at the back.

The base price of the 911 GT3 R is 279,000 Euros plus local sales tax/VAT with first deliveries to customer teams expected to begin in the spring. However, Porsche says that almost all cars for 2010 have been spoken for.

"Since we announced our intention to launch the 911 GT3 R, demand has been huge," said Uwe Brettel, Head of Porsche Motorsport Sales. "The number of GT3 R vehicles we had planned for 2010 is almost sold out."

Source: CarScoop

Autocar magazine's Steve Sutcliffe assembled the Nissan GT-R, the Porsche 911 Turbo and the Audi R8 V10 at the UK's Castle Combe circuit to see which of the entry level supercars could turn in the fastest lap.

The GT-R is the low-cost track star of the bunch, with the most mass, the least power and, arguably the most grip of the group. The 911 Turbo is the featherweight of the entry supercar trio, with middle-of-the-pack power and an (apparently) adventurous ride. The R8 V10 has the most power and Audi's excellent Quattro all-wheel drive system.

Sutcliffe took all through road warriors through the paces at Castle Combe, and the dynamic trio finished within about one second of each other. One of them could have won if it weren't for some iffy brakes, another didn't quite have the grip to win the day while the winner was quickest in and out of turns. Who won? You'll have to watch in the jump...





Source: AutoBlog