1996 Porsche 911 Carrera 2dr Carrera Cabriolet on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Techart modified Porsche 911 Turbo S packs 620 hp, 0-62 in 2.8 seconds

Considering how many absolutely ridiculous tuner cars are featured in Geneva (stay tuned to see plenty, as our coverage continues), it's often refreshing to see some of the more modestly modified cars, like this new Porsche 911 Turbo S from the folks at Techart. Visually, there's a subtle body kit, new wheels, a new spoiler, and some lame decals on the front end, but it basically ends there. That's because Techart's mission is really about higher performance. Increased dynamism, as the Germans say.
An ordinary 911 Turbo S produces 560 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. But the Techart kit adds 60 hp and 96 lb-ft to those already high numbers, for a coupe that dishes out a total of 620 hp and 612 lb-ft. Techart says that, in Sport Plus mode, its modified 911 Turbo S will accelerate to 62 miles per hour in just 2.8 seconds, and the top speed has been increased to 204 miles per hour. Crazy stuff.
To further drive its performance upgrades home, Techart has fitted this 911 Turbo S with a sport exhaust system with valve control, for a more robust exit interview, at the push of a button. We imagine it sounds awesome. Have a look at the Techart Turbo S in the gallery, above.

40+ cars that barely avoid the gas guzzler tax

The Gas Guzzler schedule, with mpg ratings and charges that haven't changed since 1991, lays out which fuel-swillers owe what to Uncle Sam.
I started thinking about the "Gas Guzzler Tax" - considerably less well known as The Energy Tax Act of 1978 - when I was driving Dodge's new Challenger SRT Hellcat last week. Unsurprisingly for a car that can burn 1.5 gallons of gas per minute at max tilt, theoretically able to empty a full tank of premium in about 13 minutes, the Hellcat will be subject to the Gas Guzzler Tax schedule when it goes on sale.

Jay Leno puts carbon fiber wheels to the test on a Porsche 911 GT3 RS

Jay Leno's Garage usually focuses on looking at cars new and old, speaking to their owners and then Jay taking a drive to see what he thinks. However, Leno throws his usual shtick to the curb this week to do a full product test of the carbon fiber wheels from a company called Carbon Revolution. If you're not interested in hearing about wheels for 18 minutes, don't worry. They get mounted on a Porsche and are tested back-to-back with stock wheels, and Leno takes the 911 for a track test, too.
While carbon-fiber wheels aren't exactly a new idea, Carbon Revolution's goal is to create a lightweight, one-piece product that can be mass produced. The company even claims that it already has a deal with an OEM automaker to offer them on a vehicle in a few years. The key to the technology is that it doesn't need an expensive autoclave to be made.
In the meantime, the company's carbon fiber wheels are available as an aftermarket option for about $15,000 a set, according to the video. They weigh in at about 15.5 pounds each and offer OEM-levels of stiffness, so they could cut some unsprung mass off of a performance car. Watch here as Jay and his mechanic Bernard lap Willow Springs and give their feedback about what they think of this cutting-edge technology.