2009 Porsche 911 2dr Cpe Low Mileage Certified 3.6l Sunroof 4-wheel Abs M/t A/c on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Porsche's former CEO Wiedeking to stand trial over VW-share manipulation

Former Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking (left in the above photo) could potentially be facing some time in the slammer after all. The last we had heard, he and former Chief Financial Officer Holger Haerter (right) had avoided a trial in April due to a lack of evidence. However, an appeals court in Stuttgart has looked at the case again and overruled the earlier decision, finding that the executives should be tried for share manipulation during Porsche's failed attempt to take over Volkswagen in 2008, Bloomberg reports.
The judges in the appeal "list numerous indications that could suggest that there was a hidden decision to increase the stake as they could suggest the opposite evaluation by the lower court," said Stefan Schueler, a spokesperson for the court, in a statement cited by Bloomberg. Wiedeking and Haerter put out their own releases saying that there was no merit to the charges.
The prosecutors allege that Wiedeking and Haerter had a plan to buy up VW stock options in 2008 to take the automotive giant over but hid it from investors. The whole thing was a massive failure and eventually allowed VW the chance to acquire Porsche and forced the two execs to step down. In addition to the criminal investigation, hedge funds have attempted to sue the company multiple times in civil court for the same reason, but they have repeatedly failed.

Porsche planning new 911 Speedster as 550 tribute

Some look at the emergence of a new Porsche 911 and see a car. But to Porsche engineers, it might as well be a reset button. Because every time a new 911 comes out, it sets off a tidal wave of new variants to follow, including convertibles, turbos, targas, GT3s... the works.
The next down the pipeline, though, could be one of the most desirable. That, according to German publication Auto Bild, will be a new 911 Speedster. When it arrives early in 2015, the special roadster will reportedly be limited to just 550 examples in tribute to the original 550 Spyder.
It'll reportedly have hidden door handles, a chopped-down windshield and a fabric top to be used only in case of emergency, manually disappearing below a carbon-fiber cowling. All of which makes it sounds as much like a bigger version of the Boxster Spyder as a successor to the last 911 Speedster (pictured above), and that's no bad thing at all.

Porsche stalls on Ferrari 458 rival

A few years ago, reports surfaced that Porsche was planning a new supercar. But the latest intel suggests that the plan has been put indefinitely on the back burner.
The project alternately referred to as 960 or 988 was put forth by CEO Matthias Müller shortly after he assumed control of the German automaker. It called for a mid-engined V8 supercar to slot in between the 911 and the 918 Spyder to take on the likes of the Ferrari 458 Italia, McLaren 650S and sister-company Lamborghini's Gallardo and subsequent Huracán.
Now three years since the idea was first mooted, the vehicle has yet to materialize. According to Autocar, Porsche is putting a greater emphasis on refreshing its existing lineup. Which is probably just as well, because the mid-engined supercar would have a heck of a challenge on its hands to differentiate itself in terms of performance from the 911 GT3 and 911 Turbo, which already give the 458 and company a run for their money.