1986 Porsche 911 Transformed Into Beautiful "wide Body" on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Chris Harris condemns demonization of Porsche Carrera GT in wake of Walker death

When something bad happens, it's easy to resort to scapegoating. At least for some of us, that seems to be exactly what has happened following the tragic death of actor Paul Walker and racer Roger Rodas, who were killed on November 30 in a Porsche Carrera GT. Even though officials have not yet determined the cause of the crash, that isn't stopping many theories from being put for - theories that include blaming the Porsche supercar. Rather predictably, not only is the CGT's difficult nature getting examined, but indeed, the nature of all high-performance cars is being put under the public's microscope, with some wondering what the need for all the power is.
A Google search of "Porsche Carrera GT" will find no shortage of articles about the razor-sharp handling and outright speed of the CGT. Pistonheads' Chris Harris has a different, insightful take on both the Carrera GT and the nature of all fast cars. He reflects on the matter, ironically, en route to drive the successor to the car that killed Walker and Rodas, the 900-horsepower 918 Spyder hybrid supercar.
We think it's well worth a read, as it makes a number of good points about modern high-performance automobiles and the way they're used. Click over and take a look.

Chris Harris hits the track with the Porsche Cayman GT4

The Porsche Cayman GT4 offers the first legitimate chance for Porsche's more compact coupe to really step out of the long shadow of its brother the 911. By placing the 385-horsepower Carrera S engine into the center of a Cayman and sweetening the package with a ton of truly high performance parts, the model can now really show off. The ever-enthusiastic Chris Harris puts on quite a display behind the wheel of the German brand's latest hardcore creation. As is his wont, Harris slides the GT4 all over the Portimao circuit with little wisps of smoke wafting up from its rear Michelin tires. However, what he gets really excited about is Porsche's decision to fit a real manual gearbox, rather than the PDKs rapidly taking over the company's highest performance vehicles. For anyone who loves seeing a sports car's oily bits, stay tuned all the way through because after hooning around for awhile, Harris puts the model up on a lift to find out what's so special. Porsche touts the GT4's 911 GT3-derivied front suspension, but this really shows just how many mechanical adjustments it offers the demanding driver. Related Video:

Aston Martin Valkyrie could beat that new Nurburgring record, Red Bull F1 boss says

During last weekend's Austrian Formula 1 Grand Prix, Race Fans asked Red Bull F1 team principal Christian Horner about the Aston Martin Valkyrie. The question was whether the coming hypercar, a collaboration between Red Bull and title sponsor Aston Martin, could beat the stunning lap record around the Nurburgring just set by the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo. Horner's answer: "I'm not sure a Formula 1 car could actually do it, but I think that the Valkyrie — certainly the track version of the Valkyrie — could be a contender." That's a qualified endorsement, but it still counts as support merely putting the Valkyrie AMR Pro in the conversation. Let's compare, shall we? The 919 Hybrid Evo is based on the 2017 World Endurance Championship-winning 919 Hybrid. Freed from motorsport regulations, Porsche Motorsport upgraded numerous performance bits. The 2.0-liter, turbocharged V-four-cylinder went from 500 hp to 720 hp. The two KERS units went from 400 hp to 440 hp. We don't have a figure for downforce, but items like active aero, a larger front diffuser, optimized turning vanes, and larger rear wing increased downforce by 53 percent over the WEC car, at the same time being 66 percent more aero efficient. It weighs 849 kg dry, or 1,868 pounds because Porsche threw out everything that didn't contribute to speed. The Valkyrie specs we know of so far state a weight of 1,000 kilograms, or 2,200 pounds. Powering that is a custom, naturally aspirated, 6.5-liter AMR Cosworth V12 with more than 900 horsepower, augmented by a kinetic energy recovery system contributing around 230 hp. According to Autocar's sources, the Valkyrie could generate up to 4,000 pounds of downforce at an aerodynamically-limited 225 miles per hour. That boggling number comes courtesy of Adrian Newey's prowess at making changes such as openings between the front wheel arches and the cockpit that work the front wing harder. The two-seater coupe's unrestricted top speed is 254 mph. Note, though, that the Valkyrie AMR Pro will be more powerful, lighter, and could have even more downforce. And since Aston Martin and Newey continue to work on the hypercar, specs could get even better before deliveries begin. Right now, Horner's suggestion doesn't seem all that outrageous. We'll also wait to see if the Mercedes-AMG Project One pokes its nose in the ring, too. Not long ago, AMG chief Tobias Moers said it's "reasonable to speculate" the F1-inspired hypercar could claim an absolute lap record around the 'Ring.