1989 Porsche 911 964 Carrera 4 Coupe 2-door 3.6l, Stone Grey Metallic on 2040-cars

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Porsche suspends ties with Maria Sharapova after drug test

Porsche has reportedly suspended ties with Maria Sharapova after the Russian tennis star failed a drug test. The German automaker stopped short of terminating its relationship with the athlete altogether as it awaits the results of a deeper investigation. The issue emerged at the Australian Open, where Sharapova reportedly tested positive for use of a drug called meldonium. Manufactured in Latvia and prescribed in many former Soviet Bloc countries, meldonium is used to treat heart conditions and improve cardiac circulation. It is not approved by the FDA for use in the United States, and the World Anti-Doping Agency added it to its list of prohibited substances at the start of this year. Sharapova admitted that she's been taking the medication for ten years now but that she did not keep up to date on the WADA's list. Since it is considered a prohibited substance, she's been excluded from participating in the Australian Open this year, and suspended from competition as of March 12. She was also scheduled to take part in the Porsche Grand Prix, a tennis event sponsored by the carmaker in Stuttgart next month which she will now apparently have to miss. One of the top-rated female tennis players in the world, Sharapova has served as a brand ambassador for Porsche since 2013. Other sponsors including TAG Heuer and Nike have also reportedly suspended their relationships with the athlete pending further investigation by the International Tennis Federation. Related Video:

Vintage 911 sacrificed in the name of fashion

People routinely suffer in the name of looking good, whether through a pair of uncomfortable, stylish shoes or a nice shirt that doesn't breathe in the summer heat. Rarely is a vintage sports car the recipient of this sartorial pain, though. In a bizarre, short video from the fashion label Rag & Bone, an old Porsche 911 is the one taking all of the damage in the name of being chic. And it's really painful to watch. Give this video a few seconds to get going because it starts very weird (fashion!). Black smoke billows up through a hole in a harshly lit white room, and a woman keeps switching outfits. If the attempt at being artsy isn't painful enough, things get really traumatic for Porsche fans once the 911 appears on screen. Seeing a classic car get destroyed hasn't been this harrowing since the government publicly destroyed an illegally imported, classic Mini last winter. Thankfully, this 911 was reportedly just a shell, according to Jalopnik. Although even if that's the case, the body looks to be in great shape, and from the tiny glimpse through the windows, the interior even looks largely intact. This coupe might have been a pretty good restoration candidate if not for the massive hunk of concrete crashing through the roof to make a fashion video.

Porsche 911 Cabriolet refresh may hide new engine

If we learned nothing else from our recent frolic through Porsche's secret museum, it's that the automaker goes to incredible lengths to disguise future products during initial testing. Just as a number of cars in that Stuttgart bunker hid the true identity of developmental mules (like the Audi-V8-powered 911), such could very well be the case with these spy shots showing what, on the surface, appears to be simply a facelifted 991 911 Cabriolet.
Similar to what we saw last month on a 911 coupe, this Cabriolet has obvious styling modifications made to the front and rear fascias suggesting that the 911's still-fresh appearance is already set to get a few tweaks. The big news here is at the rear of the car. The additional vents on the lower edge of the fascia and the mocked-up vent above the engine leads our spy photographer to believe that a new engine could be tucked under the body work - likely a smaller-displacement, turbocharged flat-six focusing more on improving fuel efficiency and reducing exhaust emissions rather than performance.
We last heard rumblings of such a detuned 911 back in August, but could this be our first look at said new model? Have a look for yourself, and let us know what you think - either about this mule specifically or the idea of a "green" 911, in Comments below.