1997 Porsche 911 6 Speed Coupe on 2040-cars

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Porsche 924 GTP restored for coupe's 40th birthday

The Porsche 924 is among the most unappreciated models from the German brand, but it's still an important part of Porsche's history as the predecessor to the 944 and eventually the 968. To mark the 40th anniversary of the sport coupe's 1976 introduction, Porsche Great Britain is restoring an important member of the vehicle's legacy by bringing a 1980 Porsche 924 GTP racecar back to its former glory. This car was among three factory-backed 924 GTPs that raced in the 1980 24 Hours of Le Mans. After the event, the car immediately went into Porsche's museum collection, and it has been there ever since. The missing body parts and rough paint still show the wear and tear of racing around the clock in France. The 924 GTP featured all the tricks you would expect would be needed to take the road-going coupe to the track. Porsche cut the weight down to 2,050 pounds, and the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine made 315 horsepower and 282 pound-feet of torque. Power went to the rear wheels through a five-speed gearbox. You can follow along with the restoration online, including period photos of how it should look. The video above also offers a rare glimpse at the Porsche archive, which includes over 5 million photos and 5,000 hours of movies and audio. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

New J.D. Power Initial Quality Study puts Porsche, GM in spotlight

J.D. Power and Associates has released its annual Initial Quality Study, and this year, Porsche and General Motors took the spotlight. The study, which asks new car owners to report problems experienced during the first 90 days of ownership, found that overall, the industry averages 113 problems per 100 vehicles.
Porsche managed a score of just 80 problems per 100 vehicles, while GMC took the second spot on the podium with 90. Lexus filled out the top three with 94 problems per 100 vehicles, followed by Infiniti at 95 and Chevrolet at 97. The study also looks at specific models, and found the Lexus LS to enjoy the best initial quality at 59 problems per 100 vehicles.
Interestingly enough, the report found that around two-thirds of most owner problems experienced in the first 90 days are attributable to vehicle design instead of mechanical failure. Specifically - echoing a refrain we've been hearing for the last few years - owners are having a hard time figuring out how to use the technology present in their new vehicles. Head over to the J.D. Power site for more information, or scroll down below for the company's related press release.

Porsche names Oliver Blume as new CEO

With Matthias Muller stepping up to take over as the new chief executive of the entire Volkswagen Group, the Porsche division is going to need a new CEO of its own. Taking Muller's place will be Dr. Oliver Blume, who assumes his new responsibilities on October 1. Blume is no stranger to the higher ranks at Porsche, having served for over two years now as the executive in charge of the company's production and logistics. In that capacity, he oversaw the establishment of the workshop where the 918 Spyder was built by hand, and the expansion of the Leipzig plant to handle production of the Macan and Panamera. He'll now be stepping into bigger shoes, however, as chairman of the board of management – essentially the company's chief executive. At the same time, Porsche has also named Detlev von Platen as its head of sales and marketing. Von Platen has for the past seven years headed up the North American office, which recently lost its VP as well to Rolls-Royce, so they're going to need to make some new appointments in Atlanta. The previous marketing chief Bernhard Maier is moving to the Czech Republic to take over as CEO of Skoda. The company's CFO Lutz Meschke has also been named as deputy chairman of the executive board. The appointments come amidst a giant game of musical chairs within the Volkswagen Group. Aside from the ousting of former supervisory board chairman Ferdinand Piech five months ago, the diesel emissions scandal has seen the German industrial giant cleaning house within its top ranks and R&D staff. Most notable was the resignation of Martin Winterkorn, whose position at the head of the group's management board Muller will now assume. Supervisory Board of Porsche AG appoints Detlev von Platen Head of Sales and Marketing Oliver Blume is new Chairman of the Executive Board Stuttgart. At its meeting today, the Supervisory Board of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG appointed Dr. Oliver Blume (47) the Chairman of the Executive Board of the sports car manufacturer effective October 1, 2015. Blume succeeds Matthias Muller (62), who was appointed by the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG to be the new Chairman of the Board of Management of the Wolfsburg-based group. It has been exactly five years since Muller left Volkswagen to become the CEO of Porsche AG. Since the beginning of 2013, Blume has been a member of the Porsche Executive Board responsible for Production and Logistics.