2005 Porsche 911 on 2040-cars

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Porsche celebrates Le Mans return with Martini edition 911

If we've said it once, we've said it a hundred times - but we'll gladly say it again: there are few racing liveries as iconic as Martini. And while those stripes have adorned countless Lancia and Ford rally cars, grand prix racers (like the latest Williams) and even speedboats, they remain inexorably tied to Porsche. Fortunately that point is not lost on Porsche itself, which has lately put them on its own 918 Spyder, race-spec 911 and all manner of merchandise. And this is the latest.
To celebrate its return to Le Mans this year, Porsche Exclusive is offering this special Martini Racing Edition. It's based on the 911 Carrera S, which means the more potent 3.8-liter flat six with 400 horsepower, but upgrades, as you might have guessed, with a whole mess of Martini Racing stripes and logos, along with the Aerokit Cup front and rear spoilers. The badges and stripes abound inside as well, where you'll also find such optional extras as the Porsche Communication Management system, Bose audio and black leather electric sport seats.
Porsche is offering the 911 Carrera S Martini Racing Edition in either white or black, but unfortunately not in our market - just in Europe, China and Latin America. Those who miss out will (in certain markets anyway) be able to order the decal set separately though. Feel free to read more in the press release below.

Porsche recommits to Le Mans through 2018

Porsche is back at the forefront of sports endurance racing, and it has no intention of leaving anytime soon. The German automaker announced that it will stay in the LMP1 class of both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA World Endurance Championship through the end of 2018. So its rivals can look forward to a good three more years of heated competition at least. After winning at Le Mans a record 16 times, Porsche dropped out of competition for top honors in 1998. It returned to the front of the grid last year with the 919 Hybrid, winning the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo at the end of its debut season. Its greater victory, however, came earlier this summer when the revised version took a dominant 1-2 finish in the famous French endurance race. That put the team from Weissach in the lead for the World Endurance Championship, which it (spoiler alert!) further extended this weekend with another 1-2 finish in the inaugural 6 Hours of Nurburgring. "Motorsport is an important part of Porsche's brand identity – but not an end in itself. Racing has got to help the technology of future road going sports cars," said Porsche chief Matthias Muller in the statement below. "It was the revolutionary efficiency regulations that convinced us to return to top-level motorsport for the 2014 season. That we have managed to take the crown jewels of endurance racing in only our second year, with a one-two result in Le Mans in 2015 with our highly innovative and complex 919, is an outstanding testimony to the people in the Weissach research and development centre. The competition bears fruits and we see further potential for future synergy between the racing and road car programmes. This is why we have extended the programme." FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and 24-Hours of Le Mans Porsche confirms LMP1 programme up to end of 2018 Stuttgart. Porsche continues racing into the future with the 919 Hybrid: The board of Porsche AG has decided to extend the Le Mans prototype programme until the end of the 2018 season. With its ground-breaking concept – a downsizing turbo engine and powerful energy recovery systems, combined with an extreme lightweight design – the racing car with a performance of around 1,000 hp serves as a research laboratory for future sports car technology. Matthias Muller, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG, said: "Motorsport is an important part of Porsche's brand identity – but not an end in itself.

11M VW diesels affected, Porsche and Audi under investigation

Volkswagen's diesel scandal is growing exponentially larger. In a new statement, the company admits that 11 million vehicles worldwide might be equipped with software capable of evading emissions testing. In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency is beginning an investigation into the 3.0-liter V6 in Audi models and the Porsche Cayenne in the US, according to The Detroit News. The automaker claims that from its investigation so far, the "relevant engine management software is also installed in other Volkswagen Group vehicles with diesel engines." However, the company finds that the "noticeable deviation" in test results and real-world numbers only relates to the Type EA 189 powerplant. That still leaves 11 million vehicles potentially skirting emissions rules, though. Governments around the world have started taking a closer look into the company, too. In the US, the EPA has begun testing VW's V6 diesel because "they were certified well before we knew what we know now," Christopher Grundler, director of the EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality, said to The Detroit News. The agency has started checking diesels from other automakers to make sure they're meeting the rules, as well. Germany, the European Union, and South Korea have instituted similar investigations. In response, VW is setting aside 6.5 billion euros ($7.25 billion at current rates) to cover servicing all of these diesels. The company admits that the figure might have to be adjusted depending on what happens next. The money is being deducted from its third-quarter earnings. Related Video: VOLKSWAGEN AG HAS ISSUED THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT: Sep 22, 2015 Volkswagen is working at full speed to clarify irregularities concerning a particular software used in diesel engines. New vehicles from the Volkswagen Group with EU 6 diesel engines currently available in the European Union comply with legal requirements and environmental standards. The software in question does not affect handling, consumption or emissions. This gives clarity to customers and dealers. Further internal investigations conducted to date have established that the relevant engine management software is also installed in other Volkswagen Group vehicles with diesel engines. For the majority of these engines the software does not have any effect. Discrepancies relate to vehicles with Type EA 189 engines, involving some eleven million vehicles worldwide.