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Porsche's new twin-turbo V8 will power Audis

Porsche unveiled a new twin-turbo V8 engine at the 37th International Vienna Motor Symposium yesterday. According to a report from Car and Driver, the engine will see use in future V8 applications across the VW Group and could find its way into various Audis, Bentleys, and even the Lamborghini Urus. We expect to see it first in the 2017 Porsche Panamera. The engine makes 549 horsepower and 567 pound-feet of torque, or 21 hp less than the 4.8-liter twin-turbo V8 in the Panamera Turbo S. Welcome to the brave new world in which Porsche is a more-integrated part of the VW group. While the new engine puts out impressive numbers, it likely means that the Porsche-exclusive 4.8-liter is headed for the history books. Component sharing is nothing new - Porsche already uses other VW Group engines in its lineup - but it means the flat-four and flat-six engines in the 718 Boxster/Cayman and 911 will be the only unique powerplants remaining in the Stuttgart automaker's offerings. According to C/D, the new engine features cylinder deactivation and is optimized for future hybrid applications. It also consumes 30 percent less fuel than its predecessor, and will mate to both an 8-speed automatic and ZF's dual-clutch 8-speed. Along with the next Panamera, Porsche is also likely to use this engine in the Cayenne. A representative of Porsche North America was unable to provide any official information to Autoblog. If you're hungry for more details, click through to C/D's website. Related Video: News Source: Car and Driver, 37th International Vienna Motor Symposium Porsche Luxury Performance

Aston Martin renames Vantage GT3 after Porsche throws hissy fit

Porsche has a long history of using the name "GT3" for its hardcore, naturally aspirated 911 models, and that means it's certainly not going to share it with the likes of Aston Martin. See, it seems the arrival of the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show didn't sit well with Stuttgart, which opted to lawyer up. According to Goodwood Road and Racing, attorneys from both sides of the Channel have been in discussion for months over the issue, with Porsche arguing it's been using the GT3 name since 1999, and that makes it theirs. Aston, though, argues that the FIA GT3 racing series makes the name fair game for road cars. Moreover, the Brits point out that the alphanumeric was in use well before Porsche got its mitts on it – GRR rightly points out the Lotus Esprit GT3 hit the streets three years before the 996 GT3. And while we're on the subject, Bentley has its own GT3, but we're guessing its status as one of Porsche's siblings means its immune to this kind of squabbling. Rather than getting into a knock-down, drag-out courtroom brawl with one of the Volkswagen Group's prized brands, though, Aston has taken the high road. The company will rechristen both the road-going Vantage GT3 and Vantage racer as the GT12. While Porsche is no stranger to aggressively protecting what it views as its closely held vehicle names, we have to admit, it seems like Aston actually has something of a case. Do you think the Brits were right to settle and change the Vantage's name, or should they have taken the fight to Porsche? Have your say in Comments.

Salvage team boards burnt ship Felicity Ace off Azores, towing begins

LISBON — More than a week after a ship packed with around 4,000 vehicles, including Porsches, Audis, Lamborghinis and Bentleys, caught fire in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, a salvage team managed to board the vessel on Friday and started to tow it to a safe location off the Portuguese Azores archipelago. In a statement, ship manager Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd (MOL) said the Felicity Ace remained stable, and the smoke that for days billowed from the vessel, adrift around 170 km southwest of the Azores, had stopped. The 22 crew members of the Panama-flagged Felicity Ace, which was carrying around 4,000 vehicles including Porsches, Audis and Bentleys from Germany to the United States, were evacuated last Wednesday, the day the fire broke out. Some of the vehicles are electric and their lithium-ion batteries have made the fire very difficult to extinguish, port officials have said. Previous attempts to board the ship to assess its condition and start preparing it for towing had failed due to the fire and rough seas. On Friday, the team was able to board by helicopter and the salvage boat Bear started towing the vessel to a "safe area off Azores," the ship manager said. It was not clear where exactly the vessel was being towed to. It was being escorted by two tug boats and another salvage craft equipped with firefighting gear, MOL said. Related video: Image Credit: Portuguese Navy (Marinha Portuguesa) via Reuters Green Weird Car News Audi Bentley Lamborghini Porsche Electric fire car fire shipping cargo ship