2011 Porsche 911 Cabriolet Convertible on 2040-cars

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2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS looks even better in the flesh [w/video]

You should never, ever, ever buy a new Porsche 911 GT3 when it first comes out. That's not to say it's somehow bad. It's just that the debut of a new GT3 is, almost without fail, followed by a GT3 RS. GT3: good. GT3 RS: better. This is the latest hot 911, and it comes out shooting with a 4.0-liter flat-six, complete with 500 horsepower and 338 pound-feet of torque. As we explained earlier this morning, sitting behind the wheel of the GT3 RS means 60 miles per hour is just 3.1 seconds away. That is, frankly, a hilariously fast time for a rear-drive, naturally aspirated vehicle with just 500 hp. Consider the new Ferrari 488 GTB, if you will – it has an extra 160 horsepower, (probably) two turbochargers and two more cylinders, and it's only a tenth of a second faster to 62 than the Porsche is to 60. Any Porsche worth its salt will be as rapid in the corners as it is on the straights, and the GT3 RS is no different. It managed to trim five seconds off the standard GT3's Nurburgring time, thanks in part to Porsche's dedication to weight reduction. It's down 22 pounds on the standard car, thanks to magnesium and carbon fiber components. On top of that, Porsche pushed the aerodynamics with a track-ready rear wing and a fairly substantial front splitter. Of course, you know all of this, because we covered it this morning. Still, it seemed worth recapping as we delivered our very own, live-from-Geneva photos of the 2015 Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Take a look. Related Video: Porsche 911 GT3 RS: the Ultimate 911 for High-Performance Drivers Atlanta. The new Porsche 911 GT3 RS breaks down the barrier between road-going sports cars and race cars. It is equipped with the maximum amount of motorsport technology that is currently possible in a street-legal 911 suitable for everyday driving. Extensive modifications to its drivetrain, aerodynamics, and lightweight design take performance to an even higher level than the 911 GT3. With a Nuerburgring Nordschleife lap time of seven minutes and 20 seconds, the new 911 GT3 RS surpasses the 911 GT3 by five seconds, making it the fastest current generation 911 on the famous German racetrack. The 911 GT3 RS is celebrating its world premiere at the 2015 Geneva International Motor Show. Motorsport expertise is the driving force behind this superior performance. The 911 GT3 RS is powered by a four-liter six-cylinder engine developing 500 hp and 338 lb.-ft. of torque, combined with a specially developed PDK transmission.

Porsche announces four flavors of updated Cayenne [w/video]

The new Macan may be getting all the attention lately, but Porsche hasn't forgotten about its larger crossover – the one that put it on the map in 2002 and on the road to profitability, with over half a million sold so far. So to keep the Cayenne at the top of its game, Porsche has announced several key upgrades for the 2015 model. For starters, Porsche has updated the Cayenne's appearance with new front- and rear-end styling. The front bumper, fenders and hood are entirely new, with air fins flanking the nose to direct air into the intercoolers (each model now being artificially aspirated), and new bi-xenon headlamps and daytime running LEDs on every model but the Turbo, which goes all-LED. Around back there's also new taillights, tailgate handle, lower rear fascia and exhaust pipes. Meanwhile the interior has been upgraded with a 918-derived sport steering wheel and reformed rear seats with available ventilation. The bigger news is under the engine bay, where Porsche is offering four choices. The base model is gone as the range starts with the Cayenne Diesel, followed by the Cayenne S, the new Cayenne S E-Hybrid and the top-of-the-line Cayenne Turbo. The Diesel model carries over the same 3.0-liter turbo diesel with 240 horsepower. The Cayenne S however packs a 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6 that's similar to the one found in the Macan Turbo and packs the same 406 lb-ft of torque but more power at 420 hp, 20 more than either its little brother or the model it replaces to reach 62 mph in 5.2 seconds. The new Cayenne S E-Hybrid makes Porsche the world's only car manufacturer to offer three plug-in hybrid models. Porsche has also ported over the powertrain from the Panamera S E-Hybrid to make what Porsche refers to as "the first plug-in hybrid in the premium SUV segment" and, along with the 918 Spyder, make it (almost unbelievably) "the world's only car manufacturer to offer three plug-in hybrid models" (unless, of course, you count the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera as separate from the Chevy Volt and Cadillac ELR). The system mates a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 with 333 hp to an electric motor with 95 hp to give it a combined output of 416 hp (more than the diesel and almost as much as the S) to propel it to 62 in 5.4 seconds, hit an all-electric top speed of 78 mph and an all-out top speed of 151 mph – offering a substantial improvement over the previous Cayenne S Hybrid.

2014 Porsche 911 Targa

I've watched the electro-hydraulic roof panel open and close about 73 times in the past hour, but its fascinatingly complicated operation still has me mesmerized. I've concluded that only a German automaker - Porsche, to be more specific - would go through the trouble of engineering a roof system that essentially lifts the entire greenhouse off a vehicle, rearranges its components like a sliding-tile puzzle, and then reassembles all of them seamlessly (sans roof panel) to accurately recreate one of its most famed bodystyles.
The 2014 Porsche 911 Targa is a near-perfect modern interpretation of the automaker's 1965 911 Targa, a semi-convertible bodystyle that represents nearly 13 percent of all 911 models sold since production started 50 years ago. While the early car's roof was purely manual in operation - that's the period-correct way of saying that the driver did all of the muscle work - today's Targa is a completely automated transformation that requires only that the driver hold down a cabin-mounted switch for a mere 19 seconds to let the captivating show run its course.
After studying the Targa's elaborate roof operation at its launch at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year, I was sufficiently intrigued. To that end, I traveled one-third of the way around the planet to southern Italy, hoping that the Mediterranean climate would reveal a bit more about the reintroduction of the automaker's iconic sports car.