2016 Porsche 911 Gt3 on 2040-cars

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Porsche suspends 911 GT3 deliveries amidst fears of spontaneous combustion

Seeing pictures of Italian supercars burst into flames by the side of the road, as our compatriots at Axis of Oversteer point out, has become something of a usual sight. But a Porsche? Surely those meticulous German engineers have got that taken care of, right?
Not necessarily. Reports coming in from Europe indicate that no fewer than five 911 GT3 coupes have "spontaneously combusted" in the past few weeks, prompting Porsche to launch an investigation. In the meantime, they've reportedly ceased deliveries of the new GT3 while they try to determine what the problem is and work to rectify it.
We wouldn't be surprised to see a recall issued once the problem is resolved, but for now, we'd encourage existing owners to be extra vigilant behind the wheel - or better yet, leave their cars in the garage for the time being. You wouldn't want to drive a 475-horsepower rear-drive sports car through a Polar Vortex, anyway, right?

Automakers not currently promoting EVs are probably doomed

Okay, let's be honest. The sky isn't falling – gas prices are. In fact, some experts say that prices at the pump will remain depressed for the next decade. Consumers have flocked to SUVs and CUVs, reversing the upward trend in US fuel economy seen over the last several years. A sudden push into electric vehicles seems ridiculous when gas guzzlers are selling so well. Make hay while the sun shines, right? A quick glance at some facts and figures provides evidence that the automakers currently doubling down on internal combustion probably have some rocky years ahead of them. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is a prime example of a volume manufacturer devoted to incremental gains for existing powertrains. Though FCA will kill off some of its more fuel-efficient models, part of its business plan involves replacing four- and five-speed transmissions with eight- and nine-speed units, yielding a fuel efficiency boost in the vicinity of ten percent over the next few years. Recent developments by battery startups have led some to suggest that efficiency and capacity could increase by over 100 percent in the same time. Research and development budgets paint a grim picture for old guard companies like Fiat Chrysler: In 2014, FCA spent about $1,026 per car sold on R&D, compared with about $24,783 per car sold for Tesla. To be fair, FCA can't be expected to match Tesla's efforts when its entry-level cars list for little more than half that much. But even more so than R&D, the area in which newcomers like Tesla have the industry licked is infrastructure. We often forget that our vehicles are mostly useless metal boxes without access to the network of fueling stations that keep them rolling. While EVs can always be plugged in at home, their proliferation depends on a similar network of charging stations that can allow for prolonged travel. Tesla already has 597 of its 480-volt Superchargers installed worldwide, and that figure will continue to rise. Porsche has also proposed a new 800-volt "Turbo Charging Station" to support the production version of its Mission E concept, and perhaps other VW Auto Group vehicles. As EVs grow in popularity, investment in these proprietary networks will pay off — who would buy a Chevy if the gas stations served only Ford owners? If anyone missed the importance of infrastructure, it's Toyota.

Stunning vintage Porsche 911 collection profiled by eGarage

It's Pebble Beach time, so how appropriate that eGarage presents us a vid on one of the finest personal Porsche collections in the world. A former COO of drug maker GlaxoSmithKline, Robert Ingram amassed more then 50 Porsches that include a 1949 356 Gmund, a 1961 356B 1600 Carrera GTL Abarth Coupe, and a 1964 356C Carrera 2 Coupe. His collecting career didn't start well, Ingram saying he bought his first Porsche in 1959 sight unseen and it was a fiasco, the seller had lied about everything. Ingram said he still has the car, unrestored, and uses it to show people "what happens when you don't do your due diligence." Things have got much better. Ingram said he's committed to using his cars during his lifetime, so he called some friends for a weekend in Napa Valley to drive selections like his 1968 911L Rally Kit/Sport Kit II, a 1973 911 Carrera RS 2.7, a 1974 911 RS 3.0, and the first 1990 911 Carrera 4 Lightweight. As far as we can tell, they did not drive the Porsche tractor also in the collection. The collection is covered in a new book called Porsche Unexpected by veteran car writer Randy Leffingwell, with photography by Michael Furman, and it also examines the skill of collecting, with tips and mistakes shared by Ingram and other collectors. You can check out some of the cars and words from the party involved in the video above. News Source: eGarage via YouTube Porsche Coupe Luxury Performance Classics Videos egarage