Top Notch Targa 3.2l G50! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer First Drive [w/video]

"There's still a couple hundred rpm left," coaxes the voice from the passenger seat. Though I'm wailing down a mercilessly knotted up Southern California canyon road in someone else's half-million dollar coupe, my manic pace apparently isn't sufficient for the Singer Vehicle Design rep in the right seat. On one hand, my Irish co-pilot with more than a passing resemblance to Bruce Willis is playfully ribbing me because I've been driving hard, but haven't yet hit the 4.0-liter engine's 7,200-rpm rev limiter. On the other hand, if you've never heard of an Irish bloke who doesn't drink because he's got control issues – well, now you have, because the dude's stocky paws are white knuckling the car's rain gutter like his life depends on it. Within my microcosm of itinerant auto writing some days are odder than others; this particular Monday is beginning to look like one of the weirder ones. Rolling, In My Four-Point-Oh The car in question, according to a release I've signed prior to the drive, is a "Porsche 911," a "Porsche," or a "911," but certainly not a "Singer Porsche," a "Singer 911," or any number of variants thereafter. Sigh. I suppose "Porsche 911 reimagined by Singer Vehicle Design" will suffice? Oh, legal department. Nomenclature aside, what started life as a 1990 Porsche 911 has been dismantled and rebodied with a carbon fiber skin that makes it more closely resemble a small-bumpered, wide-hipped 1960s-era 911 than it does its melted bumper donor car. According to company founder (and former Catherine Wheel vocalist) Rob Dickinson, the decision to source a 964-series 911 was based on its delicate foothold between the model's combination of heritage and drivability. "I think the 964 is in the sweet spot of having one foot in old school 911 thinking with the [semi-trailing] rear suspension, which honors every earlier 911, while having a front end which is very much of the modern era and allows the car not to feel like an antique," he tells Autoblog. The specimen I'm driving is the latest evolution of Singer's vision of the reinterpreted 911, distinguished by a 4.0-liter powerplant that's been heavily modified by Ed Pink Racing (and, in Singer tradition, the serial number matches the donor car's chassis). The Van Nuys, California-based firm knows a thing or two about high-strung Porsche mills: the tuner has a long history of rebuilding such mechanical exotica such as 917, 935, and 962 race engines.

Porsche returns to Forza with Horizon 2 expansion [w/video]

The bar for driving and racing game excellence has been raised to remarkable levels in recent years, and with titles making use of Xbox One and Playstation 4 hardware. But, if you're a fan of major franchises like Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo, the most obvious-for-its-omission car brand has always been Porsche. Happily, that prohibition ends tomorrow, with an epic piece of DLC for Forza Horizon 2. That's right, Forza confirmed to Autoblog (after a series of rumors) that the $9.99 Porsche Expansion hits tomorrow. In fact, we even have an exclusive first look the full car list: 1970 Porsche 914/6 1982 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3 1987 Porsche 959 1989 Porsche 944 Turbo 2003 Porsche Carrera GT 2012 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 (997) 2014 Porsche 911 Turbo S 2014 Porsche 918 Spyder 2015 Porsche Cayman GTS 2015 Porsche Macan Turbo Ten of Stuttgart's finest include historically significant monsters like the 959 and Carrera GT, as well as newcomers Cayman GTS and Macan Turbo. Along with the cars, the expansion pack brings 10 Bucket List events, 10 Rivals events, and 15 achievements in total (for you Forza completionists). We've already put in for a sick day. Porsche has been far more reticent than most OEMs to license its cars for video games, to date, and even this expansion required a deal with Electronic Arts to bring to pass. And, while our sources at Turn 10 Studios say that this Porsche pack will be the only such content for FH2, we can expect that the upcoming Forza Motorsport 6 will be packed with 911s, et al. We couldn't get the studio to discuss specifics about future models (your author is hankering hard for some 356 action), but reps did say that they'll aim for balance, "never losing sight of the type of varied interests and experiences that our players love." Scroll down to read the full press release, or have a browse through our gallery of images and video. We'll see you on the road. Forza Horizon 2 Porsche Expansion Porsche is coming to Forza Horizon 2! Arriving on June 9 exclusively in Forza Horizon 2 for Xbox One, the Forza Horizon 2 Porsche Expansion will bring ten amazing Porsche models for the first time to an Xbox One Forza game. With Porsche models like the 1989 944 Turbo, the 2003 Carrera GT, and the 2014 911 GT3 RS 4.0, the Porsche Expansion Pack will give fans the chance to explore southern Europe in some of the legendary German manufacturer's most beloved cars.

Matthias Muller officially named VW Group CEO

While the vast number of rumors made it seem like a foregone conclusion, Porsche boss Matthias Muller has officially been named Volkswagen Group CEO to replace the recently resigned Martin Winterkorn. His contract runs through the end of February 2020, and until a replacement is found, Muller also gets to hang onto his old job as chairman of Porsche. At the same time, the VW Group Supervisory Board is announcing a massive structural reorganization across the entire company, with the new management model in place by the beginning of 2016. Contrary to previous rumors, Michael Horn remains as President and CEO of VW Group of America. The board wants a greater emphasis on brands and regions going forward, and the scale of this shift can be seen in the US. On November 1, VW Group business in the US, Mexico, and Canada is being combined under the leadership of current Skoda chairman Winfried Vahland. However contrary to previous rumors, Michael Horn remains as President and CEO of VW Group of America. Other brands are also seeing some significant changes mechanically. Porsche, Bentley, and Bugatti now fall under the Group's "sportscar and mid-engine toolkit." This means that the brands will start sharing standardized technical parts. A Chief Technical Officer across all of the company's brands will also start working toward future innovations. The new brand-centric view means the end of a group-wide production department. "Going forward, the brands and regions will also have greater independence with regard to production. So it follows that they should also hold the responsibility for these activities," Berthold Huber, interim Chairman of the Supervisory Board, said in the announcement. In a statement with the press release about his promotion, Muller promised to turn the company around after such an international crisis. He said: "My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group – by leaving no stone unturned and with maximum transparency, as well as drawing the right conclusions from the current situation. Under my leadership, Volkswagen will do everything it can to develop and implement the most stringent compliance and governance standards in our industry." Matthias Muller appointed CEO of the Volkswagen Group Muller remains Chairman of Porsche AG until a successor has been found Matthias Muller (62) has been appointed CEO of Volkswagen AG with immediate effect.