1984 Porsche 944 For Parts Or Repair, Was In Flood on 2040-cars

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Porsche GT division rules out AWD, SUVs

Any German automaker worth its lap times needs a performance division. Mercedes has AMG, BMW has the M division, Audi has Quattro GmbH with its S and RS models... even Volkswagen has its R line of hot hatches. And though Porsche is a performance automaker unto itself, even it has a performance division. It's called Porsche GT, and though it's been branching outside the 911 range lately, don't expect it to wander too far. According to Car and Driver, which spoke recently with Porsche GT boss Andreas Preuninger and R&D chief Wolfgang Hatz, there are limits to what the division will do. And while those limits may have been broadened to include technologies like turbocharging and dual-clutch transmissions, they won't stretch as far as all-wheel drive. Take a look at the previous-generation 997 and what separated the 911 GT2 from the 911 Turbo was principally its all-wheel-drive system. Porsche GT isn't planning on doing a GT2 this time around – the new GT3 RS occupying that territory on its own – but the next generation (whether it wears the number 2 or 3) will likely go turbo along with most of the rest of the 911 family. The exclusion of all-wheel drive from the Porsche GT parts bin also means that the division won't be taking on the company's SUVs like the Cayenne and Macan. So the Cayenne GTS will be as extreme as it gets, taking on the likes of the BMW X5 M, Mercedes GL63 and Audi SQ5 without the help of Zuffenhausen's racing department. We can't expect the PDK to stick around though, so to speak. Though the new Cayman GT4 packs a manual transmission, the 911 GT3 and GT3 RS have dual-clutch gearboxes. Moving forward, Preuninger says they'll leave it up to prospective customers to decide which type of transmission they'll build into their most extreme performance models.

Porsche 918 Spyder burns to ground in gas station conflagration

There's one fewer Porsche 918 Spyder zipping along the roads of Toronto, Canada, today. A fire at a gas station over the weekend claimed one of the hybrid supercars in a massive blaze, and a portion of the inferno was caught on video.
According to our partners to the North at Autoblog Canada, the cause of the fire hasn't been officially confirmed yet, but witnesses reportedly claimed gasoline somehow came into contact with the hot exhaust outlets that exit out of the top of the supercar's engine bay. This was just one of two 918s believed to be in the Toronto area.
Other than a possible broken heart from the owner, the fire reportedly caused no injuries, and only the Porsche and gas pump appeared to sustain serious damage. Warning, the video of the conflagration does contain some explicit language.

2017 Porsche 718 Boxster: Old name, modern performance

Porsche set the bar pretty high when it attached the number 718 to the new Boxster. The original Porsche 718 Spyder from the late '50s and early '60s remains one of the most iconic in the company's history. Nameplates aside, the biggest change to the new 718 Boxster can be found under the rear deck. That's where Zuffenhausen has embraced the latest trend in downsizing and turbocharging. In place of the previous naturally-aspirated flat-sixes, the new 718 packs a 2.0-liter turbo boxer four good for 300 horsepower, or a 2.5-liter version with 350 hp. They're smaller than the engines they replace, but also more powerful – and offer a significant improvement in torque as well. The result is a 0-60 time as low as 4.0 seconds – in what's long been considered the "junior" Porsche sports car. Of course Porsche didn't just swap the engines out and call it a day. The styling has been updated inside and out, and there's new equipment as well. The finished product will go on sale in April – but that's in Europe where it's been unveiled today at the Geneva Motor Show. It'll hit US dealers in June, and we can look forward to a 718 Cayman version with a fixed roof to follow soon as well. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.