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Porsche Mission E Concept puts Tesla Model S in its sights [w/video] [UPDATE]

UPDATE: The Mission E might not top the Tesla in driving distance after all. The Porsche's nearly 311-mile range is on the European testing cycle, but the original story compares it to Teslas on the US evaluation. According to Tesla, a Model S 85D is rated at the equivalent of 328 miles in Europe, and the P85D is at 305 miles. The new 90 kWh battery can add an additional six percent to those figures. Porsche might not be saying it directly, but anyone taking even a quick glance can see the Germans are taking aim at Tesla with the freshly unveiled Mission E concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show. With over 590 horsepower, this electric sedan doesn't have quite as much electric grunt as a Model S, but the claimed 310.7 miles of range would outdo even the latest take on Elon Musk's four-door with a 90 kWh battery. For those keeping track, a Ludicrous Speed-equipped Tesla might still be the ultimate victor in a drag race because the E's sprint to 62 takes "under 3.5 seconds." To power the Mission E, Porsche's engineers use two permanent magnet synchronous motors, and they are similar to what's found on the company's 919 Hybrid LMP1 racecar. In a single unit, the devices can both accelerate and recover braking energy. All-wheel drive with torque vectoring and four-wheel steering help the electric sedan lap the Nordschleife in less than eight minutes, the company claims. Capable of hitting 124 mph in less than 12 seconds, the Mission E is undoubtedly quick, but its speed in charging is especially impressive too. The concept utilizes an 800-volt system that Porsche claims can charge the sedan to 80 percent in just 15 minutes, assuming you can find a source for that much energy. That would be enough to offer about 249 miles of range in less time than getting a cup of coffee at a busy Starbucks. The E could also use a traditional 400-volt charger or power up inductively. The Mission E's design looks like a futuristic Panamera as filtered through the style of the 918 and a next-gen Star Wars Stormtrooper helmet. In an especially cool touch, the charging port is hidden in a movable panel ahead of the driver's door on the front fender. Also, like like lots of four-door concepts in recent memory, the design sports suicide doors with no B-pillars. To keep weight to a minimum, the body mixes aluminum, steel, and carbon-fiber reinforced polymer. Also present are carbon-fiber wheels.

Watch Jeff Zwart drive his Porsche GT3 Cup Turbo at Pikes Peak in 4K

There are always fantastic videos documenting the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, but 2015 is giving us an embarrassment of riches. After seeing clips from some of the record-breaking runs this year, possibly the very best is here somewhat belatedly after the rally. Watching master Porsche pilot Jeff Zwart wind his fire-breathing 911 GT3 Cup Turbo up the mountain was definitely worth the wait. Already no stranger to success at Pikes Peak, this year Zwart won the Time Attack 1 Class with a run of 9:46.243. To make the feat more exciting, his Porsche was outfitted with cameras to perfectly capture his entire race up the course. The external shots truly convey a sense of speed and show how the mountain goes from tree-lined at the bottom to rocky with patches of snow at the top. The film's sublime production shouldn't be too big of a surprise, though, because Will Roegge was director, editor, and among the camera operators for the video. In 2014, he put together a great, short documentary about Zwart's preparation for the mountain and the run, as well. This year was yet another success. At a breezy 4.5 minutes, this clip is definitely a must-see, and the entire thing looks and sounds fantastic no matter how your experience it. However, if you have the capability, the video is also available in 4K. Switching over to the high resolution really makes it possible to pick out all of the gorgeous details. Related Video:

Call it a TurBoxster | 2017 Porsche 718 Boxster First Drive

With the sun setting over Circuit of the Americas, the magnificent new Ford GT Le Mans racecar roars, snarls, and pops as the driver lifts going into a series of chicanes flanked by broad red, white, and blue stripes. A bald eagle flies overhead. Maybe. It's quite the spectacle. But it's all rather put to shame when a four-cylinder Porsche blitzes past the GT at full throttle as if it was a rental Mustang that took a wrong turn out of the nearby Austin, Texas, airport. Sure, they were in different racing classes and the four-cylinder Porsche in question was a 919 Hybrid Le Mans Prototype with a 900-horsepower hybrid powertrain and all-wheel drive that weighs about 1,930 pounds. But the fact remains that a four-cylinder engine need not disqualify a car from being an incredible performance machine. And indeed, many of those pretty classic Porsches that festoon posters, calendars, and the well-groomed lawns of swanky car shows have a mere four cylinders pumping into each other in a horizontally opposed formation. Which brings us to the 2017 Porsche 718 Boxster that is the real reason we're in Austin. It's the latest version of the brand's 20-year-old mid-engine roadster, now featuring a numbered middle name borrowed from one of those pretty classic Porsches from the late 1950s and early '60s. Tucked just behind the cockpit, slung ever-so-low in the revised chassis is one of two turbocharged four-cylinder engines – a 2.0-liter in the base Boxster and a 2.5-liter in the S. In a move to improve fuel economy, these engines replace the old 2.7- and 3.4-liter naturally aspirated flat-six engines previously found in the Boxster and its Cayman coupe sibling, which receives the same updates and 718 name for 2017. Those flat-sixes were responsive, made beautiful mechanical noises, and were unmistakable, fundamental elements of the modern Porsche. To lose them would be like drawing a mustache on the Mona Lisa or something, at least according to the turbo four prognosticators. That the change in engine results in a change to the Boxster's character is perhaps obvious. It does. One could also, quite fairly, say that something has been lost. However, something else entirely has been gained, and just because the Boxster is different doesn't mean it has been made worse. For starters, both new engines feature sizable output increases.