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Porsche 918 Spyder goes ice drifting in Finland

Along with the Ferrari Laferrari and McLaren P1, the Porsche 918 Spyder is one of the trio of hybrid supercars potentially defining the path for these rarified vehicles going forward. When thinking about high-performance machines like this, the mind usually goes to precise driving around a circuit or maybe along a beautifully undulating road... not so much in the snow. Still, this group has more than enough power to make it through a little bit of powder, and the 918 proves that at the Porsche Driving Experience winter camp in Finland. Although, the set of studded snow tires certainly helps. Even with the trick all-wheel drive system in the Porsche combining a mid-mounted V8 and electric motors, this 918 has absolutely no problem lighting up the rear end in the snow and ice. Even at relatively low speeds, just a blip of the throttle is all it takes for the back tires to step out. However, the handling still looks quite controllable. It's hard to grin as this rare supercar does the Scandinavian Flick to set up a perfect drift between the snow banks.

Porsche Panamera Turbo S vs Ariel Atom Supercharged in unlikely drag battle

David versus Goliath battles are always an enticing proposition, because they offer the chance to watch scrappy underdogs take on their bigger rivals. Evo has set up just such a battle with its latest drag race between the minimalist Ariel Atom 3.5 Supercharged (Ariel Atom 3 pictured below) and the plush Porsche Panamera Turbo S.
The two cars couldn't be more different. The Atom personifies Lotus founder Colin Chapman's well-known axiom: "Simplify, then add lightness." Most of the car doesn't even have a body; it's just an exposed frame with a 310 horsepower supercharged Honda four-cylinder mounted behind the driver. On the other side, there's the Panamera Turbo S. In the latest version, it packs 570 hp and 553 pound-feet from its 4.8-liter twin-turbo V8 and it features all-wheel drive. Of course, all of that comes with a significant weight penalty.
Off the line, the differences are even more apparent. The Atom doesn't have any of the Porsche's technological wizardry, so launching it challenges the driver to build the revs and let out the clutch just right. The car screams like a banshee as it goes, though. The Porsche is the exact opposite. Its launch control system lets the driver hold down the brake, get on the throttle and accelerate away in just the right way.

Meet the new Porsche 718 Boxster and Boxster S

The rumors were mostly true. Porsche had already confirmed that the Boxster and Caymans would receive a "718" appended to their badges, in honor of their famous mid-engined racecar of the 1950s and '60s, but the mechanical details were left up in the air. We were almost certain both would be powered by turbocharged flat-fours of a couple of displacements and outputs, and now we can confirm that this is the case. Porsche has revealed the official specs for the 718 Boxster, which will go on sale in Europe this April. The biggest news concerns the flat-fours. The regular 718 Boxster will get a 2.0-liter, turbocharged flat-four producing 300 hp. The 718 Boxster S will get an extra half-liter of displacement and a variable-geometry turbocharger to produce a total of 350 hp. This represents a 35 hp gain over the current Boxster and Boxster S, respectively. Porsche also claims the turbo fours improve fuel economy by around 13 percent. By the NEDC European test cycle, the 2.0-liter gets roughly 34 mpg and the 2.5 gets 32 mpg, although rest assured that EPA test results will yield different numbers than the optimistic European test. Torque gains with the new boxer fours are significant. The 2.0-liter gains 74 lb-ft of torque for a total of 280 lb-ft from 1,950 to 4,500 RPM. The 2.5 gains less, 43 lb-ft, for a total of 309 lb-ft over the same rev range. The extra torque and wide torque band make the 718 Boxster quicker to 60 mph, at least when equipped with the PDK gearbox and the Sport Chrono Package. The 2.0-liter car does the deed in 4.5 seconds, a 0.7-second improvement, and the 2.5-liter car is claimed to hit 60 mph in 4.0 seconds, a 0.5-second improvement. 2016 Porsche 718 Boxster View 11 Photos Inside, a new dash houses the latest Porsche Communication Management infotainment system with a touchscreen, included on all 718 Boxsters as standard – although nav is an optional extra. The buttonless, capacitive-touch center stack we just spied on the next Panamera does not make it inside the 718 Boxster, which makes do with a very similar button layout to the current car. Both cars will come with a six-speed manual as standard, which is great news, and a PDK will be optional for both. Porsche also claims to have made the electrically-assisted steering more direct, and retuned the suspension. An optional PASM package lowers the car by 0.4 inches while providing the benefits of active dampers. From a styling standpoint, this is an evolution of the current theme.