1994 Porsche 968 Cabriolet 6 Speed Nice Free Shipping on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Porsche drops factory FIA GTE Pro racing program for 2016

Porsche has a wide-ranging motorsports program in store for next season, but it won't defend its title in the GTE Pro class of the FIA World Endurance Championship. This according to the road-map it laid out over the weekend at its Night of Champions year-end gala in Weissach. The German automaker enjoyed a massively successful racing season this year. With the 919 Hybrid, it took top honors for both drivers and manufacturers, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright along with five additional races on the eight-round calendar to take both the drivers' and manufacturers' titles. With the 911 RSR, it also won the World Endurance Cup for GT Drivers and for Manufacturers, locking out the bragging rights in the GTE Pro category. Rather than return to defend its two GTE Pro titles, Porsche's GT racing department is essentially taking the year off. Reigning champion Richard Lietz and teammate Michael Christensen will have the opportunity to defend his title, but instead of a GTE Pro ride, they will drive for the Proton Dempsey team in the GTE Am category. They'll be joined at Le Mans by Wolf Henzler and at select points by Patrick Dempsey. That'll still put them in contention for the World Endurance Cup for GT Drivers, but without a works entry from the factory, Porsche will be out of the running for the GT manufacturers' title. The reason behind the rearrangement of its WEC GT program, according to Autosport, is to allow Porsche to focus on development of the next generation of sports racers. It's been the better part of three years since Porsche introduced the current 911 RSR, and though its performance in this year's championship clearly shows that it remains competitive, the thorough trouncing it received at Le Mans from the likes of the Corvette C7.R, Ferrari 458 Italia GT2, and Aston Martin V8 Vantage GTE show that it's not invincible. The all-new model is expected to be based on the latest generation of turbocharged 911s, to replace the current RSR. Over on this side of the Atlantic, Porsche still intends to defend its title in the GT class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship, where the Porsche North America team will field two 911 RSRs. One will be driven by defending champion Patrick Pilet and reigning Le Mans winner Nick Tandy (joined in the longer races by former McLaren factory driver Kevin Estre).

EVs still burning aboard ship carrying luxury cars near Azores

LISBON — Heavy tug boats on Tuesday sprayed water on a burning ship carrying thousands of Porsches and Bentleys adrift off the coast of Portugal's Azores islands, the ship's manager said in a statement. The Felicity Ace, carrying around 4,000 vehicles including Porsches, Audis and Bentleys, some with lithium-ion batteries, caught fire on Wednesday last week. The 22 crew members on board were evacuated the same day. Ship manager Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd (MOL) said in a statement the vessel was still on fire but stable, and that no oil leak had been reported so far. It also said the ship was drifting further from the Azores islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Two large tug boats equipped with firefighting gear arrived from Gibraltar on Monday, and were working with another patrol boat to spray water at the Felicity Ace and cool it down, MOL said. The arrival of two other tug boats with more firefighting equipment is scheduled for Feb. 23 and Feb. 26. "Together with the all relevant parties, MOL is making every effort to contain the damage and resolve the situation as soon as possible," MOL said. Joao Mendes Cabecas, the captain of the nearest port on the Azorean island of Faial, said on Sunday the fire had lost its intensity, probably because there was little left to burn. Cabecas said as the fire subsides and the structure cools down, firefighting teams and technicians might be able to board the vessel to prepare to tow it either to Europe or the Bahamas. "When conditions are safe the salvage team will board the Felicity Ace for an initial assessment," MOL added. Cabecas told Reuters over the weekend the lithium-ion batteries in the electric vehicles were "keeping the fire alive." It was not clear whether the batteries had caused the fire. MOL did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the cause of the fire. Volkswagen, which owns the car brands, said on Monday it did not have any further information to share. Green Bentley Porsche Volkswagen Electric Luxury ev fire

Porsche recalling 4,400 911, Boxster and Cayman models over hood latches

Porsche has issued a "precautionary" and voluntary safety recall affecting some 4,400 sports cars across the globe. Here in the United States, the recall includes 1,382 911, Boxster convertibles and Cayman coupes, all of which are from model years 2014 and 2015.
Porsche will be replacing the lock bracket for the front cargo area (the frunk) after internal testing revealed that, while the vehicles meet "strength requirements," specific parts might not meet the company's quality standards throughout the vehicle's life. There have been no reports of accidents or injuries.
Owners of the affected cars will be notified within 60 days and will need to report to a nearby dealer for a free repair, which should take about 30 minutes.