2006 Porsche Boxster on 2040-cars

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Noted Porsche collector Magnus Walker learns what a TED Talk is firsthand

Porsche collector Magnus Walker has the name and looks of a Viking, but once he starts talking about his life story and what drives him, he's an absolutely fascinating guy. Walker recently gave a Ted Talk at a Tedx conference at UCLA and claimed he didn't really understand the idea behind the speeches. You would never know it, though. Walker is as gifted a speaker as he is a talented restorer of some seriously cool Porsches.
Walker's talk is titled "Go with Your Gut Feeling," and it amounts to his autobiography. He recounts his birth in England, dropping out of school at 15 and moving to the US at 19. Once in Los Angeles, he started selling second-hand clothes and grew it into a fashion business.
Of course, what makes him interesting to us is his passion for Porsches. He fell in love with them when he saw a white 911 as a child at the Earl's Court Motor Show in England, but Walker waited until the '90s to buy his first one. From there he started racing and eventually restoring them. Since the documentary Urban Outlaw about him was released, Magnus has become famous for the love of the brand.

Porsche opens new HQ, experience center in Atlanta

Next time you're flying into the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, keep an eye out for some great architecture with sports car racing around it. Porsche just spent $100 million, its largest investment ever outside of Germany, to open a new Experience Center and headquarters on the Northeast corner of the airport. The 27-acre site is designed for both work and play, and it's a Porsche fan's dream. The high point for drivers is the 1.6-mile Driver Development Track. The course includes six distinct sections, like an off-road course to get muddy and the only Kick Plate in North America to practice hanging the car's tail out. When not speeding around, visitors can check out the brand's classic cars on display and some art inspired by those machines. There's also a conference center and a place for fine dining called Restaurant 356. Porsche expects 30,000 people a year to check out the new site. Porsche Cars North America has been headquartered in Atlanta since 1998. However, the new construction puts many of its divisions under one roof, including the people working in financial services and consulting. Editor-in-Chief Mike Austin is visiting One Porsche Drive right now, and reports that the company is also building an experience center in Los Angeles and a flagship dealer in New York. Porsche is also working on experience centers in Le Mans and Shanghai, with plans to expand into Moscow and Istanbul, as well. Get a good look at the whole site in the gallery above. Related Video: Porsche Opens New $100 Million Experience Center and Headquarters in Atlanta News Release May 7, 2015 No. 55/15 Largest investment for Porsche outside Germany features industry-first facility in North America complete with dynamic track, classic car gallery, restoration center, event space, and fine dining restaurant Atlanta. Porsche Cars North America today officially opened its new $100 million Porsche Experience Center (PEC) and headquarters in Atlanta. The 27-acre complex located at the Northeast corner of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the largest investment ever outside Germany for the sports car manufacturer. The industry-first facility is complete with a driver development track, classic car gallery, restoration center, human performance center, driving simulator lab and a fine dining restaurant. A state-of-the-art business center features 13,000 square feet of conference and event space.

2015 Porsche 911 GTS starts at $114,200*

Purists often criticize Porsche for creating products like the Cayenne, Panamera and recently launched Macan, saying they dilute the true sports car spirit of the brand. It's an argument we've heard before, and one we counter with two points. First: No they don't. And second: These are Porsche's volume superstars, and the money they rake in allows the company to create dozens of versions of its well-liked sports cars. Want proof? Have a look at the gallery above, where you'll see four new versions of the 911, all with GTS badges on their rumps. This means Porsche now offers 19 versions of the 911. Nineteen.
Porsche offered a GTS version of the 911 in its previous generation, and this new one seeks to slot somewhere between the standard car and the hardcore GT3. It's available in coupe and cabriolet forms, with either rear- or all-wheel drive, starting at $114,200, *not including $995 for destination. The GTS Cabriolet comes in at $126,100, while models equipped with AWD will set you back $120,900 or $132,800 for the coupe or convertible, respectively.
All GTS models get the 430-horsepower version of the Carrera S' 3.8-liter flat-six with the Powerkit, which also includes the Sport Chrono package and the sport exhaust. If equipped with the PDK dual-clutch transmission, the 911 GTS will hit 60 miles per hour in just 3.8 seconds (or four seconds flat, if you've got the Cabriolet) - one tenth of a second quicker than the normal Carrera S. The car's top speed varies, depending on trim or transmission, but Porsche says the car will hit anywhere from 187 to 190 mph, flat out.