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2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS prowls into Geneva with biggest NA engine in the 911 range [w/video]

We've been waiting for the debut of this road-going and race-ready Porsche 911 GT3 RS for quite some time now. As is typical for high-profile sports machines, the new 911 has been foreshadowed with spy shots and information leaks aplenty, all pointing to this grand day at Geneva. Here she is. Just a glance at the duct-sliced bodywork and massive rear wing will tell you that this Porsche means business, but let's look at its bona fides. The heart of the matter, under that short rear deck, is the largest-displacement and most powerful naturally aspirated engine in the 911 family, with 500 horsepower and 338 pound-feet of torque developed by the 4.0-liter flat-six. That hoss of an engine is mated to a newly developed version of Porsche's PDK dual-clutch gearbox – with functions such as "paddle neutral" that effectively works like depressing the clutch on a standard manual, and a Pit Speed button for on the track. Working in concert, engine and trans allow the GT3 RS to sprint to 60 miles per hour in 3.1 seconds, hit a quarter mile in 11.2, and lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife in just seven minutes, 20 seconds. (That 'Ring time makes it the fastest current 911 around the benchmark course, and five seconds faster than the current 911 GT3 – so quick.) Weight has been saved via exotic materials; the car sports a magnesium roof and carbon fiber for the trunk and engine lids. Overall the RS is 22 pounds lighter than the GT3, but also boasts a lower center of gravity. As we said at the top, there's a wide, low and aggressive body kit on the GT3 RS, all engineered with racing performance in mind. That huge rear wing is balanced in the front by a deep chin spoiler, and the front wheel arches have been punctuated with vents that help to increase downforce on the front axle. The roll cage is the most obvious interior modification to let one know that this is a racing tool, but Porsche has also slathered the space in Alcantara and installed carbon-fiber bucket seats (based on those found in the 918 Spyder) to drive the point home. The cost of such racing glory will be steep at $175,900 plus a $995 destination charge, but not out of the scope of the current ask for the 911 range, when you consider that a Turbo S runs over $180k. Look for 911 GT3 RS deliveries to start in July of this year in the US, and for track days to be more competitive for the addition. Porsche 911 GT3 RS: the Ultimate 911 for High-Performance Drivers Atlanta.

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Porsche names Oliver Blume as new CEO

With Matthias Muller stepping up to take over as the new chief executive of the entire Volkswagen Group, the Porsche division is going to need a new CEO of its own. Taking Muller's place will be Dr. Oliver Blume, who assumes his new responsibilities on October 1. Blume is no stranger to the higher ranks at Porsche, having served for over two years now as the executive in charge of the company's production and logistics. In that capacity, he oversaw the establishment of the workshop where the 918 Spyder was built by hand, and the expansion of the Leipzig plant to handle production of the Macan and Panamera. He'll now be stepping into bigger shoes, however, as chairman of the board of management – essentially the company's chief executive. At the same time, Porsche has also named Detlev von Platen as its head of sales and marketing. Von Platen has for the past seven years headed up the North American office, which recently lost its VP as well to Rolls-Royce, so they're going to need to make some new appointments in Atlanta. The previous marketing chief Bernhard Maier is moving to the Czech Republic to take over as CEO of Skoda. The company's CFO Lutz Meschke has also been named as deputy chairman of the executive board. The appointments come amidst a giant game of musical chairs within the Volkswagen Group. Aside from the ousting of former supervisory board chairman Ferdinand Piech five months ago, the diesel emissions scandal has seen the German industrial giant cleaning house within its top ranks and R&D staff. Most notable was the resignation of Martin Winterkorn, whose position at the head of the group's management board Muller will now assume. Supervisory Board of Porsche AG appoints Detlev von Platen Head of Sales and Marketing Oliver Blume is new Chairman of the Executive Board Stuttgart. At its meeting today, the Supervisory Board of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG appointed Dr. Oliver Blume (47) the Chairman of the Executive Board of the sports car manufacturer effective October 1, 2015. Blume succeeds Matthias Muller (62), who was appointed by the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG to be the new Chairman of the Board of Management of the Wolfsburg-based group. It has been exactly five years since Muller left Volkswagen to become the CEO of Porsche AG. Since the beginning of 2013, Blume has been a member of the Porsche Executive Board responsible for Production and Logistics.