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Why won't automakers slap on a turbo badge anymore?

Where have all the turbos gone? Not the actual pieces that go in the engine, mind you, those are everywhere these days as automakers downsize cylinder counts and boost efficiency and CO2 claims. But the turbo badges and fanfare are missing. Back when turbos were something to get excited about there was "turbo-driven," "turbonium," and "The Turbo Zone," among other silly lines. But now that basically every car is getting some sort of boost even on the lowliest trims, automakers are almost sliding in the turbos under the radar. Or if you look at some of the nomenclature, pretending they don't exist at all. The 911 Turbo badge shows where the car goes from being sane to lunatic. It's an important border. The latest automaker to hide that it has boosted the turbo presence is Porsche with the 2017 911 lineup. Even the standard Carrera models now get turbocharged flat-six engines, meaning the 911 Turbo models aren't quite as special as they once were. Porsche is in a sticky situation with this. The 911 Turbo, after all, signifies where the 911 family takes off from being a sports car and becomes the Ferrari fighter. The 911 Turbo badge shows where the car goes from being sane to lunatic. It's an important border, but now Porsche has crossed it and is trying to downplay the fact. There are a lot of exaggerations with displacement badges today, with claims the 2.0-liter turbo four in a Mercedes C Class equates to a naturally aspirated 3.0-liter six to make a C300. Volvo is pretty far up there, too, saying an XC90 T8 means V8 power, even though it's a 2.0-liter turbocharged and supercharged four with electric assist. I don't know why BMW can't just call the car a 330i Turbo, rather than inflating the numbers up to 340i. Saab tried all of this back in the '90s when it decided to turbocharge its entire lineup, from light pressure units all the way up to models actually called "Saab 9-3 HOT" (for high-output turbo). But then the brand deleted any external reference to the turbo under the hood and people wondered why they were buying a $42,000 four-cylinder convertible. And that didn't turn out well. Even though these turbo replacements often make more power than their naturally aspirated predecessors, they're very different engines. People knew something changed when they exchanged their leased 328i with a 3.0-liter six for a 328i with a 2.0-liter turbo four.

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.

Watch Finnish hoons drift a Porsche, a motorcycle and a snowmobile on ice

We're figure the guys in Finland's Stunt Freaks Team see this video as three minutes of freewheeling snow drifting with a Triumph Daytona motorcycle on snow tires, a Porsche 911 GT3 rally car and a Polaris RMK snowmobile. We, however, like to think of it as a mini-documentary on the winter habits of bipedal Finnish mammals, who display a curious set of winter habits that fascinate us no matter how many times we see them. Admittedly, if we lived conveniently close to Rovaniemi, set smack-dab on the border of the Arctic Circle in Finland's Lapland, we'd do the same thing. The title says it all, save for there also being a side-by-side that was probably the camera car. It's missing the huge roostertails, but it's got a crash and a wheelie to make up for it. News Source: StuntFreaksTeam via YouTube Porsche Motorcycle Luxury Off-Road Vehicles Performance Videos drifting porsche 911 gt3 snow Polaris snowmobile snow drifting triumph daytona