2012 Porsche Cayenne Turbo White 2 Tone Espresso & Cognac Leather 21 Rims on 2040-cars

Auto blog

1949 Gm?nd Porsche shows the birth of an icon

The Austrian village of Gmünd is more than just difficult to pronounce; it's also the birthplace of the Porsche brand. Before the company ever started building sports cars at its current home base near Stuttgart, the fledgling business completed several vehicles in the tiny town in Southern Austria. In this video, former Pikes Peak International Hill Climb champion Jeff Zwart takes a look at a 1949 Gmünd coupe to see how the company has evolved since its earliest days.
The thing to note about the Gmünd-built Porsches is their absolute design simplicity. The phrase "form follows function" gets bandied around a lot, but it really means something when you look at these early cars. However, the minimalism was partially out of necessity. The vehicles were meant to be sporty but certainly weren't rockets. Power came courtesy of a modified Volkswagen Beetle engine, and anything extraneous would have slowed the models down. Scroll down to watch Zwart go back in time to Porsche's beginnings.

What hardcore 911 is Porsche working on now?

Porsche has been spotted testing a new hardcore version of the latest 911. The prototype appears to blend the best elements from the recently facelifted 991.2 with those of the outgoing GT3 RS, which both follows logically and bodes well for the German automaker's latest track-focused performance machine. That means new lighting and other touches, but also more ventilation than a toxic chemicals facility. The bigger question, however, is what engine Porsche is hanging off the back. If history teaches us anything, we could be looking at one of several possibilities. For one, this could be a prototype for the updated 911 GT3 RS, carrying a modified version of the existing model's 4.0-liter flat-six, still naturally aspirated, but maybe with a few extra horses kicked in over the outgoing version's 500 hp. For another, it could follow in the footsteps of the previous limited-edition GT3 RS 4.0, but since the existing model already boasts that displacement, this one could go a step further at 4.2 liters. But then it might not be a GT3 at all: we could be looking at the rebirth of the GT2, the primary difference between the two being the absence or presence of turbochargers. Porsche hasn't done a forced-induction GT model since the GT2 RS of 2010, and that was essentially a 911 Turbo sans the all-wheel drive and any shred of sanity. Whatever is lurking under all that aggressive bodywork, we're looking forward to finding out. And we get the distinct feeling that it won't disappoint. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Porsche 911 GT2/GT3 RS: Spy Shots View 14 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Spy Photos Porsche Coupe Performance porsche 911 gt3 porsche 911 gt2 rs

UK Porsche GT3 owners are irked that other countries are getting better deals

Porsche 911 GT3 owners in the United Kingdom are up in arms, but it's not for the reason you might think. Okay, well it sort of is. See, it's been fairly well documented that 911 GT3 owners have had their cars grounded over concerns that the engines could catch fire. Porsche is rushing to build and install replacement engines in all 800 or so cars, scattered around the globe.
This isn't really the issue. The problem for these British owners is compensation. While the car's have been grounded, car notes still need to be paid. To deal with this, American GT3 owners are being paid $2,000 per month. German owners get 175 euros ($242 at today's rates) per day while a GT3 owner in Dubai is allegedly receiving $12,000 (it's unclear if this is a lump sum or a monthly payment). Basically, if you aren't able to drive your six-figure super car, you shouldn't have to pay for it. Seems reasonable regardless of the make.
British owners, though, aren't being compensated, and for 30 to 35 owners, that's not acceptable. They've banded together and are led by Sunil Mehra.