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Malaise Era All-Stars

A few weeks ago, we bid a fond happy 40th anniversary to the automotive dark ages of 1973-84 that have come to be known as "The Malaise Era" - the performance ice-age when 160 horsepower was a lot and a 0-60 time of under 10 seconds was remarkable. Like music in the 1980s, everything in automobiledom didn't suck, however. There were a few bright spots. Here are five of our favorites:
1976-79 Porsche 930, aka 911 Turbo Carrera (above)
Photo Credit: Dorotheum

Porsche 911 going all-turbo this year save for GT3 and GT3 RS

The coming Porsche 911 GT3 RS will represent another high-water mark for the brand, and another milestone. Its 500-or-so horsepower and extreme aero are predicted to lop more than five seconds off the 7:20 Nurburgring lap time of the current GT3, making it "comfortably less" than 7:20. Beyond that, its naturally-aspirated 3.8-liter will form the basis of the turbocharged engines going into the standard range of 911s later this year as 2016 models. That's right – if you're looking for a sub-GT3 911 that gulps its air without compressed assistance, then you've only got a few months to get a new one into your garage. Emissions regulations are the reason, of course, with Porsche's R&D chief Wolfgang Hatz saying that, "Every new model will have lower CO2 than before," and "if you look at euro per g/km, then it's turbo." We don't know what the engine lineup will look like, however; a few months ago Car reported that the base 911 would get a smaller-displacement version of the engine, while the S would stick with 3.8-liter displacement and jump to 520 horsepower, which is the same as the current Turbo. After that, Hatz said, "at the end of the decade electrification has to be the next huge step." That means a hybrid 911 is being cooked up somewhere. Yet even as the brand leaps into the new, there's a chance it could dip a toe back into the old: the 911 GT3 RS will launch with a PDK, but Hatz's team is considering adding the option of a seven-speed manual. Elsewhere in the range, the Cayman GT4 is being engineered by Porsche Motorsport as an entry-level racer, with more power than the current Cayman GTS to go with some serious weight loss. They are also developing a track-only model for privateers. The standard Boxster and Cayman will get turbocharged flat-four engines, but there'll be a sporty Boxster that also loses weight and gets more power than the 325-hp Boxster GTS. And that mid-level supercar that's been floating in the ether for years and supposedly sent to purgatory again just last November? It's on the way by 2020 "at the latest," and will use a version of the new V8 that will eventually go into the Cayenne and Panamera. Featured Gallery 2015 Porsche 911 GT3 RS: Winter Testing Spy Shots View 13 Photos News Source: Top Gear, AutocarImage Credit: CarPix Green Porsche Emissions Convertible Coupe Hybrid Luxury Performance Supercars porsche 911 gt3 wolfgang hatz porsche supercar

Porsche 911 driven by McQueen on Le Mans set for auction

Another piece of Porsche memorabilia from the movie Le Mans is going up for auction with Christie's at The Exceptional Sale on Nov. 4 in Paris. This is a 1971 911 T that Steve McQueen used as his personal car during filming - it is not the 1970 911 S seen in the movie's opening sequence. It is one of the Porsches provided by two-time Le Mans winner and stunt driving double Jo Siffert. McQueen's production company CBS Solar Films bought the 911 T from Siffert, one of four 911s CBS Solar bought from the Swiss driver for use in and during filming. McQueen gifted the car to co-star and leading lady Elga Andersen. When she died in 1994 she willed it to her best friend, and the friend sold it to the current owner, who put it up for sale. None of them put the car to much use, as it has only 28,637 miles on the odometer, which is fewer than 55 miles per month for the last 44 years. The pre-sale estimate for this car is $284,000 to $397,000. By comparison, the 911 S used in the movie's opening sequence sold at auction in 2011 at Monterey for $1,375,000. In addition to being a relative bargain in that case, it comes with a scan of the original contract from Siffert to Anderson giving her the car, and a picture of McQueen and his son Chad with the coupe. Related Video: News Source: Christie's [1], [2] Celebrities TV/Movies Porsche Auctions Coupe Luxury Performance Steve McQueen christies 1971 porsche 911t