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Porsche celebrates 50 years of 911s with limited edition model

Despite being 50 years old now, the Porsche 911 sure is looking good for her age. And to commemorate this milestone anniversary, Porsche has created the 911 50 Years Edition you see here, which will make its debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show - 50 years after the original 911 debuted at this very same expo.
What's really neat about the 50 Years Edition is that it houses a rear-wheel-drive setup inside of the wider body used for all-wheel-drive Carrera 4 and 4S models. Found at the back is the 3.8-liter flat-six from the Carrera S, upgraded with the Powerkit package that increases horsepower from 400 to 430 and includes the Sport Chrono setup. According to Porsche, hitting 60 miles per hour takes just 4.2 seconds with the seven-speed manual transmission, or 3.8 seconds with the optional dual-clutch PDK.
Visual changes include two special paint colors - a darker graphite grey and a lighter geyser grey - unique 20-inch wheels that pay homage to the original Fuchs rollers of the 1963 car, and special badging at the rear and on the door sills. Inside, there are more throwbacks to the original 911, with green labeling on the instruments, white pointer needles and silver accents. What's more, the leather seats feature a fabric insert reminiscent of the Pepita design from the '60s. Looks great to us.

Porsche names new motorsport chief

Though it may have expanded into crossovers and sedans, Porsche is still a company with racing at its heart. You might even argue that Cayenne and Panamera sales only serve to fund the company's motorsports activities. Competition-spec 911 coupes still make up a large portion of the grid in any GT racing series, and those activities are presided over by the Porsche GT division (separate from its LMP1 program), which has just announced a changing of the guard.
Porsche's GT unit - which is responsible both for racing models like the 911 RSR and road-going models like the 911 GT3 - has until now been steered by Hartmut Kristen (pictured above, left) in his capacity as Vice President of Motorsport at Porsche AG. During his ten-year tenure, Kristen gave birth to the RS Spyder that competed in the American Le Mans Series and the pioneering 911 GT3 R Hybrid. He also fostered what Porsche characterizes as "arguably the most comprehensive youth development program in motor racing" and saw the marque return to Le Mans last year with a dominant 1-2 class victory.
Kristen, now 59 years old, is leaving the German automaker, but will remain an advisor to the company's R&D department. Taking over as VP of Motorsport will be Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser, who has until now been head of the 918 Spyder project (a responsibility he will continue). Walliser (pictured above, right) was previously Porsche's general manager for motorsport strategies and will now be responsible for Porsche's GT projects on and off the track, while Fritz Enzinger continues at the helm of the LMP1 program in pursuit of better results next year than the 919 Hybrid achieved at Le Mans last month.

Porsche planning customer driving center at Le Mans

Porsche seems to be on a campaign to build driving centers for its customers to allow them to experience the capabilities of their cars on track. It has one under way in Los Angeles, another in development at its North American headquarters in Atlanta, and a British center set up at the Silverstone circuit. Now the latest reports indicate that Porsche is planning yet another driving center at Le Mans.
The new facility is earmarked to be built at the Circuit de la Sarthe right by the start/finish line, incorporating the Porsche Curves that bridge the Arnage corner and the Ford Chicanes on the West side of the famous track.
Porsche is reportedly still seeking approval from the Automobile Club de l'Ouest that manages the circuit, and once given the green light, would still take some time to complete. But the idea of driving a 911 flat out on the legendary track is likely to make more than a few mouths water, particularly as the German automaker prepares its full-on assault of the famous endurance race next year.