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Former Porsche boss Wiedeking won't face criminal charges over VW bid

Hedge fund managers have been suing Porsche for years now, alleging that the car company lied about its intentions during its failed attempt to take over Volkswagen, a gambit that caused them billion in losses. Over the same period, authorities in Stuttgart built a criminal case against former CEO Wendelin Wiedeking (above, left) and Chief Financial Officer Holger Härter (right), filing charges in December 2012. When those fund plaintiffs lost their most recent court case, one of the dimming lights in the dark and receding tunnel was that the criminal investigation might unearth more evidence about Porsche's actions that could help the plaintiffs in pending litigation.
Bloomberg reports that another light has gone out, though, with a Stuttgart court dismissing the market manipulation case before going to trial because, as a court spokesperson said, "there wasn't enough evidence backing up the charges." When prosecutors get the files back from the court, they have a week to decide to refile, but unless they've been sandbagging evidence that could bolster the case, the only lights at the end of the tunnel will be those welcoming Wiedeking and Härter back to the world of legally unencumbered men.

Porsche offers design walkthrough of Panamera Sport Turismo

The Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo was arguably the best concept car of 2012, and Porsche has been building upon that momentum by teasing us with videos of its first-ever station wagon design. After showing us some driving shots of the Sport Turismo, Porsche released a more in-depth and behind-the-scenes look at what it took to take the Panamera shooting brake from a full-scale clay model to the final product we saw on stage at the Paris Motor Show. In the video, Michael Mauer, Porsche style director, and Mitja Borkert, general manager advanced design style, both give a little insight about what went into creating the Sport Turismo Concept.
More than just a station wagon version of the Panamera, the Sport Turismo has a totally distinctive look nose to tail. Some of the key elements the designers touch on in the video include the Porsche-signature raised front fenders, the wide rear shoulders, the front wing inspired by the 918 Spyder, and even some of the car's unique touches, including the headlights and the three-dimensional "Porsche" lettering across the liftgate made from glass. One of the more exciting aspects of the concept - which is sadly just glossed over in the video - is the rear liftgate spoiler that features "variable aerodynamics" that sounds like it acts similar to the retractable spoiler on the current Panamera.
We still don't know if the Panamera Sport Turismo will make it into production, but if you want to see what went into creating this exciting concept car and see the different build phases designers went through to create the Paris show car, check out the video by scrolling below.

1986 Porsche 959 Prototype at Barrett-Jackson sees gavel fall at $440,000 [UPDATE: w/video]

Fans of Porsche in America have longed for the chance to buy a 959 ever since the German automaker produced and sold it (well, sold it everywhere but the United States...) in the 1980s. Well, they just had their chance. The car you see above is a Porsche 959 prototype built in 1986, and only one other running prototype still exists.
The 959 prototype can't be driven on public roads, as it carries no such certification. Somehow, we doubt that matters all that much to the new buyer - this one is probably going to be sitting in a collection. When the gavel finally fell, bidding had reached $400,000, plus a 10-percent buyer's fee.
Check out our high-res image gallery above to see this prototype up close, and scroll down below to watch a video of it crossing the auction block and for its official auction description.