2012 Porsche Panamera 2 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Porsche 919 Hybrid used 500 gallons of fuel to win Le Mans

After 395 laps and over 3,300 miles covered, Porsche claimed its record seventeenth overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year. Those, however, were only a few of the numbers that went into the German team's landmark campaign, the fourth one-two victory in the history of its assault on the endurance race. And now it has released some of the other mind-boggling figures behind its win. Over the course of 24 grueling hours of competition, the winning Porsche 919 Hybrid averaged a staggering 139 miles per hour, reaching a top speed of over 211 mph. Along the way, the winning car changed gears over 25,000 times. We can imagine the drivers worked up quite a sweat in a cockpit, whose temperature topped 80 degrees, with less than a quart of water to drink during each stint between pit stops – the longest of which lasted over ten hours. Little wonder that Mark Webber lost over six and a half pounds by the end of the ordeal. Naturally, pit stops played a huge part in the campaign, and the team – whose headcount topped 120 – carried out 90 stops (30 per car) over the course of the race. All told, the three cars went through 116 tires, each car had its oil refilled entirely, and the winning car alone swallowed up 500 gallons of fuel. And that's not even counting the energy recuperated by the electric component of the hybrid powertrain, which would be enough to power a family home for three months. Those are just some of the most notable figures, but they give us a pretty good idea of the enormity of the whole endeavor. Want to read more? There's a whole list of numbers in the press release below. Related Video: The 17th overall victory for Porsche at the Le Mans 24-Hours 395 laps to victory Stuttgart. On Sunday, 14th June 2015, the trio of Earl Bamber (NZ), Nico Hulkenberg (GER) and Nick Tandy (GBR) took the 17th overall victory for Porsche at the Le Mans 24-Hours. They were followed across the line by the sister car of Timo Bernhard (GER), Brendon Hartley (NZ) and Mark Webber (AUS). This made it the fourth one-two result for the brand after achieving this in 1971, 1987 and 1998. But there are more interesting facts and figures about the race. • The winning team completed 395 laps (5,382,82 kilometres). This year's race was only two laps short of the longest distance covered in Le Mans back in 2010. • The average speed of the winning Porsche 919 Hybrid was 224.2 km/h.

Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer First Drive [w/video]

"There's still a couple hundred rpm left," coaxes the voice from the passenger seat. Though I'm wailing down a mercilessly knotted up Southern California canyon road in someone else's half-million dollar coupe, my manic pace apparently isn't sufficient for the Singer Vehicle Design rep in the right seat. On one hand, my Irish co-pilot with more than a passing resemblance to Bruce Willis is playfully ribbing me because I've been driving hard, but haven't yet hit the 4.0-liter engine's 7,200-rpm rev limiter. On the other hand, if you've never heard of an Irish bloke who doesn't drink because he's got control issues – well, now you have, because the dude's stocky paws are white knuckling the car's rain gutter like his life depends on it. Within my microcosm of itinerant auto writing some days are odder than others; this particular Monday is beginning to look like one of the weirder ones. Rolling, In My Four-Point-Oh The car in question, according to a release I've signed prior to the drive, is a "Porsche 911," a "Porsche," or a "911," but certainly not a "Singer Porsche," a "Singer 911," or any number of variants thereafter. Sigh. I suppose "Porsche 911 reimagined by Singer Vehicle Design" will suffice? Oh, legal department. Nomenclature aside, what started life as a 1990 Porsche 911 has been dismantled and rebodied with a carbon fiber skin that makes it more closely resemble a small-bumpered, wide-hipped 1960s-era 911 than it does its melted bumper donor car. According to company founder (and former Catherine Wheel vocalist) Rob Dickinson, the decision to source a 964-series 911 was based on its delicate foothold between the model's combination of heritage and drivability. "I think the 964 is in the sweet spot of having one foot in old school 911 thinking with the [semi-trailing] rear suspension, which honors every earlier 911, while having a front end which is very much of the modern era and allows the car not to feel like an antique," he tells Autoblog. The specimen I'm driving is the latest evolution of Singer's vision of the reinterpreted 911, distinguished by a 4.0-liter powerplant that's been heavily modified by Ed Pink Racing (and, in Singer tradition, the serial number matches the donor car's chassis). The Van Nuys, California-based firm knows a thing or two about high-strung Porsche mills: the tuner has a long history of rebuilding such mechanical exotica such as 917, 935, and 962 race engines.

Techart tastefully tunes Porsche 911, Cayenne

German tuning haus Techart is making a big showing at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, introducing modified versions of a number of Porsche products. At the fore, we have the new, all-turbo 911 range. Techart has turned its hand to both the turbocharged 911 and the new 911 Turbo (this will get less confusing, right?) with a range of upgrades covering performance and aesthetics. Techart has boosted the Carrera S from 420 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque to 460 ponies and 413 lb-ft of torque. The Turbo S gets a bigger boost, going from 580 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque to 640 hp and 649 lb-ft. It's not clear how Techart has made these gains, aside from the company's "Techtronic" engine management. Surprisingly for an aftermarket tuner at Geneva, Techart's exterior treatments are downright tasteful. There are new front and rear clips and a selection of rear wings, helpfully called Rear Wing I and Rear Wing II, while the diffusers and side skirts are also swapped out. We also dig the center-exit exhaust and its four meaty tips. On the opposite end of the equation, Techart is also modding the Cayenne range. The new Magnum Sport treatment can be applied to the base diesel-powered Cayenne and Cayenne S, the gas-powered GTS, and the Turbo with varying degrees of performance, but it's the force-induced Cayenne we're most interested. In its most potent form, the turbocharged V8 can be boosted from 520 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque to 700 hp and 678 lb-ft. At this level of performance, the Cayenne's sprint falls from 4.4 seconds to just 4.1. That ties the stock Cayenne Turbo S, but it's worth noting the Magnum Sport will do 183 miles per hour to the factory model's 176. Like the 911, there's a slew of aesthetic upgrades regardless of which Cayenne your Magnum is based on. The full body kit isn't as tasteful as the 911. The overall look is far more aggressive and dare we say aftermarket, with plenty of carbon-fiber accents, a very low ride and a serious wide-body look. In particular, the new front and rear fascia present a much more imposing appearance. There's also a carbon-fiber hood, because the aftermarket. We've snapped Techart's modified Cayenne and 911 on the floor of the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. And if you scroll down, there's also the official galleries and press releases for both models. Have a look, and register your opinion in Comments. Related Video: TECHART Personalization for the new Porsche 911 models.