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Autocar pits Porsche 911 Turbo S against Formula 4 racer

There is a long-running argument among performance car fans: power vs. weight. In one corner you get cars generally with small engines making modest numbers but able to corner like they are telepathic, and in the other there are big thumping mills that are rocketships in a straight line but lumber in the turns. Autocar takes an interesting look this continuum in a recent video pitting a 552-hp Porsche 911 Turbo S against a 185-hp Formula 4 racecar. It hopes to find whether the Porsche's huge power advantage is enough to defeat the better grip and aero offered by the nimble racer.
There's no doubt that the Porsche is an utterly fantastic road car. The 911 Turbo looks mean with all of those intakes to suck in cool air, and it backs up the posture with huge amounts of grip available thanks to its all-wheel drive-system. However, at 3,538 pounds, it's a bit of a porker compared to the 1,135-pound Formula 4 car. The open-wheel car boasts just a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder from Ford and a six-speed sequential-manual gearbox, but it has loads of downforce to make up for it.
It shouldn't be a surprise that the formula car wins in the corners. After all, that's what it's made for. So do you think the massive horsepower superiority of the Porsche is enough to even the playing field? Scroll down to watch the video and find out, and even if you're not curious of the winner the 911 does some mean powerslides.

2014 Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid

Porsche's Performance Plug-in Preamble
By the end of this year, Porsche will be producing as many plug-in vehicles (two) as mainstream automakers such as Toyota, Chevrolet and Honda. Before the 2015 918 Spyder hybrid supercar goes on sale in the US, though, it will be warming its customers up to the idea of a plug-in model with the 2014 Panamera S E-Hybrid. A step up from the previous Panamera S Hybrid, the new plug-in Panamera adds a more powerful and advanced electric drive system that pledges to deliver the performance expected of a Porsche with the added benefit of improved fuel economy and reduced emissions.
Going on sale in November, the Panamera S E-Hybrid is aimed at customers also considering the upcoming plug-in version Mercedes-Benz S-Class, but the car's dimensions and performance could make it a competitor for Tesla Model S customers. We headed to Germany at Porsche's invitation to see how well it performs, as well as check out the full range of newly refreshed Panamera models, which now numbers nine offerings - although we're still waiting for a production version of the gorgeous Sport Turismo wagon concept.

Steve McQueen's last Porsche headed for auction

Most people might be happy ordering a new car off a lot, but Steve McQueen was most definitely not "most people." The Hollywood icon was known to custom-order his cars. What you see here is the last car McQueen would ever order, and now it's going up for auction. This is a 1976 Porsche 911 Turbo Carrera (known to aficionados as the 930) that the actor had done up in Slate Gray, with sunroof, dual mirrors, a limited-slip differential, black sports seats, and a switch on the dashboard to kill the taillights in case he was being pursued at night. Chassis number 9306800408 is powered by a 3.0-liter flat six that's turbocharged but (in a rare early configuration) not intercooled. The air-cooled engine features Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection and drives 234 horsepower through a four-speed to the rear wheels. McQueen ordered the 930 new from Bob Smith Porsche in Hollywood. He died a few years later, never having special-ordered another new car – making this the last of its kind. "This car is rich in history," said his son Chad McQueen. "This is the last of the McQueen cars, really. That's known. That's real." And it can be yours, if you place the right bid. Mecum Auctions has it on consignment for its upcoming event during Monterey Car Week, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit Boys Republic – McQueen's own alma mater. STEVE MCQUEEN'S LAST SPECIAL-ORDER PORSCHE TO BE OFFERED AT MECUM MONTEREY 1976 Porsche Turbo 930 Personalized by The King of Cool to Cross the Block Aug. 15 WALWORTH, Wis. – July 14, 2015 – The very last car special-ordered by The King of Cool—the late mega movie star Steve McQueen—will be offered for sale at the Mecum Daytime Auction in Monterey this Aug. 13-15 at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa – Del Monte Golf Course. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the 1976 Porsche 930 Turbo Carrera will be donated to McQueen's alma mater, the reform school Boys Republic. "This car is rich in history," says McQueen's son Chad. "This is the last of the McQueen cars, really. That's known. That's real." McQueen's untimely death in 1980 at age 50 made this 1976 Porsche 930, chassis 9306800408, the very last of his special-order cars. His insatiable and notorious need for speed and his affinity for fine automobiles meant always having the best sets of wheels, and his Porsche 930 is no exception.