1957 Porsche 356 Replica on 2040-cars

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One POV lap shows 62 years of Porsche through 20 cars

Porsche has earned a legacy of motorsports success that many brands would envy, and the amazing vehicles that achieved those victories were on display this year at the Rennsport Reunion V at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. We visited this massive celebration of the sports car company and got a great look at some of the 1,400 Porsches in attendance. Now it's time for you to strap in and enjoy a POV lap of the track in 20 cars that exemplify 62 years of taking checkered flags across the world. This clip offers a chance to see and hear the evolution of Porsche's racers in just a couple of minutes. It starts behind the wheel of some of the early four-cylinder cars but quickly transitions to the brand's iconic prototypes and eventually to the modern track machines. Here's an opportunity to experience some of these historic vehicles from the cockpit if you missed the chance to see them at Rennsport Reunion V in September.

Porsche Macan sales may push brand past 200K unit goal early

In late 2010, Volkswagen announced that it would spend the equivalent of $71 billion through 2015 to beef up its product lineup, determined to overtake Toyota in overall sales and profitability by 2018. Each of VW's many brands, in turn, would play its part contributing to a goal of 10 million sales per year. VW-owned Porsche was expected to sell 200,000 vehicles per year by 2018, but with the imminent arrival of the Macan small sport utility vehicle in 2014, the automaker is poised to meet that goal years ahead of schedule, Automotive News reports.
Porsche sold 143,096 cars in 2012, and IHS Automotive predicts Porsche will sell 63,000 Macans in 2014, according to Automotive News, which would make it the brand's best-selling vehicle. Do the math and you can see how Porsche could easily beat original expectations ahead of schedule. But Porsche's sales and marketing boss Bernhard Maier says not so fast: "We will not offer [63,000 Macans] in 2014 as we will still be ramping up production and introducing models top down," he told Automotive News Europe. Whether Porsche surpasses the 200,000 mark early or not, he said, the company will not set a new sales target and will remain committed to its business model.
The Macan shares its architecture with the Audi Q5, but Porsche will be able to charge more for its SUV. Tim Urquhart, a senior analyst at IHS Autmotive, told Automotive News that Porsche can charge 10 to 20 percent more, for what is basically the same SUV, than other VW Group brands. How's that for brand value?

Porsche 911 celebrates 50 years of iconic motoring

Back in 1963, Porsche debuted the very first 911 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. And over the last 50 years, that coupe has grown to become one of the most iconic sports cars of all time. That in mind, you could easily chalk up this 50th Anniversary model as just one of the many special edition 911s that have graced our roads over the years, but dig a bit deeper and you'll see that this one is far more than just some unique paint and different wheels.
For starters, the 911 50th Anniversary Edition utilizes the wider Carrera 4/4S body, but retains its standard rear-wheel-drive configuration. Power comes from the Carrera S' 3.8-liter flat-six engine, but features a Powerkit upgrade that includes the Sport Chrono package and ups overall output to 400 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque. Hitting 60 miles per hour takes just 3.8 seconds if the car is fitted with Porsche's dual-clutch PDK gearbox, or 4.2 seconds if you choose the row-your-own seven-speed manual. Talk about going Over The Hill with a quickness.
Despite looking pretty tame, we're really hot on the appearance of this special 911, with its throwback flat gray paint job and new 20-inch wheels that look remarkably similar to the original Fuchs alloys of the 1963 model. Inside, you'll find green lettering on the instrument displays, white pointer needles and silver accents, and the leather seats have a fabric insert that's similar to the Pepita cloth from the original 911.