1960 Porsche 356b Outlaw on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Chris Harris condemns demonization of Porsche Carrera GT in wake of Walker death

When something bad happens, it's easy to resort to scapegoating. At least for some of us, that seems to be exactly what has happened following the tragic death of actor Paul Walker and racer Roger Rodas, who were killed on November 30 in a Porsche Carrera GT. Even though officials have not yet determined the cause of the crash, that isn't stopping many theories from being put for - theories that include blaming the Porsche supercar. Rather predictably, not only is the CGT's difficult nature getting examined, but indeed, the nature of all high-performance cars is being put under the public's microscope, with some wondering what the need for all the power is.
A Google search of "Porsche Carrera GT" will find no shortage of articles about the razor-sharp handling and outright speed of the CGT. Pistonheads' Chris Harris has a different, insightful take on both the Carrera GT and the nature of all fast cars. He reflects on the matter, ironically, en route to drive the successor to the car that killed Walker and Rodas, the 900-horsepower 918 Spyder hybrid supercar.
We think it's well worth a read, as it makes a number of good points about modern high-performance automobiles and the way they're used. Click over and take a look.

DP Motorsport tries to turn a vintage Porsche 911 into a sleeper

Once you get past the fact that it's hard to call a car a sleeper when it has race-product stickers on its quarter panel, and the script across the back panel reads "Porsche 911 3.2 Sleeper," it's fun to imagine what this car can do. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Porsche 911, Germany's DP Motorsport took a model from 1986, stripped it of everything - including the paint and undercoating - then replaced everything with lightweight and race-ready parts.
In went race cams and ported cylinder heads, a lightweight flywheel, an RSR titanium racing exhaust, 935-style lollipop seats and RSR carpeting, a lightweight battery, perforated and galvanized hinges and brackets, hardened perspex windows. The 3.2-liter engine puts out 270 horsepower - 70 hp above the stock 911 on sale here in 1986 - and 226 pound-feet of torque through a limited slip differential to staggered wheels. The exterior color is metallic rock-green lacquer.
If you want one, $120,00 is where the part starts, but DP Motorsport says it offers the parts individually if you don't need your vintage Porsche to sleep this hard. On a side note, for a chucklesome journey back in time, check out this review of the 1986 911 that gets things going with this line: "First off, the Porsche 911 is very expensive - how does about 40 thou grab you?" Back on topic, there's a press release below that tells the rest of the story of the 3.2 Sleeper.

Porsche inspecting 2,500 Euro-spec Macans for damaged brake boosters

Porsche is investigating a potential brake issue with 2,500 of its new Macan CUVs. The inspection focuses on the state of the brake systems following tests that discovered the brake boosters may have been damaged during assembly.
Porsche has pointed out that, despite the concern, the affected Macans still meet safety regulations. The issue is predominantly found in European-spec Macans, which according to Porsche, have been delivered to consumers. Owners of affected vehicles in Europe will be notified and asked to come in for a brief, no-cost inspection.
American consumers, though, have no reason to worry. We reached out to Porsche Cars North America, who confirmed that the vehicles in question were assembled before US-spec cars were screwed together.