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Juan Pablo Montoya tests Porsche 919 Hybrid in Bahrain

Sealing the FIA World Endurance Championship wasn't the only thing that Porsche did this past weekend in Bahrain. Alongside its rivals from Audi and Toyota, the German outfit also participated in a test session for potential new drivers, including Juan Pablo Montoya. Driving the Le Mans- and championship-winning Porsche 919 Hybrid at the Bahrain International Circuit this weekend, Montoya set the fastest time of the day. His "qualifying" lap was clocked at 1:40.86, barely more than a second behind the 1:39.67 lap that earned Timo Bernhard pole position in the previous day's race – and a second faster than the fastest lap set in the race by Neel Jani in another 919 Hybrid. That's a mighty impressive feat for a driver relatively unaccustomed to driving a modern hybrid LMP1. Racing fans will know Montoya as a multi-talented driver. The Colombian has competed successfully in Formula One, Indy, NASCAR, and sports prototypes, winning races in all disciplines. Aside from the International Formula 3000 title, three outright victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona, and a handful of NASCAR street-course races, Montoya can count among his many achievements the CART title, two Indianapolis 500 wins, and the checkered flag at the Monaco Grand Prix (along with six other F1 races). Those victories have brought JP among the closest to winning the Triple Crown of motorsports of any driver in racing history, and he's still competing. For those unfamiliar, the Triple Crown is an unofficial measure to gauge the diverse talents of professional racing drivers in three disciplines: Indy, F1, and Le Mans. To win, a driver has to win the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and either the Monaco Grand Prix or the Formula One World Championship. Graham Hill is the only driver in history to have swept all the categories, but others have come close. The list of near-winners includes Tazio Nuvolari, Mike Hawthrown, Phil Hill, AJ Foyt, Bruce McLaren, Jim Clark, Mario Andretti, and Emerson Fittipaldi. The only contenders still active are Montoya and Jacques Villeneuve, who won at Indy in '95, the F1 championship in '97, and came second at Le Mans in 2008. Villenueve could still steal the crown if he gets another shot at Le Mans, but the more likely scenario would be to see Montoya rise to the throne. Especially if this test session is any indication. Also driving the Porsche was in the rookie test session was Mitch Evans, a former GP3 champion and GP2 race winner from New Zealand.

Lexus leads J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Study for 2021

J.D. Power's latest Vehicle Dependability Study is out, and, not surprisingly, Lexus sits at the top for the ninth time in the last 10 years. Right behind Lexus is Porsche, followed by Kia, which is the highest-ranked mass-market brand in the study. Genesis, last year's top-ranked brand (in its first year included in the results), fell from first to eighth, though the G80 sedan did earn an award in its midsize luxury segment. The Porsche 911 was called out as the Most Dependable Model by J.D. Power for the second time in the last three years. The vehicles being studied are from the 2018 model year, which means owners have had three years to get to know their cars and trucks. It's notable that this year's study shows a marked improvement in overall vehicle dependability as tracked by J.D. Power. The overall level of problems, scored by the number of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100), declined by 10% compared to last year.  "The study results validate what we have known for some time," said Dave Sargent, vice president of global automotive at J.D. Power. "Automakers are making increasingly dependable vehicles — but there are still some problem areas that need to be addressed and some warning signs on the horizon." Tesla makes its inaugural appearance on the Dependability Study, though its score of 176 PP100 isn't official. Tesla is the only automaker that has chosen not to grant J.D. Power permission to survey its owners in all 50 states. As we've pointed out in the past, the Vehicle Dependability Study includes eight major vehicle categories grouped by J.D. Power as follows: audio/communication/entertainment/navigation (ACEN); engine/transmission; exterior; interior; features/controls/displays (FCD); driving experience; heating, ventilation and air conditioning; and seats. All issues reported by owners are all tracked equally, which means a problematic phone pairing procedure dings an automaker's rating the same as a blown engine or transmission. And in fact, the ACEN category has more reported problems than any other, which means the majority of problems reported don't lead to a vehicle that leaves its owner stranded. Green Land Rover Lexus Porsche Car Buying JD Power dependability reliability

Porsche working on turbo V12 for Putin limo project?

Porsche is best known for building very well-regarded sports cars and better-selling utility vehicles. Come to the company with a big enough bag of cash, though, and the Porsche Engineering division can create just about anything. The group's past projects include working with Harley-Davidson, Mercedes-Benz and corporate cousin Audi, but if rumors prove true, then its latest partner might be the last one you'd expect.
Russian website Wroom reports that Porsche Engineering is building the engine for the Project Cortege government limousine project for Russian president Vladimir Putin. The mill is supposedly a turbocharged V12 displacing between 6.0- and 6.6-liters and making around 800 horsepower. When complete, it will reportedly be built by ZMZ with Russian-sourced parts.
The limo is expected to debut in 2017, according to Wroom, but it's just the beginning of Putin's grandiose plans, which also goes by the name of the Motorcade Project. The same platform is also meant to underpin several vehicles for use by the government, including an SUV, a small bus and a sedan. All of them would reportedly have a longitudinally mounted engine and all-wheel drive.