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Porsche 919 Hybrid collides with 911 at Silverstone

Endurance racing is tough, in part because drivers must share the track with a whole variety of cars traveling at different speeds. That can be especially difficult for the front-running prototypes, which have to keep up the pace while overtaking slower cars. Just ask Brendon Hartley, whose spectacular crash in a Porsche 919 Hybrid while overtaking a 911 thankfully resulted in no injuries. The defending champion was scything his way through lapped back-traffic in the season opener this past weekend for the FIA World Endurance Championship when he apparently miscalculated a passing maneuver while exiting the corner. Hartley was reprimanded for the collision that took both cars out of the race but fortunately left both drivers unscathed. Worse yet was that he and his teammates were on track to win the race, and ended up watching the rest of the race from the pit lane. Instead an Audi R18 crossed the finish line first – but the race win was subsequently handed instead to another Porsche 919 during post-race scrutineering. Audi is appealing the decision, but Hartley and his co-pilots Timo Bernhard and Mark Webber will have some ground to make up if they hope to retain their crown this season. Related Video: News Source: bmwcrash1 via YouTube Motorsports Porsche Videos silverstone fia wec porsche 919 hybrid

Here are this year's top 5 automaker April Fools’ jokes

April 1 is the wonderful day when PR departments really push themselves to top the zany jokes they came up with the previous year. And it's not just fast-food chains competing with each other, or breweries announcing they have released stuff like a fermented herring flavored beer: carmakers' media teams rarely miss out on the opportunity to play a little joke on their audience. Here are a few of our favorites from this year:1) Porsche Porsche announced that it's launching a Mission E tractor, styled to resemble its 1950s tractor models. "With a power output in excess of 700hp, the Mission E Tractor will be the fastest accelerating agricultural vehicle in the world, enabling farmers to harvest crops in record time with the added environmental benefits of zero emissions at source and significantly reduced operating noise."2) Lexus Lexus actually jumped the gun, telling us on March 28 that it's combining cars and drivers using DNA matching. The kicker was that with DNA-matched cars, owners would be able to start their Lexuses by licking the steering wheel.3) McLaren Automotive McLaren said it's boosting efficiency by quite eccentric measures, such as measuring the technology center's lake and floor tiles daily, and by synchronizing the staff's tea breaks.4) BMW Motorrad BMW's motorcycle arm is solving parts availability issues in remote locations by offering a 3D printer mounted permanently on the bike's rack: If you need to replace a broken-off gear lever, you can just print one. "The new system will mean that even very rarely required parts not generally stocked by BMW Motorrad sales partners can be supplied on a just-in-time basis." BMW even went to the lengths of announcing that the "BMW Motorrad iPart 3D Mobile Printer" was tested on the Antarctic, by erecting a tent whose poles were produced onsite.5) Honda Last but not least, Honda UK purportedly cut the roof off a new CR-V, calling it the CR-V Roadster. Tellingly, no convertible top was even offered for the concept, "making it a no-top rather than a drop-top. This innovative design makes it a vehicle purely for sunnier climates and therefore completely useless for the two-day British summer which traditionally occurs in May."Related Video: Featured Gallery Top 5 April Fools 2018 Image Credit: Porsche Green Humor Weird Car News BMW Honda Lexus McLaren Porsche bmw motorrad mclaren automotive

Porsche 911 puts Turbos on its turbos

Distinct from the turbo-but-not-Turbo Porsche 911, the new high-performance models come to market with either 540 or 580 horsepower, depending on which version of the 3.8-liter, twin-turbocharged flat-six engine you choose. Both figures count as a 20-horsepower bump over the last Turbo/Turbo S, allowing both models to hit 60 in under three seconds – 2.9 and 2.7 seconds, respectively – and in the case of the S, on to a 200-plus-mph top speed. This capability will not come cheap, of course. Before so much as dipping a toe into Porsche's notoriously deep options catalog, the base Turbo will demand a $160,195 check. That's awfully spendy, and things don't improve as you climb up the range. The cabriolet adds $12,300 to that, while the S starts at $189,095. Going topless in the Turbo S will require $201,395. We had no trouble building a Turbo S Coupe up to $211,000 without adding some of the more obnoxious options, like the $1,720 leather air vents. Check out our live galleries of both the new 911 Turbo and the 911 Turbo S at the top of the page. Redefining fast: the new 2017 Porsche 911 Turbo and 911 Turbo S Top model of the 911 range offers more power, fresh design, and enhanced features ATLANTA, Nov. 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Porsche will be off to a powerful start in 2016 when the 2017 911 Turbo and 911 Turbo S make their debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January. The top-of-the-line 911 models will be available in both coupe and convertible body styles and are equipped with engines offering 20 horsepower more than before, a sharper design, and enhanced features. The 3.8 liter twin-turbo six-cylinder engine powering the 911 Turbo now develops 540 hp. The increase in horsepower is achieved through modified intake ports in the cylinder heads, new fuel injectors, and higher fuel pressure. The 911 Turbo S now makes 580 hp thanks to new turbochargers with larger impelle. In addition to a higher maximum torque (553 lb.-ft. in overboost compared to 523 lb.-ft. on the Turbo), the Turbo S also has a higher redline (7200 rpm instead of 7000). Porsche is still the only manufacturer to use turbochargers with variable turbine geometry in gasoline engines. The engines now also have a dynamic boost function, which improves throttle response during spirited driving. It maintains the boost pressure during load changes – i.e. when the accelerator pedal is briefly released.