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Porsche drops factory FIA GTE Pro racing program for 2016

Porsche has a wide-ranging motorsports program in store for next season, but it won't defend its title in the GTE Pro class of the FIA World Endurance Championship. This according to the road-map it laid out over the weekend at its Night of Champions year-end gala in Weissach. The German automaker enjoyed a massively successful racing season this year. With the 919 Hybrid, it took top honors for both drivers and manufacturers, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright along with five additional races on the eight-round calendar to take both the drivers' and manufacturers' titles. With the 911 RSR, it also won the World Endurance Cup for GT Drivers and for Manufacturers, locking out the bragging rights in the GTE Pro category. Rather than return to defend its two GTE Pro titles, Porsche's GT racing department is essentially taking the year off. Reigning champion Richard Lietz and teammate Michael Christensen will have the opportunity to defend his title, but instead of a GTE Pro ride, they will drive for the Proton Dempsey team in the GTE Am category. They'll be joined at Le Mans by Wolf Henzler and at select points by Patrick Dempsey. That'll still put them in contention for the World Endurance Cup for GT Drivers, but without a works entry from the factory, Porsche will be out of the running for the GT manufacturers' title. The reason behind the rearrangement of its WEC GT program, according to Autosport, is to allow Porsche to focus on development of the next generation of sports racers. It's been the better part of three years since Porsche introduced the current 911 RSR, and though its performance in this year's championship clearly shows that it remains competitive, the thorough trouncing it received at Le Mans from the likes of the Corvette C7.R, Ferrari 458 Italia GT2, and Aston Martin V8 Vantage GTE show that it's not invincible. The all-new model is expected to be based on the latest generation of turbocharged 911s, to replace the current RSR. Over on this side of the Atlantic, Porsche still intends to defend its title in the GT class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship, where the Porsche North America team will field two 911 RSRs. One will be driven by defending champion Patrick Pilet and reigning Le Mans winner Nick Tandy (joined in the longer races by former McLaren factory driver Kevin Estre).

Porsche prioritizes 200,000-unit sales target over exclusivity [w/poll]

Would a Porsche still be a Porsche if it weren't as exclusive? That's the question which industry pundits are asking - and customers may soon as well - as the German automaker emerges from the fringe in pursuit of larger volumes.
A dozen years ago Porsche was barely selling over 50,000 units per annum. In a sales surge that has gathered pace as fast as a 911 Turbo, however, it was already hovering around the 100,000-unit mark a few years later. Last year it sold over 160,000, and has targeted 200,000 units by 2018. But it may not even take that long.
Automotive News reports that Porsche has advanced its targets to reach for 200,000 units by the end of this year or the next. The bump in sales would be driven particularly by the introduction of the new Macan, of which it aims to sell 50,000 units annually, starting next year. The Cayenne currently stands far and away as its most successful model. The 911 and Panamera have swapped second place a few times over the past five years, followed by the Boxster and Cayman.

Chris Harris gets filthy in a WRC-ready Porsche 911 RGT

Last time we rode with Chris Harris we were shotgun in the tan leather seat of his used-yet-immaculate Ferrari FF. This time we're strapped into a black racing bucket of a filthy Porsche 911 rally car, one that led Harris to effuse, "I don't think I've driven a more exciting car this year, hypercars included." The thrills come courtesy of a 997-series Cup Car that's been reworked by Tuthill Porsche to run in the RGT-class rally series that will piggyback on five World Rally Championship and European Rally Championship races this year. It's not quite the Rothmans Dakar monster, but the RGT series gives privateers an affordable way into rallying with cars that look different and are different from one another. This one kept its 3.8-liter, 444-horsepower 997 Cup engine, but the 39-milllimeter restrictor drops that to about 350 hp. Beyond that are a new rollcage, gear ratios, suspension, fuel tank, underfloor protection and just about everything else. Said the man who built it, it cost "a lot, and it's still costing." But Harris says even though you "have to have your wits about you," it's a hoot to drive. And this is one of the few times you'll hear the phrase "What a tool!" used as a compliment. Check it out in the video above. News Source: Chris Harris on Cars via YouTube Motorsports Porsche Coupe Off-Road Vehicles Racing Vehicles Performance Videos fia rally WRC chris harris porsche 997