2014 Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Porsche revisits its remarkable SC East African Safari rally car

Porsche and motorsports just seem to go hand-in-hand. The brand has defined itself by its ability to compete on the track with the concept that racing bred better road cars. While we are used to seeing 911s speeding along circuits around the world, the rear-engine icon's success in rallying is somewhat less well known. The Porsche Museum aims to fix that by highlighting a 911 SC that competed in the 1978 East African Safari Rally.
The 911 rally car definitely projects a '70s vibe. You wouldn't see too many racecars with a pink brush bar sliding through the stages these days, but it looks amazing. Its bank of spotlights and two, giant, hood-mounted horns definitely give away the car's purpose. Best of all, that fantastic Martini livery defines the looks of Porsche racers from this era.
The 911 SC performed well in the East African Safari Rally, but some suspension damage meant that this particular one never raced again. It's been a part of the Porsche Museum ever since. Scroll down to learn a little more about one part of the brand's off-road legacy.

Petrolicious profiles the rare Italian Porschephile

If you're Italian, you love Ferrari. It's almost a national requirement. If not Ferrari, then Lamborghini, or if you're a bit contrarian, perhaps Alfa Romeo or Maserati. This common belief, though, flies in the face of Rosita Corato's devotion to a certain unique Porsche. Despite growing up around cars from Italy's most treasured automakers, Rosita's family of coachbuilders had a passion for Porsche. This love was fostered by her father, who made a living repairing Ferraris. Despite his work, he'd longed for a rear-engined German, finally picking up a 1959 356 Speedster that was in desperate need of restoration. Rosita describes it as "practically a heap of metal" before her masterful metalworking father got to work on it. While it was originally meant to be a racer, it could best be described today as a restomod, and Rosita still uses it regularly on rallies. The engine and brakes have been upgraded, while the ratios on the manual transmission have been tightened up for improved performance. To save weight – remember, Rosita's father wanted a racer – the doors and hood were replaced with aluminum units, while other aesthetic upgrades were made as well, such as moving the fuel access up onto the hood. Check out Rosita's gorgeous 356 Speedster in the very latest episode from the team at Petrolicious. Related Video:

Recharge Wrap-up: Porsche buys stake in carbon fiber partsmaker, Formula E runs on solar

The US Department of Energy is providing $35 million in new funding for fuel cell and hydrogen technologies. The money will fund projects to advance technology and speed up adoption of fuel cell applications like light-duty vehicles. Categories for possible projects include deployment of fuel-cell electric hybrid vehicles, mobile refueling and one called "Crosscutting: America's Climate Communities of Excellence." Other possible projects include research and development for hydrogen production, delivery and fuel cell manufacturing. Read more from the DOE. Porsche will buy a 25.1-percent stake in carbon fiber parts manufacturer Capricorn Composite GmbH. Capricorn has provided parts for Porsche's LMP1 racecar and 918 Spyder. The deal will give the automaker better access to the lightweight material going forward, and will "build on joint work over many years in the motor-sports industry and secure the future," according to Porsche. Porsche's parent company Volkswagen owns almost 10 percent of Capricorn's competitor SGL Carbon SE, but an expansion of that ownership could be thwarted by BMW, which controls more of SGL's stock. Read more at Bloomberg. The electric racecars running in the Formula E Miami ePrix will use solar energy. Florida Power & Light (FPL) will provide the electricity the cars will be using for the race on March 14, and its Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center provided the electricity the cars used during the announcement event. "Our partnership with Formula E and the Miami ePrix is another example of our commitment to advancing zero-emissions solar energy and the use of electric vehicles in Florida," says FPL President and CEO Eric Silagy. FPL currently operates two other solar plants, with plans to install 1 million solar panels at three more power plants by the end of next year. Read more at Domestic Fuel. Featured Gallery 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder: First Drive View 51 Photos Related Gallery 2015 Formula E Buenos Aires ePrix View 28 Photos News Source: DOE, Bloomberg, Domestic FuelImage Credit: Porsche Government/Legal Green Motorsports Porsche Alternative Fuels Electric Hydrogen Cars recharge wrapup