1988 Porsche 928 S4 Coupe 2-door 5.0l on 2040-cars

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Porsche recommits to Le Mans through 2018

Porsche is back at the forefront of sports endurance racing, and it has no intention of leaving anytime soon. The German automaker announced that it will stay in the LMP1 class of both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA World Endurance Championship through the end of 2018. So its rivals can look forward to a good three more years of heated competition at least. After winning at Le Mans a record 16 times, Porsche dropped out of competition for top honors in 1998. It returned to the front of the grid last year with the 919 Hybrid, winning the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo at the end of its debut season. Its greater victory, however, came earlier this summer when the revised version took a dominant 1-2 finish in the famous French endurance race. That put the team from Weissach in the lead for the World Endurance Championship, which it (spoiler alert!) further extended this weekend with another 1-2 finish in the inaugural 6 Hours of Nurburgring. "Motorsport is an important part of Porsche's brand identity – but not an end in itself. Racing has got to help the technology of future road going sports cars," said Porsche chief Matthias Muller in the statement below. "It was the revolutionary efficiency regulations that convinced us to return to top-level motorsport for the 2014 season. That we have managed to take the crown jewels of endurance racing in only our second year, with a one-two result in Le Mans in 2015 with our highly innovative and complex 919, is an outstanding testimony to the people in the Weissach research and development centre. The competition bears fruits and we see further potential for future synergy between the racing and road car programmes. This is why we have extended the programme." FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and 24-Hours of Le Mans Porsche confirms LMP1 programme up to end of 2018 Stuttgart. Porsche continues racing into the future with the 919 Hybrid: The board of Porsche AG has decided to extend the Le Mans prototype programme until the end of the 2018 season. With its ground-breaking concept – a downsizing turbo engine and powerful energy recovery systems, combined with an extreme lightweight design – the racing car with a performance of around 1,000 hp serves as a research laboratory for future sports car technology. Matthias Muller, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG, said: "Motorsport is an important part of Porsche's brand identity – but not an end in itself.

5 new EVs that make driving fun

One of the things enthusiasts bellyache about the most is electrification. The noisiest complainers say that EVs will suck the fun out of driving and can’t possibly be as engaging as a roaring gas engine. ItÂ’s undoubtedly true that the noises EVs make are not always as visceral and thrilling, but itÂ’s also true that electrification has ushered in a new era of performance that gas vehicles simply cannot match. WeÂ’ve gathered a list of EVs that donÂ’t suck to drive. We all know by now about Tesla and its Plaid models, which absolutely set the quarter-mile ablaze with their amazing acceleration figures. The vehicles on this list don't come from Tesla. Nor does the list include some highly anticipated performance EVs that will soon hit the market, such as the new 2024 Porsche Macan. This selection may be a bit short on range compared to tamer models, but at the same time, itÂ’s hard to ignore their specs and even harder to ignore the sensation that a full-throttle electric powertrain delivers. LetÂ’s dive in to see five new EVs that make driving fun. Porsche Taycan PorscheÂ’s gas-powered vehicles are among the most exciting on the road, so itÂ’s not surprising to see the automakerÂ’s first electric effort as a home run. The Taycan is available in a staggering number of configurations, ranging from the 375-horsepower base model to the massively powerful Turbo S models with up to 750 horsepower in temporary boost mode. Classic Porsche styling and high-end tech round out the package, making the Taycan one of the most desirable EVs today. That said, the TaycanÂ’s almost $91,000 starting price puts it out of reach for a majority of car buyers, and the prices keep steadily rising along with the performance. It also trades range for performance, as the least powerful variant is the most efficient, returning 242 miles with the extended-range battery. The car can take advantage of fast charging, however, and can recover up to 80 percent of its battery capacity in just over 22 minutes.   Kia EV6 GT How about a Kia that can out-accelerate many supercars, especially from a few years ago? The EV6 GT comes with two electric motors with a combined 576 horsepower and 545 pound-feet of torque. Its 0-60 mph time lands at just 3.4 seconds, and the EV offers a top speed of 161 mph, making it one serious Korean EV. At the same time, it features the standout styling of the standard model, which gives it a striking curb presence and a futuristic look that is unique among EVs.

Audi, Porsche ensnared in new Volkswagen cheating allegations

The scope of the Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal that has enveloped the global automaker for the past six weeks widened Monday. Now, some of the automaker's premium brands are further ensnared in the mess. Officials with the Environmental Protection Agency issued a second notice of violations Monday, accusing Volkswagen of violating the Clean Air Act by using defeat devices that circumvent emissions testing on diesel versions of certain vehicles equipped with 3.0-liter engines. Roughly 10,000 vehicles in the United States contain the illegal software, the EPA alleges. That's a far smaller number than the 482,000 vehicles affected by the first instances of cheating, which Volkswagen confessed to in September. But this latest violation alleges the cheating occurred broadly through the Volkswagen empire and includes vehicles from the Porsche and Audi brands. Audi had one model, the A3, involved in the first round of announced violations. But the brand, which has enjoyed skyrocketing sales in the US in recent years, is more extensively involved in violations announced Monday. The 2016 Audi A6 Quattro, A7 Quattro, A8, A8L and Q5 are among the cars which contain the illegal software, which permits the cars to emit nitrogen oxide at up to nine times the allowable thresholds set in the Clean Air Act, according to the EPA. The 2015 Porsche Cayenne and '14 Volkswagen Toureg SUV are also affected. "There is clear evidence of additional violations and it's important to put Volkswagen on notice and to inform the public." - Janet McCabe. "Audi, which has been on a roll in terms of sales, reputation and image of late, now is being drawn deeper into the quagmire," said Michelle Krebs, senior analyst for Autotrader. "Previously, only the low-volume A3 was under scrutiny, but now Audi's core models are under fire." Audi officials did not respond to a request for comment Monday. In a written statement issued late Monday afternoon, a Porsche spokesperson said, "We are surprised to learn this information. Until this notice, all our information was that the Porsche Cayenne Diesel is fully compliant." Porsche said it would cooperate with authorities.