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Hot Wheels goes Outlaw with Magnus Walker Porsches

Magnus Walker, of Urban Outlaw fame, insists his story is just like that of any kid. But instead of becoming a fireman or an astronaut, Walker's childhood dream was to have a specific car. A Porsche 911 Turbo just like the one he fell in love with at the 1977 Earls Court Motor Show in London, to be exact. Today, he's famous both for having an eye-catching collection of 911s, as well as a compelling story behind them. Walker collaborated with Hot Wheels so a new generation of kids can find their dream, just like he did with that Porsche. Today, Walker and Hot Wheels will unveil the line of diminutive Porsches he helped to create, starting with the company's beginnings: a Porsche 356A. "There was something about this car, the Porsche," Walker told Autoblog last week in his Downtown Los Angeles garage. "You either had the Ferrari Boxer on the wall, a Lamborghini Countach on the wall, or a Porsche Turbo. There was something that attracted me to this car. That dream never went away." Jun Imai, Design Manager at Hot Wheels, said Walker's story and ties to the Porsche name were a match for the maker of toys that are commonly found on a living room rug. "All Hot Wheels cars have a story, just like all the cars in his collection," Imai said. The partnership with Waker, Imai said, is a product of the way Hot Wheels now gauges the pulse of car culture, with inspiration coming from what's parked out on the streets, printed in magazines and being shared on the internet. There was something that attracted me to this car. That dream never went away. "Up until five years ago, we were a V8 muscle car brand," Imai said. "Now it's, 'What is the modern hot rod?' It could be a Porsche or an E30 BMW. Everyone's into something different, so we take that into consideration." Imai said that Walker's collaboration is just that, rather than slapping his name onto a new series of products. "We're not just doing replicas of his car, that's almost obvious and easy," he said. "We thought, let's have him come in, let's have him actually design graphics for the cars where he's an integral process." For Walker, though, the Hot Wheels cars reflect the growing accessibility of car culture. Despite the modern popularity of video games - Magnus made an appearance in the latest Need for Speed game - Walker says the appeal of Hot Wheels spans from the youngest budding enthusiasts to people older than the original 356.

MotorWeek proves '90s were awesome with Supra, Stealth, RX-7, Corvette, 968, 300ZX comparo

Oh, the heady days of 1993, back when the Clinton Presidency was just getting underway, and it seemed like every hot new rock band was coming out of Seattle. Sports cars in the US had finally shaken off the shackles that slowed them during the '70s and '80s, and you could buy any number of legitimately quick vehicles again. MotorWeek recently went digging into its archives to find this six-model test from 1993 showing off some of the best semi-affordable performance coupes that money could buy at the time, and it's priceless.
Featuring the 1994 model year Toyota Supra in twin-turbo guise and MY 1993 versions of the Porsche 968, Nissan 300ZX TT, Mazda RX-7, Dodge Stealth R/T Turbo and Chevrolet Corvette LT-1, MotorWeek definitely covered all of the bases. One thing that might surprise younger readers is these cars' performance. The video only provides 0-60 acceleration times, but several of these vehicles would still be considered pretty potent today - over 20 years since going on sale. The Supra is especially impressive, hitting 60 miles per hour in just 5 seconds. Even today, that's nothing to sneeze at.
Given their performance potential and still-attractive looks, it's amazing that some of these coupes are old enough to drink now. The progress of interior design and safety equipment in the intervening years is pretty shocking, though. In most of these models, having two airbags is touted as a big deal. Scroll down to watch a Throwback Thursday blast from the past about some of the '90s best sports cars.

Behold the glory of unobscured Porsche 911 Turbo bumpers

Porsche apparently sees absolutely no reason to hide the changes for the 911's upcoming refresh on any of the models. After releasing official photos of the standard version ahead of the debut, here are the Germans testing the revised 911 Turbo S at the Nurburgring with no camouflage at all. The exterior tweaks are tiny enough that maybe the company thinks no one would notice. The front bumper receives tiny adjustments, including the LED lights lengthened in the lower air intakes. The headlights are also slightly tweaked, and the taillights are the wider units from the rest of the updated range. The rear bumper receives some restyled vents at each corner, as well. The standard 911 is rumored to receive a new family of smaller displacement, turbocharged flat-six engines as soon as this year's Frankfurt Motor Show, and that leaves the Turbo in a weird place. Forced induction holds a special place in the model's lineup by denoting some of the most powerful versions. With that exclusivity possibly on the way out, Porsche might now have to find a way to keep the Turbo badge special. Related Video: