2011 Porsche Cayenne Awd 4dr Turbo Navigation Bluetooth Loaded on 2040-cars

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Porsche offers detuned Boxster and Cayman 211 in Europe

Looking at a new Porsche Boxster? First of all, we commend you on your choice, because in its latest iteration, the Boxster has sped out from under the shadow of the 911 and into its own. But now to choose: do you get the base model with 265 horsepower, the Boxster S with 315 hp, or the top-of-the-line Boxster GTS with 330 hp? It's a daunting question, considering the $10k+ price gap between each model that you could put into the gas-and-rubber jar. Same goes for the Cayman, albeit with ten more horses across the board. But as if that's not confusing enough, there appears to be another player on the field. (That is, at least, in certain European markets.)
Appearing on the company's Belgian and Norwegian sites are the Boxster 211 and Cayman 211. As you might have guessed, they pack a less substantial 211 horsepower, undercutting what we know as the base models. Instead of using a smaller engine, though, the Boxster and Cayman 211 get the same 2.7-liter boxer six, just with less power.
As a result, they're a bit slower off the line: the Boxster 211 takes between 6.1 and 6.4 seconds to get to 62, depending on exact specifications, compared to the 5.5- to 5.8-second range for the 265-hp Boxster, while the Cayman 211 is quoted at 6.2 seconds versus the 275-hp Cayman's 5.4 to 5.7 seconds. Fuel consumption and emissions, on the other hand (and as you'd expect), are better in the 211. But while Porsche Norway charges around $10k less for the 211 models, Porsche Belgium charges the same for the 211 models as it does for the next most powerful versions (from which they appear to be visually indistinguishable).

Petrolicious profiles a Porsche 911 hot rod called The Growler

Petrolicious always does a superb job of showcasing fantastic vehicles and their owners. While some of its videos might go a little too far into the personal stories rather than putting the cars on the road for some people's tastes, this latest one is an absolute feast for the senses. The vehicle featured is called "The Growler," and this Porsche 911 hot rod assaults its driver with a wall of sound. The coupe maintains only the tiniest amount of on-road civility to still be regularly usable. Boasting a roll cage and a set of racing buckets inside, The Growler certainly looks all business. An engine tune, suspension upgrade, and 400 pounds of removed weight are enough to turn this 964-chassis 911 into something really sublime behind the wheel, too. As the first air-cooled car for owner Alex Bermudez, he's definitely starting near the top. Filmed on some misty canyon roads, the white coupe roars around sounding more like a racecar than anything road legal, and Petrolicious perfectly captures the this Porsche as it's flung around the narrow path. You can see the rear end just begin to step out before Bermudez catches it. Inside, each shift looks like the movement of a rifle bolt to shoot the car forward. Listening to the engine build revs might be the best thing you hear today, so stop what you're doing and take a listen. Related Video:

Jay Leno puts carbon fiber wheels to the test on a Porsche 911 GT3 RS

Jay Leno's Garage usually focuses on looking at cars new and old, speaking to their owners and then Jay taking a drive to see what he thinks. However, Leno throws his usual shtick to the curb this week to do a full product test of the carbon fiber wheels from a company called Carbon Revolution. If you're not interested in hearing about wheels for 18 minutes, don't worry. They get mounted on a Porsche and are tested back-to-back with stock wheels, and Leno takes the 911 for a track test, too.
While carbon-fiber wheels aren't exactly a new idea, Carbon Revolution's goal is to create a lightweight, one-piece product that can be mass produced. The company even claims that it already has a deal with an OEM automaker to offer them on a vehicle in a few years. The key to the technology is that it doesn't need an expensive autoclave to be made.
In the meantime, the company's carbon fiber wheels are available as an aftermarket option for about $15,000 a set, according to the video. They weigh in at about 15.5 pounds each and offer OEM-levels of stiffness, so they could cut some unsprung mass off of a performance car. Watch here as Jay and his mechanic Bernard lap Willow Springs and give their feedback about what they think of this cutting-edge technology.