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World's largest toy car collection is in Beirut, and it's remarkable

It's common for auto enthusiasts to have a few miniatures of their favorite cars around their home or office. They provide a respite of happiness knowing that if you can't have the real things, at least you can look at them in miniature. However, Billy Karam of Beirut, Lebanon, has taken collecting toy cars to its extreme. His collection of over 30,000 model cars and 400 dioramas is certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest collection of car toys. "You cannot buy the big ones, so you buy a thousand of the small ones instead," says Karam in the video. Karam is a former amateur racing driver with a weakness for all things Porsche, and many of his dioramas depict races that he drove in or attended. Looking at them gives him a chance to relive the experiences again, but unlike a photo or video, they are right there in three dimensions. Scroll down to watch this astounding Cool Hunting video narrated by the collection's captivating owner. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Cool Hunting Video: World's Largest Toy Car Collection from Cool Hunting on Vimeo. News Source: Cool Hunting via VimeoTip: Reilly Toys/Games Porsche Videos Guinness World Records diecast toy car car collection

Porsche 918 Spyder gets tiny recall for rear control arms

As the recent US recall of a single Koenigsegg Agera shows, even low-production supercars aren't immune from safety campaigns. Now, there's another example that even the fastest cars can have their faults. The Porsche 918 Spyder is a pretty fantastic vehicle for its ability to mix hybrid fuel economy and incredible amounts of power, but Porsche has a problem on a few units of its halo model.
According to the recall document from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Porsche needs to inspect and possibly repair five 918s in the US because the rear axle control arms may break, which could cause a loss of control while driving. In the full defect notice, Porsche says that it first noticed the problem on June 26 when the parts failed during "heavy duty durability testing (extreme race conditions)" at the Nardo test track in Italy. It transported the components back to the company's lab for inspection, and on July 18 it issued a stop-sale to inspect the suspension parts on the supercar. The automaker also contacted owners by phone to warn them not to use the car on track, until repaired.
The affected 918s will be inspected, and if the cars have the bad parts, the control arms are will be replaced. Obviously, this will be done at no cost to owners. According to a Porsche spokesperson speaking to Autoblog, in addition to the five US cars potentially affected, there were 45 worldwide. All of the cars have now been checked. Scroll down to read the report from the regulator or download the full defect notice as a PDF, here.

2017 Porsche 911 Turbo First Drive [w/video]

Remember when turbos were a big fat middle finger to the naturally aspirated status quo? The horsepower renaissance has seen the forced induction phenomenon go from badass add-on (Turbo 'Vette!) to battle cry for efficiency (Kia Optima Turbo). From econoboxes to high-end holdovers like Ferrari and Aston Martin, everybody's doing the turbo shuffle. But what does that mean for the gang from Stuttgart – and more importantly, the top-of-the-line 911 that has called itself Turbo since the mid-1970s? I spent a day in the 2017 Porsche 911 Turbo and Turbo S to find out. Now is a particularly fitting time to evaluate the latest iteration of the venerable Porsche 911 Turbo. Our scrutiny comes at a moment when standard-issue Boxsters, Caymans, and Carreras have finally adopted turbocharged platforms. The Turbo S has a top speed of 205 mph, marking the first time the model has crested the 200-mph barrier. Spoiler alert: Rather than radically transforming its long-evolved essence, the 2017 Porsche 911 Turbo has made incremental changes that makes it, well, more Turbo than ever. Horsepower for the Turbo and Turbo S climbs 20 each, to 540 and 580, respectively; 0-60 times drop to a scant 2.9 and 2.8 seconds, and these top dogs now have terminal velocities of 198 and 205 miles per hour, marking the first time the model has crested the 200-mph barrier. The forced-induction flagships have different engine hardware, another first for the lineup, with the S gaining larger turbo impellers and housings. A revised differential enhances the precision of power transfer, while the PDK dual-clutch transmission (the only gearbox available) gains a centrifugal pendulum for smoothness. The dynamic engine mounts now work harder for crisper response, and the variable damping rates have been extended at both ends for a wider range of settings. If you're a fan of hanging the tail out, you'll be pleased to know that a new Sport mode enables greater yaw angles. And if you dig indiscreet bursts of acceleration, there's now a Dynamic Boost function that preps the drivetrain for a little extra oomph by dropping down a gear and holding the throttle open to maintain turbo pressure, increasing torque from 487 to 523 pound-feet, and from 516 to 553 lb-ft in the S. Standard equipment now includes a Sport Chrono Package, camera-equipped parking sensor, and the Porsche Dynamic Light System. Engine flexibility is outstanding, allowing peak torque to start at only 2,250 rpm.