1997 Porsche Boxster, One Owner, Low Miles on 2040-cars

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Ford GT dominates Le Mans qualifying, gets slapped with performance adjustment

Fifty years after Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon drove the Ford GT40 to victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ford is poised for a historic return to the Circuit de la Sarthe. The new Ford GT took the top two qualifying positions in the LMGTE Pro class, and four of the top five. Ferrari's 488 filled in the rest of the spots in the top seven, the first two from AF Corse. In other words, we're primed for a reboot of the classic Ford-Ferrari feud at this year's race. Or not, as the ACO, which organizes the 24 Hours of Le Mans, announced sweeping pre-race Balance of Performance (BOP) adjustments this morning that make this year's GT class anybody's race. In LMP1, last year's overall winner Porsche locked up the top two spots with the 919 Hybrid and will lead the entire field at race start. Toyota's two-car factory effort followed with qualifying times 1.004 and 2.170 seconds behind the pole lap. Audi rounds out the manufacturer-backed LMP1 class in fifth and sixth. Full qualifying results can be found here. The storyline for the GT cars is perfect - some say too perfect. Ford's class-leading times came after BOP adjustment to the Corvette Racing C7.R before qualifying. BOP is intended to level the playing field in the class by adjusting power, ballast, and fuel capacity. (Check out this explainer video for more, or even just if you love French accents.) But the process is riddled with unknowns and ripe for accusations of sandbagging. That is, if the Ford cars were intentionally slow in practice they could hope for BOP adjustment to improve their race chances. On the Corvette side, last year's GTE Pro winner went from the top of the field to the bottom, barely improving from practice to qualifying. If you think Le Mans is as rigged at the NBA Playoffs, well, it's not that simple. Because if Ford and Ferrari held back until qualifying - the eighth-place Porsche 911 RSR is three-and-a-half seconds off the class pole time - it was a pretty dumb strategy. This morning, the ACO tried to put things back in order by limiting the boost in the Ford GT's twin-turbo V6 and adding 11 pounds of ballast. Ferrari was also given extra weight but allowed more fuel capacity. The Corvette and Aston Martin teams were both given breaks on their air restrictors, which will allow their engines to make more power. Both Ford and Porsche also received extra fuel capacity.

Watch the Chevy Corvette dismiss its Euro rivals at the hands of a Brit magazine

European auto writers, especially the British, have a bit of a reputation for favoring their own domestic cars over foreign rivals in comparison tests. Just think about how many times you've heard Jeremy Clarkson deify the latest product of UK loins while denigrating an American rival as a hopeless "Yank Tank." However, we have to tip our hats to the folks at Autocar because in its latest video comparing the 2014 Corvette Stingray to the Porsche 911, Jaguar F-Type V8 S and Audi R8, it's actually given the Vette a fair shake.
Autocar has put the Stingray through a battery of tests against what it considers to be the three best sports cars on sale in Europe today. And while the tests that it has chosen are somewhat random and subjective, it has concluded that the C7 can stand up against its rivals, even irrespective of its price. It's one thing to hear about how great the Stingray is from American writers, but it's great to know that not all Brits think we've gone crazy for calling the new Chevrolet "exquisite."
Scroll down to see how it all plays out on video.

Porsche recalling Macan S and Turbo for fuel leak

Porsche is recalling 58,881 examples of the Macan S and Turbo worldwide because of a possible leak in the low-pressure fuel line in the engine compartment. Of these, there are 21,835 affected in the US and 3,490 in Canada. According to the German automaker, this campaign is "a purely precautionary measure" because there're no reports of any accidents or injuries from the flaw. As a fix, dealers will replace the fuel line, which will take around an hour. Porsche will contact owners directly to arrange for the service. The company discovered the issue "after a precise examination of complaints," according to its statement, and corrected the problem for units in production. Porsche Examines Macan S and Macan Turbo Vehicles October 30, 2015 Possible leak in low-pressure line – affected customers will be contacted directly Atlanta, Georgia. Voluntary safety recall: Porsche is conducting an examination of 58,881 Macan S and Macan Turbo vehicles around the world, of which 21,835 are in the United States and 3,490 are in Canada. The reason for this move is a possible leak in the low-pressure fuel line inside the engine compartment. The line will be replaced in the workshop. This is a purely precautionary measure, as there have been no reports of accidents or injuries as a result of this concern. The problem was identified after a precise examination of complaints and then immediately rectified in ongoing production. Owners of the vehicles will be contacted directly and workshop appointments will be arranged as quickly as possible. The work will take approximately one hour and will be carried out free of charge.