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Next-gen Porsche 911 may include plug-in hybrid version

According to Auto Express, there's a plug-in hybrid Porsche 911 on the way, and it could arrive as soon as the introduction of the next-generation car. At the Detroit Auto Show, the UK outlet spoke to 911 product line director Dr. Erhard Mossle, who said the Stuttgart automaker was "working on different solutions" for the next iteration of its most iconic car, and, "of course, we are discussing plug-in solutions for the 911, but there are a lot of things to solve with packaging in the car and other things to solve. It will maybe be in the next generation, yes." "When we see the 911," he said, "we see the plug-in hybrid as a performance car." Since we just saw the introduction of the turbocharged powerplant in the 911 Carrera last summer, we can expect a wait of at least four years for the next powertrain evolution. Mossle said that any 911 PHEV would remain a sporty proposition and likely retain the flat-six engine, which would give more prestige than the four-cylinder 718 (Cayman and Boxster) yet still be able to satisfy emissions regulations. Mossle is echoing the comments made by Oliver Blume, chairman of the executive board at Porsche, at the Detroit show when Blume said the production version of the Mission E concept would be a sports car that happens to be electric. As far back as 2009, in fact, Porsche has been openly discussing an electric 911, the caveat even then being that it has to perform like a Porsche while providing decent range. In the middle of 2014 it was reported that the carmaker might make a 700-horsepower 911 Turbo S hybrid, by the end of 2014 it was reported that the automaker wouldn't make a 911 hybrid. A year after that first report, a 911 hybrid was back on, using the E-Hybrid system supposedly dismissed six months before, and then last November we got spy shots of a 911 with a supposed PHEV port. But with its Mission E work, and being designated to lead the Volkswagen Group's R&D into performance hybrids, a battery-boosted 911 might finally make sense. Related Video:

Magnus Walker drives 911 Turbos old and new

It's been forty years now since Porsche released the original 911 Turbo. And as many things that have remained a constant, a lot has changed, too: the engine has gone from air-cooled to liquid, moved up to nearly a midships layout, and drives almost exactly double the original's output to all four wheels instead of just the back set through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission instead of a five-speed manual. It'll also reach highway speeds about twice as fast as the original. That's progress for you, and who better to compare Porsche Turbos old and new than Magnus Walker. The outlaw of the 911 scene may not look the part, but to those in the know, he's got the last word when it comes to Porsches. After searching for some time, Walker recently got his hands on a cherry of an original 930 Turbo from 1975 – the first year it was made – and had it shipped from Australia to California to add to his collection. eGarage caught up with Walker and brought along a new 991 Turbo for juxtaposition. Fortunately it also brought along a video camera or two to document the experience, so check it out in the latest video above.

Porsche planning back-to-basics 911 GT

With the latest 911 GT3 and GT3 RS track toys, Porsche clearly put the emphasis on outright performance. After all, if they were all about a puristic driving experience, they'd probably have manual transmissions instead of DCTs, right? Well that's just one point where the Porsche GT division's next project is tipped to depart. According to Autocar, Zuffenhausen's skunkworks are preparing a new addition to the 911 range that will put all the emphasis on the raw driving experience, even at the expense of lap times. The yet-to-be-named model is expected to do away with the second clutch in favor of one you can operate yourself, but that's not all. We're told to expect skinnier tires to make it easier to hold at the limits of adhesion, the narrowed track from the base Carrera, and the absence of large wings and other aerodynamic features. The inspiration apparently comes less from the GT3 than from the new Cayman GT4. Look for the new back-to-basics Elfen to arrive sometime next year, after the rest of the 911 range gets updated with turbo engines. Chances look good, though, that this particular model will stick with the atmospheric boxer six. Related Video: