1957 Porsche 356a Coupe on 2040-cars

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Le Mans-winning Porsche 935 K3 'seized' by DEA agents

Porsche has won Le Mans more than any other marque, but only one of those overall race winners was actually based on a 911. That was the 1979 Porsche 935 K3, chassis number 009 00015 that was entered by brothers Don and Bill Whittington. It went on to win at the Nürburgring and Watkins Glen, and scored podium finishes at Sebring and Brands Hatch as well. In short, it's a historically significant and hugely valuable piece of motorsport history. And it was just seized by the DEA. Sorta.
After the Whittington brothers ran afoul of a handful of lawsuits and were implicated in smuggling narcotics, the car changed hands a few times before ending up in the noted collection of one Bruce Meyers. He had it at Laguna Seca earlier this month when a black Suburban, Dodge Charger and transporter truck pulled up with government plates, asked to speak with Meyer, presented him with a court order, loaded the car onto the truck and drove off.
Though familiar with the legal disputes surrounding the ownership of the car and the misdeeds of its famous original owners, Meyer was left understandably distraught over the events that had just unfolded in front of him to separate him from his pride and joy. (Or one of them, anyway; Bruce has got an eminently desirable collection of classic cars.) But here's the kicker: those DEA agents weren't actual DEA agents. Fortunately they weren't thieves, either. The actual story could have been the plot right out of Ocean's 14 if they ever made one and it focused on classic cars. (Is anyone in Hollywood listening?)

Automakers want to stop the EPA's fuel economy rules change, and why that's a shortsighted move

With a Trump Administration looming, the EPA moved quickly after the election to propose finalizing future fuel economy rules last week. The auto industry doesn't like that (surprise), and has started making moves to stop the EPA. Ford CEO Mark Fields said he wanted to lobby Trump to lower the standards, and now the Auto Alliance, a manufacturer group, is saying it will join the fight against cleaner cars. The Alliance represents 12 automakers: BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, GM, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota, VW, and Volvo. Gloria Bergquist, a spokesperson for the Alliance, told Automotive News that the "EPA's sudden and controversial move to propose auto regulations eight months early - even after Congress warned agencies about taking such steps while political appointees were packing their bags - calls out for congressional action to pause this rulemaking until a thoughtful policy review can occur." The EPA was going to consider public comments through April 2017, but then said it would move the deadline to the end of December. That means that it can finalize the rules before President Obama leaves office. The director of public affairs for the Consumer Federation of America, Jack Gillis, said on a conference call with reporters last week when the EPA originally announced its decision that it is unlikely that President Trump will be able to roll back these changes. Gillis also said on the same call that any attempt by the automakers to prevent these changes would be history repeating itself. "These are the same companies that fought airbags, and now promoting the fact that every car has multiple airbags," he said. "These are the same companies that fought the crash-test program, and now are promoting the crash-test ratings published by the government. So, it's clear that they're misperceiving the needs of the American consumer." There are more reasons the Allliance's pushback is flawed. Carol Lee Rawn, the transportation program director for Ceres, said on that call that the automotive industry is a global one, and many automakers are moving to global platforms to help them meet strict fuel economy rules around the world.

New details mooted about Porsche's '988' Ferrari rival

We could be on the verge of a big expansion at everyone's favorite rear-engined German sports car manufacturer. Porsche is allegedly preparing a four-car assault that will be led by a proper challenger to the Ferrari 458 Italia (sorry 911).
Code-named "988," the new model will reportedly feature a mid-engined layout and, get this: a flat-8. Autocar, which has the story, expects that engine to displace about 4.0 liters, while the car itself will draw styling inspiration from the 918 Spyder. 600 ponies and over 400 super-accessible pound-feet of torque should be on tap with the new mill.
Joining the 988's supposed eight-cylinder is a new family of four- and six-cylinder boxer engines that Autocar claims will have a focus on power density and fuel economy. These new mills will be available in naturally aspirated, turbocharged and hybrid forms.