Original 1957 Cabriolet on 2040-cars

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Porsche 911 Cabriolet refresh may hide new engine

If we learned nothing else from our recent frolic through Porsche's secret museum, it's that the automaker goes to incredible lengths to disguise future products during initial testing. Just as a number of cars in that Stuttgart bunker hid the true identity of developmental mules (like the Audi-V8-powered 911), such could very well be the case with these spy shots showing what, on the surface, appears to be simply a facelifted 991 911 Cabriolet.
Similar to what we saw last month on a 911 coupe, this Cabriolet has obvious styling modifications made to the front and rear fascias suggesting that the 911's still-fresh appearance is already set to get a few tweaks. The big news here is at the rear of the car. The additional vents on the lower edge of the fascia and the mocked-up vent above the engine leads our spy photographer to believe that a new engine could be tucked under the body work - likely a smaller-displacement, turbocharged flat-six focusing more on improving fuel efficiency and reducing exhaust emissions rather than performance.
We last heard rumblings of such a detuned 911 back in August, but could this be our first look at said new model? Have a look for yourself, and let us know what you think - either about this mule specifically or the idea of a "green" 911, in Comments below.

Porsche 918 Spyder debuts with new N"urburgring lap record [w/video]

It's been a long time in the making, but Porsche has finally revealed the final production version of its long-awaited 918 Spyder here at the Frankfurt Motor Show. And yet that's not even the big news surrounding the hybrid hypercar.
No, the big news is that, while Porsche was preparing taking the wraps off the car here in Frankfurt, elsewhere in Germany a team was setting a blistering lap time at the Nürburgring. And not just any blistering lap time, but a new world record.
Porsche claims that, on the morning of September 4, a team of three drivers (including former rally champ Walter Röhrl and Porsche test drivers Timo Kluck and Marc Lieb) broke the Nordschleife lap record, Lieb finally setting the best time at 6:57 at an average of 111 miles per hour.

Next Porsche Cayman and Boxster to be called 718?

Porsche has spent a few years sorting out its strategy away from the 911 and its crossovers, among the moving targets being the now-moribund Ferrari-fighting 960, the still-very-much-alive variant(s) coming with the next-generation Panamera, and what appears to be a puissant Cayman that could be called the GT4. Earlier this year there were rumors that a flat-four engine would join the Stuttgart maker's lineup, and that it could go into a roadster called the 718 that would undercut the current $51,400 price of the Boxster, and the Boxster would go upscale, leapfrogging the $52,600 price of the Cayman. Then Porsche turned out the lights on the 718 project, its R&D head telling Autocar, "We have a very good entry point to the range with the Boxster, and we see no reason to go below that." But Automobile reports that while the 718 roadster is dead, the 718 name will live: a la the 911, a new 718 range will encompass coupes and convertibles spanning a wide performance envelope. The suggestion is that the Boxster and Cayman names will be retired. According to Automobile, this will give Porsche a place to put its flat-four engine, into entry level models that – countering Porsche's earlier statement – "come in at a significantly lower price than" the present Boxster. Two displacements are expected, in three outputs: a 2.0-liter with 285 horsepower, a 2.5-liter with 360 hp and a turbocharged version with 400 hp. It's also been speculated that the engine could power an entry-level Macan. It's been reported before that Porsche wants to make use of the 718 name to promote its motorsport heritage, that model having carried Stirling Moss to victory among its many racing triumphs. If it happens, even though Automobile calls it part of "a slight perspective shift," we think it'll be a big shift for the two popular models, but it's not like we haven't had time to get ready. We're told the new moniker will be introduced in 2016 as a 2017 model. News Source: Automobile via World Car Fans Porsche Convertible Coupe porsche 718