1982 Porsche 911 Sc Ruf Ctr on 2040-cars

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Porsche offers a closer look at the Mission E's design

As Porsche's first fully electric sports sedan to go on sale, the production version of the Mission E concept could revolutionize the company's products. It's vital to get the look just right because of so much riding on the upcoming EV, and a new video from the German sportscar maker offers a glimpse inside the Mission E's design process. When Porsche decided to create a four-seat sports car with an electric drivetrain, the designers started by creating a series of drawings that became clay scale models. While they don't look too different from the final shape, this video gives us a look at several different design sketches for the Mission E. The designers tacked up pictures of the brand's models and took some ideas from them. For example, the smooth nose has a resemblance to the front of the 718 RSK racecar from the late '50s and early '60s, and the Mission E also has cues from the current 919 Hybrid. The interior design process proceeded similarly. The stylists wanted to carry the look of the 911 into the future. For a cutting edge cabin, they also included elements like gesture recognition and holographic displays. In concept form, Porsche claims the Mission E all-wheel drive EV powertrain makes 590 horsepower, and Porsche promised a 311-mile range under the European testing method. Production should begin around 2020 at an updated factory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, Germany. The company's workers at the plant even agreed to adjust their wages to make sure assembly happened there. Related Video:

Porsche previews new 911 in development

Porsche has taken the rather unorthodox step of releasing a series of photos of a new vehicle before it reveals it in full, sans brightwork and covered in dirt. That model, as you can see, is the new 911, expected to feature a number of upgrades and some big changes over the 991-generation line it will replace. The photos give us an advance look at the update, with more details to follow. Likely to be dubbed (unofficially) as the 991.2 or 991.5, the new 911 will encompass the usual array of visual updates: revised bumpers, headlights, rolling stock, interior equipment... the works, as we saw from the most recent batch of spy shots. But the biggest change will be under the hood, where Porsche is expected to fit a new family of downsized, turbocharged flat-six engines to replace the naturally aspirated units in the current models, likely with more power and improved performance to boot. We expect the launch of the new 911 to kick off a raft of new versions to follow, including coupes, convertibles, and Targas (as you can see from the photos), as well as rear- and all-wheel-drive versions in various states of tune. The current generation, after all, bred a about two dozen versions, and you can bet the new one will lead to just as many, from the base Carrera all the way up to the Turbo. That will (as in the all-turbo Macan range) likely remain the flagship model, even after the forced induction no longer sets it apart. The GT3, GT3 RS and a new purist model are expected to be the only hold-outs for atmospheric pressure, but the widespread adaptation of turbocharged power will put another degree of separation between the new 911 and the naturally aspirated, air-cooled models of old. For more details, we'll have to wait until Porsche reveals the full monte, but for a taste of what's to come, look no further than the 19 high-resolution images in this slideshow. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Porsche 911: Testing View 19 Photos Image Credit: Porsche Porsche Performance porsche 991

Corvette gets slidey with Britain's best performance cars

Autocar wants to find Britain's best driver's car, and it's challenging a murderers' row of some of the world's best performance vehicles to find out, including the latest Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. All of them were therefore assembled at the Castle Combe Circuit to find a winner.
If it wants to take the crown from this pack of mostly European competitors, the 'Vette has to beat some steep competition. Its challengers include monsters like the Ferrari 458 Speciale, Ariel Atom 3.5R and Jaguar F-Type Coupe. As a further hurdle for the winner to clear, Autocar also has last year's champ among the fighters - the Porsche 911 GT3.
Even if you're not at all interested in the C7, there's still something here for practically any fan of fast cars. The competitors include relative oddities among the pack like the Renault Mégane RS Trophy and Alfa Romeo 4C. Plus, Autocar has some well-positioned microphones that let you hear the Atom wailing like a banshee and the roar of the 458 Speciale. Check out the video to see which one of these all-stars takes home the award this year.