1985 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe 2-door 3.2l on 2040-cars

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The pre-race and first in-race report from Le Mans

The 2013, 90th anniversary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans has begun, tragedy marking the opening laps with the death of Allan Simonsen. We're at the track now as a guest of Audi and plan to stay through the evening, and even we haven't been able to find out what caused the accident - the only video is from just after the incident, and beyond the statement from ACO there's been no more news. The Aston Martin in the LM GTE Am class and its all-Danish drivers had taken pole in its class and was one of the favorites to win.
The pre-race report will come first, and even thought we can't spoil the race because we're only five hours into it at the time of writing, we'll put all of the news at the end in case you don't even want the updates.
Or you can go straight to the high-res galleries above.

2015 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S gets faster, more powerful [w/video]

Porsche just isn't letting development of the Cayenne Turbo S cease. The 2014 edition was unveiled at last year's Detroit Auto Show boasting 550 horsepower from the brand's 4.8-liter twin-turbo V8, and it could hit 60 miles per hour in 4.3 seconds to a 175 mph top speed. Those seemed like very impressive specs for an SUV, but only a year later, the German brand has revealed an even more powerful take on its flagship trim in the model lineup. The 2015 Cayenne Turbo S now makes 562 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque from the same V8. The key to seeing such a significant boost in grunt so quickly is that the two turbos are now integral and are located directly in the exhaust manifolds. Porsche's eight-speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox still routes power to all four wheels. All of the tweaks let the SUV hit 60 miles per hour in 3.8 seconds and a 176 mph to speed. Stopping should come quite rapidly too thanks to 16.5-inch diameter ceramic brake discs up front with 10-piston calipers. Of course, the Cayenne needs to be able to put that added grunt to good use. Porsche claims that the model can lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7:59.74. Comparatively, the 550-hp Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR previously touted its SUV 'Ring lap record with a circuit in 8:14 in 2014. The Turbo S doesn't try hard to show off its added prowess, though. Up front, the bumper and undersides of the door mirrors are done in high-gloss black paint. Meanwhile, the roof spoiler and wheel arches are body color. The 21-inch wheels with black edges provide a little flash, and LED headlights are standard. The interior should be comfy too with black and creme leather and carbon fiber accents. The whole package rings up for $157,300, plus $995 destination and delivery, and US deliveries start in late April. Check it out in Porsche's video below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The new Cayenne Turbo S The top athlete among SUVs At the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Porsche is also introducing the new Cayenne Turbo S – the top model of the sporty SUV model series. Its re-engineered 4.8-liter V8 biturbo engine now develops 570 hp (419 kW) and 800 Nm (590 ft lb) of torque. A chassis that is tuned for maximum driving dynamics and packs a wide range of control systems also makes the Cayenne Turbo S a genuine top athlete.

Porsche names new motorsport chief

Though it may have expanded into crossovers and sedans, Porsche is still a company with racing at its heart. You might even argue that Cayenne and Panamera sales only serve to fund the company's motorsports activities. Competition-spec 911 coupes still make up a large portion of the grid in any GT racing series, and those activities are presided over by the Porsche GT division (separate from its LMP1 program), which has just announced a changing of the guard.
Porsche's GT unit - which is responsible both for racing models like the 911 RSR and road-going models like the 911 GT3 - has until now been steered by Hartmut Kristen (pictured above, left) in his capacity as Vice President of Motorsport at Porsche AG. During his ten-year tenure, Kristen gave birth to the RS Spyder that competed in the American Le Mans Series and the pioneering 911 GT3 R Hybrid. He also fostered what Porsche characterizes as "arguably the most comprehensive youth development program in motor racing" and saw the marque return to Le Mans last year with a dominant 1-2 class victory.
Kristen, now 59 years old, is leaving the German automaker, but will remain an advisor to the company's R&D department. Taking over as VP of Motorsport will be Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser, who has until now been head of the 918 Spyder project (a responsibility he will continue). Walliser (pictured above, right) was previously Porsche's general manager for motorsport strategies and will now be responsible for Porsche's GT projects on and off the track, while Fritz Enzinger continues at the helm of the LMP1 program in pursuit of better results next year than the 919 Hybrid achieved at Le Mans last month.