1990 Porsche 911 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Jack Olsen built one Porsche to do it all

Jack Olsen has built himself a lair called the 12-Gauge Garage, and inside that garage he built a lairy Porsche 911 nicknamed Black Beauty II. Although it looks like one of Stuttgart's models from the sixties or seventies, it is actually four decades of 911 gubbins from 1965 to 2000 thrown under one shell: the lightweight body is from 1972, the transaxle from 1977, the brakes from a 1986 Turbo, the engine from 1995, for example. It weighs 2,400 pounds and it's got 272 horsepower to get it going, but it's still a pure Porsche, Olsen saying, "If you stop thinking about what you're doing, it will remind you in very abrupt ways."
Olsen said the real point has been to have one car that does it all, so he does everything in his 911 from neighborhood runs to 7-11 to track racing - he loads the aero bits in the car and bolts them on trackside. And he says he'll never stop tweaking the suspension.
You can watch and hear the rest in Olsen's words in the video below.

Porsche tells 2014 911 GT3 owners to park their cars pending inspection

Porsche may have have a serious problem on its hands. After a rumored five 2014 911 GT3 coupes caught fire in recent weeks, Porsche launched an investigation and stopped delivering its road-ready racecar until it could diagnose the problem. Now, it has issued a press release asking all 2014 911 GT3 owners to immediately stop driving their cars until they can be inspected. Porsche is offering to pick up the cars from owners' homes and take them to the nearest dealer.
Porsche confirms that the at least two 911 GT3 coupes them have caught fire in Europe, and it has elected to inspect all 785 2014 GT3s worldwide. However, it claims no drivers have been injured in the fires. Unfortunately, Porsche says, "Internal studies to determine the cause of the engine damage have not been completed yet," so owners might have a bit of a wait before they are able to drive Porsche's ultimate 911 again. Scroll down to read the entire press release.

Autoblog Unplugged: 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4S

The day began cold and clear. It felt like a perfect late autumn afternoon to flog the 2015 Porsche 911 Targa 4S on the backroads west of Detroit. So it seemed, anyway. An impromptu snow squall came out of nowhere, dampening the roads and our spirits, though the latter quickly were lifted as we began putting our German sports car through its paces. Quite simply, the 911 Targa 4S is up for almost everything. The all-wheel-drive system kept us poised and secure – it takes a bit to unsettle this 911 when all four wheels are clawing at the pavement. We still had 400 horsepower on tap, which is a riot to channel via the seamless PDK gearbox in any condition. Yes, this is a Targa, so even in the snow we dropped the top, cranked the seat heaters and had a heck of a good time. It's hard not to when you're motoring in something that starts at more than $120,000. Still, weather in Michigan can throw anyone a curve. We dealt with it, and luckily, you don't have to. In this Autoblog Unplugged you get all the good stuff. The purr and whine of the engine. Up-close shots of the Targa as it tackles the road – and best of all – no talking. Unplugs are all about driving. Thus, we'll shut up. Please enjoy.