1997 Porsche 911 on 2040-cars

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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.

1950s car ads are timeless

Usually around the Super Bowl a few great car commercials show up, but for the most part auto ads today pale in comparison to the '1950s and '60s. In an era with a truly viable magazine industry, automakers would take out gorgeous full-page spreads to get the word out about their wares. It was also a time when imports were just hitting the US, and there was a boom in sports cars. Car and Driver has gone for a dig into its advertising archives from when the book was known as Sports Cars Illustrated for a truly great viewing experience. You can imagine a young Don Draper mulling over the copy for these ads, but some of it is laughably quaint today. For example, there's a great image of a driver whipping an Austin-Healey 100 around a track. The italicized red text proudly proclaims, "From 0 to 60 MPH in 10.5 seconds." One of the beautiful parts about these advertisements is that you seldom see photos of the cars. Instead, there are often detailed drawings that slightly distort the vehicles' lines. With this approach, the Porsche 356 ends up looking far more curvaceous than in real life. Plus, the front end of the Chrysler 300 looks large enough to land a helicopter on. The whole thing is worth scrolling through. There are some fascinating glimpses into auto history like an ad for Abarth exhausts before the brand was just known for tuning Fiats. Related Video: News Source: Car and DriverImage Credit: GM Heritage Center Marketing/Advertising Read This Chrysler Fiat Porsche Performance Classics porsche 356 abarth

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?)