1997 Porsche 911 Targa Coupe 2-door 3.6l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Eight things we learned about the 2017 Porsche Panamera

We just spent two days in Germany with the 2017 Porsche Panamera, and now that we're back home in the States it's time for show and tell. The design is probably the most noticeable difference, but there is a lot going on inside and underneath this new Porsche sedan. Here are eight important bits worth talking about. It's longer, wider, and taller than before. The new Panamera is 198.8 inches (+1.3) long, 76.3 inches (+0.2) wide, and 56 inches (+0.2) high. It doesn't look bigger in person, though. Parked side-by-side, the 2017 Panamera looks chiseled and lean where the previous model was bulbous. The front and rear overhangs are reduced, aiding in the visual deception. We've already said that the 2017 Panamera is much prettier in person than its predecessor, and that's especially true from the rear three-quarter angle. There's a short flat surface at the tail below the rear glass, and the roofline over the rear of the passenger compartment was dropped by an eighth of an inch. Coupled with the new rear brake lights that are connected by an eye-catching light strip, those small detail changes make a dramatic impact on the car's overall appearance. Say goodbye to buttons. Physical buttons are quickly fading out of style, and the 2017 Porsche Panamera is the first vehicle from the German automaker that follows the trend. A sea of black plastic greets Panamera occupants, at least until the car is turned on. Then, the Porsche Advanced Cockpit lights up. Touch-sensitive controls abound for the driver and passengers both front and rear. The Advanced Cockpit definitely cleans up the Panamera's interior compared to the mess of buttons inside the first-gen model. We haven't been given the opportunity to put the new cockpit through its finger-friendly paces, but we're sure that if you understand how to operate a tablet, you've got the basics down already. Here's hoping it's intuitive and easy to use without diverting too much attention from the road. And wish a fond farewell to gauges (mostly). There's only one physical gauge inside the Panamera (unless you count the analog timer atop the dash on models equipped with the Sport Chrono Package). A tachometer sits directly in front of the driver. In a nod to Porsches past, it's designed to invoke memories of the classic 356. Besides that one throwback, the instrument cluster is dominated by twin seven-inch digital displays that flank the lone dial.

Next-gen Porsche 911 may include plug-in hybrid version

According to Auto Express, there's a plug-in hybrid Porsche 911 on the way, and it could arrive as soon as the introduction of the next-generation car. At the Detroit Auto Show, the UK outlet spoke to 911 product line director Dr. Erhard Mossle, who said the Stuttgart automaker was "working on different solutions" for the next iteration of its most iconic car, and, "of course, we are discussing plug-in solutions for the 911, but there are a lot of things to solve with packaging in the car and other things to solve. It will maybe be in the next generation, yes." "When we see the 911," he said, "we see the plug-in hybrid as a performance car." Since we just saw the introduction of the turbocharged powerplant in the 911 Carrera last summer, we can expect a wait of at least four years for the next powertrain evolution. Mossle said that any 911 PHEV would remain a sporty proposition and likely retain the flat-six engine, which would give more prestige than the four-cylinder 718 (Cayman and Boxster) yet still be able to satisfy emissions regulations. Mossle is echoing the comments made by Oliver Blume, chairman of the executive board at Porsche, at the Detroit show when Blume said the production version of the Mission E concept would be a sports car that happens to be electric. As far back as 2009, in fact, Porsche has been openly discussing an electric 911, the caveat even then being that it has to perform like a Porsche while providing decent range. In the middle of 2014 it was reported that the carmaker might make a 700-horsepower 911 Turbo S hybrid, by the end of 2014 it was reported that the automaker wouldn't make a 911 hybrid. A year after that first report, a 911 hybrid was back on, using the E-Hybrid system supposedly dismissed six months before, and then last November we got spy shots of a 911 with a supposed PHEV port. But with its Mission E work, and being designated to lead the Volkswagen Group's R&D into performance hybrids, a battery-boosted 911 might finally make sense. Related Video:

First-ever Porsche headed home to company museum

About 30 years before Ferdinand Porsche designed the Volkswagen Beetle, he created the Egger-Lohner electric vehicle, C.2 Phaeton model - or simply, the P1 - you see above. This was the first vehicle created by Porsche, and the car gets its nickname from the fact that he had stamped "P1" on many of the parts marking it as the first Porsche... sorry, 356 No. 1.
Now while you'd think that such an important piece of Porsche heritage has been in a museum or even the automaker's not-so-secret lair, it has actually been sitting at a warehouse for the last 112 years. Thankfully, that's all about to change as Porsche has recovered P1, and the car will soon be on "permanent display" at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart.
The P1 has a 3 horsepower motor capable of delivering a top speed of 21 miles per hour and a driving range of 49 miles, and, like many vehicles in Porsche's history, the motor is positioned at the rear of the vehicle. According to the press release posted below, the P1 finished first in a 24-mile electric vehicle race in Berlin in 1899, but it has been sitting since 1902.