1999 - Porsche 911 on 2040-cars

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Hyundai, Porsche top J.D. Power APEAL study

Just as they did in the Initial Quality Study, Porsche and Hyundai have taken the premium and non-premium crown, respectively, for the 2014 J.D. Power APEAL study. This is the tenth consecutive year for that Porsche has been rated the best premium make in the APEAL study, which attempts to figure out how pleased owners are with their purchases. For 2014, it asked 86,000 owners of MY2014 cars to rate their vehicles in 77 different categories 90 days after their initial purchase. The resulting figures were plugged in deliver the APEAL score, which is rated on a 1,000-point scale.
The industry average sits at 794 points for 2014, although that's a one-percent decline over last year's rating. In this year's study, premium brands averaged 840 out of 1,000, while non-premium makes average 785. For their part, Porsche netted an impressive 882 points, while Hyundai earned an 804. Interestingly, only four non-premium brands (Hyundai, Ram, Volkswagen and Mini) finished above the industry average for 2014.
It's also interesting to see the clear delineation between premium and non-premium brands, with an eight-point gap between the non-premium champ, Hyundai, and the lowest-rated premium brand, Volvo.

'Ring Queen Sabine Schmitz battles Ron Simons in Porsche vs Ferrari scrap

We hope you have seven minutes to kill. RSR Nürburgring recently took the time to pit Sabine Schmitz and her slightly modified Porsche 911 GT3 RS against Ron Simons and his Ferrari 458 Italia in a sparring match around the infamous Green Hell. The clip begins with the two drivers engaging in a smidgeon of smack talk before the two get down to the business of beating each other's doors off around one of the most challenging courses in the world. Simons calls his car superior to Schmitz's 911, while Schmitz says she's up against nothing more than a Fiat driven by an old Dutch man.
Don't hold any punches, you two.
We won't spoil the finale for you, but we will say the tango is worth watching. At the end, the loser calls for a rematch. We can't wait to see that throwdown. Check out the clip below for yourself.

Porsche Cayman gets a new face

We've already seen photos of the facelifted Porsche Boxster out testing, but we're now seeing these same changes making their way onto the hardtop Cayman coupe. Cosmetically, the next round of Porsche's smallest sports cars isn't vastly different, with redesigned headlamps, LED running lights (like its big brother, the 911), and new taillamps that actually aren't visible on the prototype seen here.
The big news for the updated Boxster/Cayman range is the long-rumored four-cylinder engine. Recent reports suggest we could see four-pots with displacements of 1.6, 2.0, or 2.5 liters, and with output ratings as high as 360 horsepower. Of course, these new four-cylinder mills would be both turbocharged and direct-injected.
It's unclear whether or not the six-cylinder engine range will also be updated when this new Cayman comes to market. In any case, we expect to see it bow in the relatively near future. Stay tuned.