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Jay Leno welcomes Emory's outlaw Porsche 356s

Classic cars can have a lot of character, but purposely passing up on some of the enormous advancements made to the automobile over the decades since those classics were made can be a difficult proposition. That's where restomodders like Emory Motorsports come in. Emory specializes in customizing Porsche 356s, modifying them to their clients' specifications and giving them an added dose of performance and refinement, all without losing that timeless appeal. The LA-based company is headed up today by third-generation Southern Californian gearhead Rod Emory. After seeing some examples of his work out on the road, Jay Leno invited Rod by the garage along with a pair of his company's custom creations. Both are based on 356 coupes from the late 1950s, but take pretty different approaches in their comprehensive restoration and extensive modification. Since classic Zuffenhausen enthusiasts are notorious for their rigid adherence to originality, Emory's modified 356s are deemed to be "outlaws" by many on the vintage Porsche scene. But they've also gained quite a following, similar to what Singer has done with 911s. Whether you're more inclined to cling to authenticity along with the purists or embrace the novelty espoused by the restomodders, after scoping out these irresistible specimens, you'll have to admit that Emory does some pretty compelling work. Watch the 25-minute video clip above to see what we mean, and check out Petrolicious' profile of the same company's work from last year for another look.

$1.4B hedge fund suit against Porsche dismissed

Investors have canvassed courts in Europe and the US to repeatedly sue Porsche over its failed attempt to take over Volkswagen in 2008 (see here, and here and here), and they have repeatedly failed to win any cases. You can add another big loss to the tally, with Bloomberg reporting that the Stuttgart Regional Court has dismissed a 1.4-billion euro ($1.95B US) lawsuit, the decision explained by the court's assertion that the investors would have lost on their short bets even if Porsche hadn't misled them.
Examining the hedge funds' motives for stock purchases and the bets that VW share prices would fall, judge Carola Wittig said that the funds didn't base their decisions on the key bits of "misinformation," and instead were participating simply in "highly speculative and naked short selling," only to get caught out.
With other cases still pending, the continued streak of victories bodes well for Porsche's courtroom fortunes, since judges will expect new information to consider overturning precedent. If there is any new info, it could come from the potential criminal cases still outstanding against former CEO Wendelin Wiedeking and CFO Holger Härter, who were both indicted on charges of market manipulation.

2014 Porsche Panamera Turbo S is a 911 Turbo for the family man

In the event that the Porsche Panamera Turbo's 520 horsepower and 189-mile-per-hour top speed aren't enough to sate the appetite of the speed freak, Porsche has just given the auto show debut to the faster, more powerful Panamera Turbo S.
With 570 horsepower being pumped from a 4.8-liter, twin-turbocharged V8, the Panamera Turbo S promises even faster acceleration, hitting 60 mph in 3.6 seconds, a 0.3-second improvement over the standard Turbo. The top speed, meanwhile, climbs to 192 mph, which is kind of ridiculous for a car with four doors and a trunk.
Other enhancements that come with this Panamera's extra syllable include carbon-ceramic brakes and the entirety of Porsche's active chassis systems, including Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control and Porsche Active Suspension Management. The performance goodies come standard, but that doesn't mean the Panamera Turbo S is cheap.