2009 Porsche 911 on 2040-cars

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Porsche reveals new 911 GT3 R at the Nurburgring

On any given weekend, you're bound to find gaggles of Porsche 911s zipping around most any race track. Now Porsche has revealed its latest competition model at no less fitting a location than the Nurburgring. The new 911 GT3 R replaces the existing version, slotting in below the 911 RSR. It's based closely on the road-going 911 GT3 RS, and retains the same 4.0-liter naturally aspirated flat-six with direct injection and variable valve timing, but tuned to deliver over 500 horsepower, transmitted to the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential paddle-shift gearbox and mechanical limited slip differential. The wheelbase has been stretched over three inches for better weight balance compared to the outgoing GT3 R, further optimized by more lightweight components and a central radiator to lower the center of gravity. The lightweight bodywork is made of aluminum, steel, and carbon fiber, and for the first time all of the glass (including the windscreen) has been replaced by plexi. Stopping power is provided by six-piston aluminum monoblock calipers gripping 380-millimeter steel discs up front, with four-piston calipers and 372-mm discs at the back. The safety fuel cell can now hold 120 liters of fuel with a cut-off safety valve, the doors and windows can be removed, and the escape hatch is bigger, too. All of this adds up to the promise of a more competitive GT3 R ready to take on the competition, available to privateer racing teams from December for 429,000 euros before tax – working out to about $487k at current exchange rates. World premiere at the Nurburgring Lighter, more economical, faster: the new 911 GT3 R Stuttgart. Based on the 911 GT3 RS production sports car, Porsche has designed a customer sport race car for GT3 series around the world: The 911 GT3 R. In developing the more than 368 kW (500 hp) racing nine-eleven, special attention was paid to lightweight design, better aerodynamic efficiency, reducing consumption, improved handling, further optimised safety as well as lowering service and spare parts costs. Adopted from its production sibling, the 911 GT3 R features the distinctive double-bubble roof, and the wheelbase which had been lengthened by 8.3 centimetres compared to the previous generation. This ensures a more balanced weight distribution and more predictable handling particularly in fast corners corners in comparison to the previous GT3 R.

Porsche offers detuned Boxster and Cayman 211 in Europe

Looking at a new Porsche Boxster? First of all, we commend you on your choice, because in its latest iteration, the Boxster has sped out from under the shadow of the 911 and into its own. But now to choose: do you get the base model with 265 horsepower, the Boxster S with 315 hp, or the top-of-the-line Boxster GTS with 330 hp? It's a daunting question, considering the $10k+ price gap between each model that you could put into the gas-and-rubber jar. Same goes for the Cayman, albeit with ten more horses across the board. But as if that's not confusing enough, there appears to be another player on the field. (That is, at least, in certain European markets.)
Appearing on the company's Belgian and Norwegian sites are the Boxster 211 and Cayman 211. As you might have guessed, they pack a less substantial 211 horsepower, undercutting what we know as the base models. Instead of using a smaller engine, though, the Boxster and Cayman 211 get the same 2.7-liter boxer six, just with less power.
As a result, they're a bit slower off the line: the Boxster 211 takes between 6.1 and 6.4 seconds to get to 62, depending on exact specifications, compared to the 5.5- to 5.8-second range for the 265-hp Boxster, while the Cayman 211 is quoted at 6.2 seconds versus the 275-hp Cayman's 5.4 to 5.7 seconds. Fuel consumption and emissions, on the other hand (and as you'd expect), are better in the 211. But while Porsche Norway charges around $10k less for the 211 models, Porsche Belgium charges the same for the 211 models as it does for the next most powerful versions (from which they appear to be visually indistinguishable).

Hot Wheels goes Outlaw with Magnus Walker Porsches

Magnus Walker, of Urban Outlaw fame, insists his story is just like that of any kid. But instead of becoming a fireman or an astronaut, Walker's childhood dream was to have a specific car. A Porsche 911 Turbo just like the one he fell in love with at the 1977 Earls Court Motor Show in London, to be exact. Today, he's famous both for having an eye-catching collection of 911s, as well as a compelling story behind them. Walker collaborated with Hot Wheels so a new generation of kids can find their dream, just like he did with that Porsche. Today, Walker and Hot Wheels will unveil the line of diminutive Porsches he helped to create, starting with the company's beginnings: a Porsche 356A. "There was something about this car, the Porsche," Walker told Autoblog last week in his Downtown Los Angeles garage. "You either had the Ferrari Boxer on the wall, a Lamborghini Countach on the wall, or a Porsche Turbo. There was something that attracted me to this car. That dream never went away." Jun Imai, Design Manager at Hot Wheels, said Walker's story and ties to the Porsche name were a match for the maker of toys that are commonly found on a living room rug. "All Hot Wheels cars have a story, just like all the cars in his collection," Imai said. The partnership with Waker, Imai said, is a product of the way Hot Wheels now gauges the pulse of car culture, with inspiration coming from what's parked out on the streets, printed in magazines and being shared on the internet. There was something that attracted me to this car. That dream never went away. "Up until five years ago, we were a V8 muscle car brand," Imai said. "Now it's, 'What is the modern hot rod?' It could be a Porsche or an E30 BMW. Everyone's into something different, so we take that into consideration." Imai said that Walker's collaboration is just that, rather than slapping his name onto a new series of products. "We're not just doing replicas of his car, that's almost obvious and easy," he said. "We thought, let's have him come in, let's have him actually design graphics for the cars where he's an integral process." For Walker, though, the Hot Wheels cars reflect the growing accessibility of car culture. Despite the modern popularity of video games - Magnus made an appearance in the latest Need for Speed game - Walker says the appeal of Hot Wheels spans from the youngest budding enthusiasts to people older than the original 356.