2010 Porsche 911 on 2040-cars

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eBay Find of the Day: 1981 Porsche 928 convertible by Carelli

The Porsche 928 was perhaps the consummate European GT of its day. With a powerful front-mounted V8 engine that grew in displacement as the model years went on, it was capable of eating up the miles at triple-digit speeds in great comfort for occupants. It was also an unusual beauty, with its sharp front and curved rear featuring innovative integrated bumpers.
Currently for auction on eBay Motors is one of the rarest 928s you're likely to find, in a handsome combination of Guards Red paint and tan leather interior, though we wouldn't mind a less-showy finish to the factory wheels. According to the seller, this car is one of eight 928 convertibles by Carelli Design, a firm that's still in business.
The auction claims that these cars were made in 1981 as a feasibility study between Carelli and Porsche for a possible production 928 convertible. The seller says he worked at the dealership where the car is said to have been originally sold $103,000. To remove the roof and hide the convertible top, there were significant changes made to the body and interior, including redesigned doors and a completely new trunk. As you can see in the gallery, when down, the top is completely hidden in a very factory-like fashion. When up, it looks slightly awkward, though (and we'd really like to see a rear three-quarter view to check out the blind spots).

Are you the next Porsche 911 GT3 RS or GT2?

Porsche typically keeps to a suitably fast schedule when it comes to rolling out increasingly hard-core performance versions of the 911. After the 997 Carrera debuted in 2004, the GT3 version followed in 2006, and by the end of the 2007, Porsche had rolled out both the GT3 RS and GT2 versions. Then the facelifted 997.5 came out in 2008 and it was back to the start: the GT3 came in 2009, the GT3 RS and GT2 RS in 2010, and the GT3 RS 4.0 in 2011. But things have slowed down some with the latest 991 generation.
The new Carrera came in 2011 and the GT3 followed in 2012. By recent history's example, we should have at least two more hardcore models by now, but we don't. Maybe the engineers in Zuffenhausen have had their hands full fixing the spontaneous-combustion issues with the existing GT3, or maybe their attentions have been focused elsewhere altogether. But if these spy shots are anything to go by, it seems like they're back on the job.
Now we don't know if this prototype foreshadows a new GT3 RS or a GT2, but it sure looks more hard-core than the existing GT3 that many purists have derided as too soft, what with its automatic transmission and four-wheel steering.

Porsche inspecting 2,500 Euro-spec Macans for damaged brake boosters

Porsche is investigating a potential brake issue with 2,500 of its new Macan CUVs. The inspection focuses on the state of the brake systems following tests that discovered the brake boosters may have been damaged during assembly.
Porsche has pointed out that, despite the concern, the affected Macans still meet safety regulations. The issue is predominantly found in European-spec Macans, which according to Porsche, have been delivered to consumers. Owners of affected vehicles in Europe will be notified and asked to come in for a brief, no-cost inspection.
American consumers, though, have no reason to worry. We reached out to Porsche Cars North America, who confirmed that the vehicles in question were assembled before US-spec cars were screwed together.