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Juan Pablo Montoya tests Porsche 919 Hybrid in Bahrain

Sealing the FIA World Endurance Championship wasn't the only thing that Porsche did this past weekend in Bahrain. Alongside its rivals from Audi and Toyota, the German outfit also participated in a test session for potential new drivers, including Juan Pablo Montoya. Driving the Le Mans- and championship-winning Porsche 919 Hybrid at the Bahrain International Circuit this weekend, Montoya set the fastest time of the day. His "qualifying" lap was clocked at 1:40.86, barely more than a second behind the 1:39.67 lap that earned Timo Bernhard pole position in the previous day's race – and a second faster than the fastest lap set in the race by Neel Jani in another 919 Hybrid. That's a mighty impressive feat for a driver relatively unaccustomed to driving a modern hybrid LMP1. Racing fans will know Montoya as a multi-talented driver. The Colombian has competed successfully in Formula One, Indy, NASCAR, and sports prototypes, winning races in all disciplines. Aside from the International Formula 3000 title, three outright victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona, and a handful of NASCAR street-course races, Montoya can count among his many achievements the CART title, two Indianapolis 500 wins, and the checkered flag at the Monaco Grand Prix (along with six other F1 races). Those victories have brought JP among the closest to winning the Triple Crown of motorsports of any driver in racing history, and he's still competing. For those unfamiliar, the Triple Crown is an unofficial measure to gauge the diverse talents of professional racing drivers in three disciplines: Indy, F1, and Le Mans. To win, a driver has to win the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and either the Monaco Grand Prix or the Formula One World Championship. Graham Hill is the only driver in history to have swept all the categories, but others have come close. The list of near-winners includes Tazio Nuvolari, Mike Hawthrown, Phil Hill, AJ Foyt, Bruce McLaren, Jim Clark, Mario Andretti, and Emerson Fittipaldi. The only contenders still active are Montoya and Jacques Villeneuve, who won at Indy in '95, the F1 championship in '97, and came second at Le Mans in 2008. Villenueve could still steal the crown if he gets another shot at Le Mans, but the more likely scenario would be to see Montoya rise to the throne. Especially if this test session is any indication. Also driving the Porsche was in the rookie test session was Mitch Evans, a former GP3 champion and GP2 race winner from New Zealand.

Porsche 911 already testing next refresh

The latest Porsche 911 may still be a newer car, but that hasn't stopped the German company from starting development of a facelifted version of the rear-engined sports car, testing in what looks like southern Europe.
Due to hit the market in 2015, our spies think what we're seeing here is the new GTS variant, which, following the evolution of the last-generation 911, will make its debut on the facelifted car. Featuring the wider rear haunches of the all-wheel-drive Carrera 4, the GTS should enjoy a slight power boost, to 408 ponies.
Aesthetically, there are some additional vents in the rear bodywork, along with a revised front bumper and tweaked day-time running lights. The taillights get some attention as well, and will likely grow over the current car's skinny rear lamps.

Here's the stunning Porsche Vision GT car we can't have

By now you've seen plenty of the Vision Gran Turismo cars featured in Gran Turismo 6. These are radical designs from real car designers at major automakers – some exist purely digitally for gameplay, while others have been rendered as show cars as well. Participating companies range from Hyundai to Aston Martin, but one notable exception is Porsche. All of Porsche's cars have been absent from Gran Turismo ever since the first game due to licensing issues, some of which have also plagued other game developers. However, a small, independent team of designers decided that wouldn't stop them from coming up with their own concept of a Porsche concept for the game. The team consisted of six people from around the globe – five automotive designers and one expert photo retoucher. They say their inspiration was the 1969 Porsche 908 LH race car, and this 908-04 certainly shares the classic racer's lengthy tail. The design also borrows from some current Porsche designs, including the 918 Spyder, the 919 Hybrid racecar, and the Mission E electric concept that has been greenlit for production. Creating a raw, visceral, simple machine seems to be the goal of their design, as they say it is "a purely manual car" and that they want it to "give you goose bumps just by imagining yourself driving it." It's not meant to be a fantastical concept either, as the designers state they aimed to make it so someone could realistically fit inside and drive. Which is more than can be said for the laser-propelled Chevrolet Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo. We'll only be able to imagine ourselves driving it, though, as this is not an official concept from Porsche. And even if it was, it's highly unlikely Polyphony Digital would go through the necessary hoops to get Porsche in the game. Instead, we can just drool. To see more of this stylish hypothetical Porsche and read more of the backstory, check out the designers' website at www.porschevisiongt.com. Related Video: Featured Gallery Porsche 908-04 Concept View 11 Photos Image Credit: PorscheVisionGT.com Auto News Porsche Gran Turismo polyphony digital vision gran turismo race car