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NYT profiles Blue Nelson, a reclusive and interesting CA car collector

If it weren't for his Dale Earnhardt Sr. looks, Blue Nelson could be one one of those soft-spoken, nondescript guys whom you meet briefly and never learn much more about. However, as The New York Times shows in a recent profile and video, behind closed doors, Nelson keeps a fascinatingly eclectic collection of automotive oddities and vintage bicycles.
While his main career is in the movie industry, Nelson's other job is as a car hunter. He takes on clients searching for a specific model and helps them find and restore the dream vehicle that they're after. Hiring him takes some dedication, though, because Nelson doesn't advertise his services. "If people want to find me, they know how to find me," he says in the video.
Beyond being an automotive private detective, Nelson has a fantastically varied collection of vehicles of his own. He likes to have models that people don't usually see, and his garage holds a classic Chrysler New Yorker and an extremely rare Rometsch convertible. Although, the one that means the most to him is the 1962 Porsche 356 convertible that Blue came home in as a baby. Check out the video to learn more about Nelson and his philosophy about forming a bond with a car.

Porsche previews new 911 in development

Porsche has taken the rather unorthodox step of releasing a series of photos of a new vehicle before it reveals it in full, sans brightwork and covered in dirt. That model, as you can see, is the new 911, expected to feature a number of upgrades and some big changes over the 991-generation line it will replace. The photos give us an advance look at the update, with more details to follow. Likely to be dubbed (unofficially) as the 991.2 or 991.5, the new 911 will encompass the usual array of visual updates: revised bumpers, headlights, rolling stock, interior equipment... the works, as we saw from the most recent batch of spy shots. But the biggest change will be under the hood, where Porsche is expected to fit a new family of downsized, turbocharged flat-six engines to replace the naturally aspirated units in the current models, likely with more power and improved performance to boot. We expect the launch of the new 911 to kick off a raft of new versions to follow, including coupes, convertibles, and Targas (as you can see from the photos), as well as rear- and all-wheel-drive versions in various states of tune. The current generation, after all, bred a about two dozen versions, and you can bet the new one will lead to just as many, from the base Carrera all the way up to the Turbo. That will (as in the all-turbo Macan range) likely remain the flagship model, even after the forced induction no longer sets it apart. The GT3, GT3 RS and a new purist model are expected to be the only hold-outs for atmospheric pressure, but the widespread adaptation of turbocharged power will put another degree of separation between the new 911 and the naturally aspirated, air-cooled models of old. For more details, we'll have to wait until Porsche reveals the full monte, but for a taste of what's to come, look no further than the 19 high-resolution images in this slideshow. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Porsche 911: Testing View 19 Photos Image Credit: Porsche Porsche Performance porsche 991

Next-gen Porsche 911 may include plug-in hybrid version

According to Auto Express, there's a plug-in hybrid Porsche 911 on the way, and it could arrive as soon as the introduction of the next-generation car. At the Detroit Auto Show, the UK outlet spoke to 911 product line director Dr. Erhard Mossle, who said the Stuttgart automaker was "working on different solutions" for the next iteration of its most iconic car, and, "of course, we are discussing plug-in solutions for the 911, but there are a lot of things to solve with packaging in the car and other things to solve. It will maybe be in the next generation, yes." "When we see the 911," he said, "we see the plug-in hybrid as a performance car." Since we just saw the introduction of the turbocharged powerplant in the 911 Carrera last summer, we can expect a wait of at least four years for the next powertrain evolution. Mossle said that any 911 PHEV would remain a sporty proposition and likely retain the flat-six engine, which would give more prestige than the four-cylinder 718 (Cayman and Boxster) yet still be able to satisfy emissions regulations. Mossle is echoing the comments made by Oliver Blume, chairman of the executive board at Porsche, at the Detroit show when Blume said the production version of the Mission E concept would be a sports car that happens to be electric. As far back as 2009, in fact, Porsche has been openly discussing an electric 911, the caveat even then being that it has to perform like a Porsche while providing decent range. In the middle of 2014 it was reported that the carmaker might make a 700-horsepower 911 Turbo S hybrid, by the end of 2014 it was reported that the automaker wouldn't make a 911 hybrid. A year after that first report, a 911 hybrid was back on, using the E-Hybrid system supposedly dismissed six months before, and then last November we got spy shots of a 911 with a supposed PHEV port. But with its Mission E work, and being designated to lead the Volkswagen Group's R&D into performance hybrids, a battery-boosted 911 might finally make sense. Related Video: