1987 Porsche 924 S Coupe 2-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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New details mooted about Porsche's '988' Ferrari rival

We could be on the verge of a big expansion at everyone's favorite rear-engined German sports car manufacturer. Porsche is allegedly preparing a four-car assault that will be led by a proper challenger to the Ferrari 458 Italia (sorry 911).
Code-named "988," the new model will reportedly feature a mid-engined layout and, get this: a flat-8. Autocar, which has the story, expects that engine to displace about 4.0 liters, while the car itself will draw styling inspiration from the 918 Spyder. 600 ponies and over 400 super-accessible pound-feet of torque should be on tap with the new mill.
Joining the 988's supposed eight-cylinder is a new family of four- and six-cylinder boxer engines that Autocar claims will have a focus on power density and fuel economy. These new mills will be available in naturally aspirated, turbocharged and hybrid forms.

Porsche 918 Spyder goes ice drifting in Finland

Along with the Ferrari Laferrari and McLaren P1, the Porsche 918 Spyder is one of the trio of hybrid supercars potentially defining the path for these rarified vehicles going forward. When thinking about high-performance machines like this, the mind usually goes to precise driving around a circuit or maybe along a beautifully undulating road... not so much in the snow. Still, this group has more than enough power to make it through a little bit of powder, and the 918 proves that at the Porsche Driving Experience winter camp in Finland. Although, the set of studded snow tires certainly helps. Even with the trick all-wheel drive system in the Porsche combining a mid-mounted V8 and electric motors, this 918 has absolutely no problem lighting up the rear end in the snow and ice. Even at relatively low speeds, just a blip of the throttle is all it takes for the back tires to step out. However, the handling still looks quite controllable. It's hard to grin as this rare supercar does the Scandinavian Flick to set up a perfect drift between the snow banks.

Porsche to offer next-gen 911 GT3 with a manual

Porsche may have offended some of the purists among its customer base when it rolled out the current 911 GT3 with only a dual-clutch transmission. But according to Car and Driver, the next GT3 will get a stick again. The development comes as the good folks at Zuffenhausen (and Weissach) attempt to balance the instant-shifting benefits of a DCT with the direct involvement of a conventional manual transmission. On the one hand, Porsche introduced a new seven-speed manual with the 991-generation model. On the other, it didn't offer that manual (or any manual for that matter) on the GT3 or even the more hardcore GT3 RS. In response to customer demand for a more back-to-basics approach, Porsche is preparing to introduce a new variant expected to be called the 911 R, with a manual, no turbos, and skinnier tires for a more linear driving experience. And the Cayman GT4 was launched only with a manual instead of a DCT. "The GT3 is full of systems that make sense on the track, but for the purist, there may be something lost," Porsche GT chief Andreas Preuninger told C/D. "It is our long-term goal to have the customer decide between the two approaches." In addition to the DCT, the current GT3 also features a four-wheel steering system. The shift (so to speak) back to a manual option in the next GT3 will undoubtedly come as a welcome development for those purists offended by the DCT-only option – to say nothing of Porsche's movement towards SUVs, diesels, and hybrids. That manual option may not, however, offer all seven forward cogs available in the stick-shift Carrera. One way or another, though, we don't doubt that most customers would still go for the dual-clutch option over the single on they can actuate themselves. Related Video: