Garage Kept, Rarely Driven Porsche on 2040-cars

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Porsche Cayman GT4 speeds back into view

We're all familiar with the succession of numbers that follow the letters GT on a hard-core Porsche 911: the GT1 that was Stuttgart's Le Mans contender in the late 90s, the GT2 that packs turbochargers but without the Turbo's all-wheel drive and excess weight, and the naturally aspirated GT3 that's the enthusiast's choice. But a GT4? That's something new, and exactly what Porsche has in store.
Spied testing in Germany once again is the upcoming GT4 version of the Porsche Cayman, set to supersede the existing GTS and take the place of the previous Cayman R at the top of Porsche's junior sports car range. This latest batch of spy shots doesn't show us much more than the last crop, but gives us a much clearer view at what promises to be the most hardcore Cayman to date.
As you can see, the Cayman GT4 packs a much more aggressive aero kit and rolling stock than any version we've seen to date. It's got a lip spoiler, big air dam and GT3-style vent in front of the hood, deep air scoops along the flanks, a set of spindly alloys packing oversized brakes, a diffuser with twin central exhaust tips around back and a rear wing that's likely to be replaced with a sleeker unit before the GT4 reaches production.

Porsche Classic launching branded motor oil for air-cooled boxer engines

It's hard not to love the look of a classic Porsche. Whether it's the upside-down bathtub styling of the 356 or the gradual evolution of the 911, there is a little beauty in all of them. However, the older they get, the more that needs repaired to keep them on the road. Porsche Classic is helping out, though, by introducing its own brand of motor oil for the demands of the company's vintage, air-cooled engines.
Developed at the Porsche Development Centre in Weissach, Germany, Porsche Classic Motoroil comes in two weights - 20W-50 for the 356, 914 and 911 models up to the 2.7-liter G-Model and 10W-60 for 3.0-liters-and-up engines through the 993-chassis 911. The company claims that the air-cooled engines have different heat demands than traditional, water-cooled units, and this oil is made to meet those requirements.
According to Porsche, modern, synthetic oils are sometimes too effective when it comes to old engines. They are fantastic at sopping up debris, but those deposits are often holding archaic seals together. Suddenly removing them can cause leaks. The new oil is specifically designed to work with the old-fashioned materials found in its classics. The company also knows that most owners aren't driving their vintage cars everyday. So this formulation is more alkaline that normal to neutralize acids that they build up and corrode components.

Porsche 918 Spyder configurator goes live

That didn't take long. The debut model of the new Porsche 918 Spyder is still thronged by onlookers at the Frankfurt Motor Show, while the German sports car maker is hard at work putting the first version of the supercar's configuration page online. Considering Porsche configurators are some of our favorite time-wasters of the genre, we expect car-guy productivity to drop by a few percentage points over the rest of the day.
So, the 918 dream-maker doesn't list and prices as yet, and that's too bad. But considering the car is due to start off at $845,000 in the US, chances are good that unless you're reading this from the shallow end of your Uncle Scrooge-spec money pool, the cost of any part of the 918 is academic to you anyway.
To start, Porsche is offering twelve paint colors, three wheel choices and seven two-tone interior treatments. Standard lightweight bucket seats and a set of chairs with "firmer padding" are on offer, too. The options list is mostly populated with interior bits, though many - an anti-reflection interior, fire extinguisher, six-point seatbelts - are racing-oriented or functional. Note that Porsche is also kind enough to offer just one cupholder as an optional extra; the unit is made of aluminum and is detachable so that you won't have to carry the extra weight during racing. Also, Porsche probably puts you on some kind of naughty 'list' if you order one...