1983 Porsche 944 Base Coupe 2-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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Bentley tests next next-gen Flying Spur on Porsche Panamera Turbo body

At first glance, the prototype in the gallery above looks like a blacked-out version of the new Porsche Panamera Turbo. But this is actually Bentley's tester for the next-gen Flying Spur. And since the upcoming Flying Spur, among other Bentley vehicles, will utilize the same MSB platform as the new Porsche, seeing the British automaker using a Panamera makes a lot of sense. The Flying Spur is essentially a four-door version of the Continental GT, which has design cues from the EXP 10 Speed 6 concept unveiled at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. It's safe to assume that the next-gen Flying Spur will get the same treatment as well. Other than the fender flares, the prototype is identical to the Panamera Turbo. So how do we know that this is Bentley's prototype? According to our photographers, the prototype's license plate is registered as a Bentley with the UK's Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. With the Flying Spur sharing the same platform as the Panamera, we expect the luxury sedan to get the same choice of engines, including the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 and 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine. A concept is anticipated to come out in 2017 with a production variant coming a year later. Related Video: Featured Gallery Bentley Flying Spur Spy Shots View 10 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Spy Photos Bentley Porsche Luxury Performance Sedan bentley flying spur

Porsche would have entered F1 if Audi had blocked its Le Mans program

Go back a few years and you may have heard rumors of Porsche heading into Formula One. That never came to pass - or at least, it hasn't yet - but that doesn't mean that it wasn't close to happening. That's how committed to returning to top-level motorsport competition Porsche has become recently.
Autosport reports that just as Porsche was merging fully into the Volkswagen Group, Zuffenhausen was weighing its options for a factory racing program. Le Mans was its favorite, which makes sense, as it remains far and away the most successful constructor in the history of the famous endurance race. But the strategists at Porsche were worried that its new corporate overlords at Volkswagen wouldn't support two LMP1 programs and would favor Audi, which has positively dominated the modern era of endurance racing, coming second only to Porsche in the number of Le Mans victories it has scored to date.
Porsche's Plan B was reportedly to head into Formula One, although it isn't clear if the German automaker was intent on starting its own team, buying an existing one or merely providing engines to other teams. Porsche fielded its own cars in F1 in the late 1950s and early 60s, and returned as an engine supplier with TAG to power McLaren in the 1980s, powering Niki Lauda and Alain Prost to the World Championship in 1984 and 1985.

James May's 1984 Porsche 911 is priced to sell at Goodwood

James May needs money. He's out of work, has payments to make on his Ferrari, and has resorted to doing less than stellar work to make ends meet. He and his colleague Richard Hammond sold their motorcycles to raise some extra scratch, and now Captain Slow is selling his Porsche, too. Of course, with years of paychecks form Top Gear and other TV appearances, several books, and a weekly column in The Daily Telegraph, it's unlikely that May is worried about debtor's prison. Mostly because that doesn't exist in the UK anymore, but also because he's probably loaded. The vehicle in question is a 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera, complete with air-cooled 3.2-liter flat-six. He became acquainted with the car in 2007 when he borrowed it from specialist Paul Devyea to record a Radio 4 documentary, and evidently fell in love, so he bought it. He even had it on air for a couple of specials for Top Gear and James May's Toy Stories. He loaned it to his dad for a while, but with his time on Top Gear now at an end, he's consigned it to Bonhams (the same house that handled his bike sale) to auction off at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed. Its pre-sale estimate is quoted at GBP28,000-34,000 ($44-53k), which would seem a bit low – especially considering its celebrity provenance and low 55,000 miles on the odometer. Bonhams specialist Sholto Gilbertson tells Autoblog that "the estimate placed on the car has been designed to attract interest and ultimately achieve a stronger price for Mr. May."