1997 Porsche Boxster on 2040-cars

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LaFerrari, McLaren P1, Porsche 918 and Agera R take to Assen

It's the show-down (sort of) we've all been waiting for. The battle of the hybrid hypercars from the performance powerhouses of Europe: Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder. No one publication has managed to get their hands on all three just yet, but this video has - and with a Koenigsegg Agera R thrown in for good measure.
The video was shot by our (unrelated) Dutch compatriots at Autoblog.nl at the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands. The track has played host to Champ Cars and all manner of racing bikes, but this could be the ultimate grid of actual production machinery that's ever lined up behind its start/finish line. Shame the weather was rainy and this unsurpassed array of supercars weren't really racing - more showing off for the crowds. But what a show it was. Scope out the footage in the video below.

Auto journalist ordered to pay big money for blowing up Porsche 917 engine [UPDATE]

Racecars blow engines all the time, but a Porsche 917 isn't just a run-of-the-mill racecar. British automotive writer Mark Hales reportedly borrowed a 917 from 82-year-old former Formula One racer David Piper for a magazine article, and mechanical tragedy ensued. Nobody is arguing that the engine failed after being spun to 8,200 rpm. However, Hales was warned not to exceed 7,000 rpm, says owner Piper, and the affair landed in English courts with Piper seeking £50,000 - over $79,000 US - in reimbursement funds for an engine rebuild and loss of use of the car while it was being repaired. Judge Simon Brown ruled in favor of car owner Piper, putting Hales on the hook for £110,000 ($174,000) including legal fees - a whole lot of money in any language.
Hales says the Porsche suffered a mechanical fault while lapping that allowed it to slip out of gear and over-rev. Piper wasn't convinced, and sought to have the repair paid for by the guy who broke the racer, saying "If you bend it, you mend it." It's not like Hales is a novice driver, having seat time in both professional and amateur races over 30 years, notching about 150 wins, but even the best drivers sometimes miss a shift, and that's what Piper contended happened to his car.
According to reports, Hales has had to sell most of his valuables to pay his lawyers and is now facing bankruptcy with the ruling against him. Members of the Pistonheads website are trying to coordinate a collection to help him out, as well.

Another cool projection vid, this time with a Porsche 911

Porsche has become the latest automaker to take advantage of clever projection technology. The automaker worked up a quick presentation for the 2013 911 Carrera 4S to show off a bit of "motionless driving." The display tracks the sports car from production to back-road caning and city-center cruising, displaying a variety of exterior color choices and wheel options without resorting to a two-dimensional video.
This isn't the first time we've seen an automaker use its new product as a projection screen. Subaru, Hyundai, Lamborghini and others have all done the same, and the trick never fails to be visually interesting.
As you may recall, we got to play with the 2013 911 Carrera 4S back in November and found the machine to be a better daily driver than its rear-wheel drive counterpart. You can check out the projection video below.