2001 Porsche Boxster 3 Owners Clean Car Fax History on 2040-cars

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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.

Can a Corvette really be compared to a 911 with options costing more than the Chevy?

In this latest video from Drive, Chris Harris asks straight away, "Can you still compare a base Corvette to a Porsche Carerra?" That's an particularly interesting question in this film, as the 911 in question is a 400-horsepower Carrera S model that's been fitted with $60,000 in options. Base price of a Corvette Stingray? $51,995. Harris' tester features an automatic and some other goodies that push it right up to that $60,000 range. So yes, the options on the Porsche cost as much as this entire 460-hp Chevrolet.
Harris stresses that this isn't a full review, but he does exercise both cars in a more composed manner before reverting to his traditionally exuberant driving style. The impressions are, as always, spot on, with Harris favoring the pointy nature and V8 power of the Stingray, while enjoying the gearbox (Porsche's exceptional PDK transmission) and just about everything else on the 911.
Take a look below for the latest video from Drive, and let us know if you agree with Mr. Harris' views on these two sports cars.

Petrolicious studies the purity of a Porsche 911 2.7 RS

Water-cooled Porsches are superior to the old, air-cooled models. This really isn't up for debate, despite the mob of Porsche purists, with pitchforks and torches in hand, currently descending on the Autoblog offices. Water-cooled models are more powerful and easier to live with, two factors that make modern Porsches just so darn amazing.
And while we won't hear arguments on anything we've written above, we will say that the old air-cooled models, while not superior, are just, somehow, better. They sound better - a lot better. They're simple, elemental and wildly entertaining things, that just beg for more and more. They rev in a way that forces drivers to work to unlock their power, rather than just push their right foot down. Part of the appeal of air-cooled Porsches, in addition to what we just listed, are the gorgeous cars they're slotted into, like the subject of the latest video from Petrolicious.
Starring a 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS, this video is a bit shorter than recent ones, but it's no less exciting. This 911, complete with it's sweet-sounding exhaust is the kind of simple, entertaining thing we can watch over and over. Scroll down for the full video.