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Porsche planning jacked-up 911 Safari? [w/poll]

The Porsche 911 may, for some, be the quintessential sportscar. And that typically means keeping it on paved roads and racing circuits. But there's a proud history to taking the Elfen off-road that traces back to specially-prepared 911s (like the one pictured above) which Porsche fielded in rallies in the late '70s and early '80s. And now Porsche is reportedly preparing to tap back into that history with a new off-road 911 model, according to the Auto Bild Motor Revue.
Tipped to be called the 911 Safari, the special variant would be based on the Carrera 4 but upgrade with bigger tires fitted to a beefed-up suspension with higher ground clearance and underbody skid plates. The model is expected to be presented initially as a concept at the Beijing Motor Show next April. But if enough interest is expressed - particularly from buyers in developing markets where the roads might not be as smooth as those to which North American and European drivers have become accustomed - Stuttgart could put it into production in 2016, when the current 991 is expected to get a mid-cycle refresh.
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Porsche CEO Oliver Blume will be installed as head of the VW brand

Volkswagen Chief Executive Herbert Diess is planning to promote Porsche CEO Oliver Blume to take over as the head of the VW brand, according to a report from Auto Motor und Sport. Citing company sources, the German site said Bernhard Maier, who currently sits at the head of VW's Skoda brand, will lead Porsche in Blume's place. A shuffle at VW isn't surprising. The last thing Volkswagen needs as it transitions away from its long-running "clean diesel" TDI fiasco and into a clean electric ID future is negative press surrounding its burgeoning electrified lineup. Unfortunately, the ID.3 launch has been marred by software issues, with Manager magazine citing company engineers saying "the basic architecture was developed too hastily." Because of that underlying issue, various modules "often do not understand each other" and suffer dropouts. The brand-new eighth-generation Golf launch was also troubled and pushed back due to software problems. And more recently, Volkswagen was forced to pull an advertisement after admitting it was racist and insulting. That marketing misstep, according to the report, will lead to the firing of Chief Marketing Officer Jochen Sengpiehl. Related Video:

How Porsche got Patrick Dempsey into the driver's seat for Le Mans

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice. Ask Patrick Dempsey and he'll likely tell you the same secret for landing a role on a hit TV show or, for that matter, driving a Porsche in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
That's because, like McQueen and Newman, Dempsey has earned his place in that rarified field of actors who also race. He's competed in Baja and Grand-Am, co-owns an IndyCar team, and this year returned to Le Mans where he and his teammates Joe Foster and Patrick Long finished fourth in the GTE-Am class behind the wheel of their Porsche 911 RSR.
It's a grueling race, and the fluid transition between drivers behind the wheel is a key element to success. Check out the satirical video below to see how Dempsey and company got ready.