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Porsche Panamera Turbo S vs Ariel Atom Supercharged in unlikely drag battle

David versus Goliath battles are always an enticing proposition, because they offer the chance to watch scrappy underdogs take on their bigger rivals. Evo has set up just such a battle with its latest drag race between the minimalist Ariel Atom 3.5 Supercharged (Ariel Atom 3 pictured below) and the plush Porsche Panamera Turbo S.
The two cars couldn't be more different. The Atom personifies Lotus founder Colin Chapman's well-known axiom: "Simplify, then add lightness." Most of the car doesn't even have a body; it's just an exposed frame with a 310 horsepower supercharged Honda four-cylinder mounted behind the driver. On the other side, there's the Panamera Turbo S. In the latest version, it packs 570 hp and 553 pound-feet from its 4.8-liter twin-turbo V8 and it features all-wheel drive. Of course, all of that comes with a significant weight penalty.
Off the line, the differences are even more apparent. The Atom doesn't have any of the Porsche's technological wizardry, so launching it challenges the driver to build the revs and let out the clutch just right. The car screams like a banshee as it goes, though. The Porsche is the exact opposite. Its launch control system lets the driver hold down the brake, get on the throttle and accelerate away in just the right way.

Petrolicious details why the Porsche 911 is something special

The Porsche 911 is a special car, if for no other reasons than it's been continuously produced since 1964, with nearly every generation regarded as being at or near the top of its class. But why the rear-engined icon has done so well among enthusiasts and regular drivers alike can't always be explained easily. To truly understand the 911, you have to experience the whole package, and that means driving one.
While just about every publication has raved about the Porsche, commercial director, race driver, photographer and 911 owner Jeff Zwart explains to Petrolicious why he was drawn to the legend as a young child, and why he still loves them today.
Zwart's professional and personal life are inextricably linked to the 911, and hearing him talk about the car and its history makes for fascinating viewing. Watch the video below to hear Zwart's story and see him drive a couple examples from his collection: an early 911 and the 964-generation Carrera 4 he won Pikes Peak with for the first time - a car that happens to be equipped with the 959 Paris-Dakar's fascinating torque-split transmission. Enjoy!

Le Mans-winning Porsche 935 K3 'seized' by DEA agents

Porsche has won Le Mans more than any other marque, but only one of those overall race winners was actually based on a 911. That was the 1979 Porsche 935 K3, chassis number 009 00015 that was entered by brothers Don and Bill Whittington. It went on to win at the Nürburgring and Watkins Glen, and scored podium finishes at Sebring and Brands Hatch as well. In short, it's a historically significant and hugely valuable piece of motorsport history. And it was just seized by the DEA. Sorta.
After the Whittington brothers ran afoul of a handful of lawsuits and were implicated in smuggling narcotics, the car changed hands a few times before ending up in the noted collection of one Bruce Meyers. He had it at Laguna Seca earlier this month when a black Suburban, Dodge Charger and transporter truck pulled up with government plates, asked to speak with Meyer, presented him with a court order, loaded the car onto the truck and drove off.
Though familiar with the legal disputes surrounding the ownership of the car and the misdeeds of its famous original owners, Meyer was left understandably distraught over the events that had just unfolded in front of him to separate him from his pride and joy. (Or one of them, anyway; Bruce has got an eminently desirable collection of classic cars.) But here's the kicker: those DEA agents weren't actual DEA agents. Fortunately they weren't thieves, either. The actual story could have been the plot right out of Ocean's 14 if they ever made one and it focused on classic cars. (Is anyone in Hollywood listening?)