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Chris Harris condemns demonization of Porsche Carrera GT in wake of Walker death

When something bad happens, it's easy to resort to scapegoating. At least for some of us, that seems to be exactly what has happened following the tragic death of actor Paul Walker and racer Roger Rodas, who were killed on November 30 in a Porsche Carrera GT. Even though officials have not yet determined the cause of the crash, that isn't stopping many theories from being put for - theories that include blaming the Porsche supercar. Rather predictably, not only is the CGT's difficult nature getting examined, but indeed, the nature of all high-performance cars is being put under the public's microscope, with some wondering what the need for all the power is.
A Google search of "Porsche Carrera GT" will find no shortage of articles about the razor-sharp handling and outright speed of the CGT. Pistonheads' Chris Harris has a different, insightful take on both the Carrera GT and the nature of all fast cars. He reflects on the matter, ironically, en route to drive the successor to the car that killed Walker and Rodas, the 900-horsepower 918 Spyder hybrid supercar.
We think it's well worth a read, as it makes a number of good points about modern high-performance automobiles and the way they're used. Click over and take a look.

Porsche again staring down another $1.8B in hedge fund lawsuits

The sequence of events from 2007 that began with Porsche's secret attempt to take over Volkswagen, and instead lead to Porsche being taken over by VW, continues to instigate lawsuits against the Stuttgart sports car manufacturer. A group of hedge funds that suffered over $1 billion in losses sued the car company in New York. Porsche had publicly stated it wasn't trying to buy VW, the hedge funds in question were shorting VW stock, and when Porsche's actual intentions were revealed, the stock shot up and the hedge funds took a beating.
The case was thrown out over the issue of jurisdiction, then appealed, only to see another suit filed on top of that. After that, most of the hedge funds withdrew their claims in New York and Porsche offered a 90-day window to refile in Germany where it is already fighting a number of other suits over the same issue. The hedge funds accepted the offer, refiling in Stuttgart for $1.8 billion in damages. According to Bloomberg, Porsche hasn't commented on the refiling, but as the same plaintiffs are involved, it's safe to assume that the carmaker still feels the case is "unsubstantiated and without merit." It has fared alright so far even in German courts, with two lesser cases against it thrown out last year.

Techart modified Porsche 911 Turbo S packs 620 hp, 0-62 in 2.8 seconds

Considering how many absolutely ridiculous tuner cars are featured in Geneva (stay tuned to see plenty, as our coverage continues), it's often refreshing to see some of the more modestly modified cars, like this new Porsche 911 Turbo S from the folks at Techart. Visually, there's a subtle body kit, new wheels, a new spoiler, and some lame decals on the front end, but it basically ends there. That's because Techart's mission is really about higher performance. Increased dynamism, as the Germans say.
An ordinary 911 Turbo S produces 560 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. But the Techart kit adds 60 hp and 96 lb-ft to those already high numbers, for a coupe that dishes out a total of 620 hp and 612 lb-ft. Techart says that, in Sport Plus mode, its modified 911 Turbo S will accelerate to 62 miles per hour in just 2.8 seconds, and the top speed has been increased to 204 miles per hour. Crazy stuff.
To further drive its performance upgrades home, Techart has fitted this 911 Turbo S with a sport exhaust system with valve control, for a more robust exit interview, at the push of a button. We imagine it sounds awesome. Have a look at the Techart Turbo S in the gallery, above.