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Playboy reveals its 2013 Cars of the Year

Vaunted men's magazine Playboy knows that its readers are nearly as interested in cars as they are in the female anatomy... sorry, we thought we could write that with a straight face. Anyway, the buff-book does occasionally fill some of its spreads with sexy metal, to accent all the rest of the sexiness.
To wit, the magazine has unveiled its feature on the 2013 Cars of the Year. Without giving us much in the way of criteria for the awards, nor a clear framing of the categories ("Responsible Ride" is a particularly challenging concept, especially when you consider that the Mazdaspeed3 was the winner), Playboy has nevertheless highlighted what we assume to be it's favorite 12 or 13 (depending on how you count) cars from the 2013 model year.
Headlining the class is the Porsche 911, which Playboy writers single out for having "remarkable electronic voodoo." BMW M5 is named "Slickest Sports Sedan" though the Cadillac ATS then follows on because "we couldn't resist giving the new Caddy a shout-out." The rest of the picks are pretty conventional (save, perhaps, the Honda Fit EV as "Ace Electric"), even if the categories and methodology are fairly wonky. Cruise through or gallery for a taste or check out the full list, here. The site is safe for work, and you can legitimately (this time) say that you were reading it for the articles.

Porsche Cayman GT4 spotted at the N?rburgring

It was just the other day that we first caught wind of Porsche's plans to build a GT4 version of the Cayman, and now we're already looking at spy shots of the vehicle in question undergoing testing at - where else? - the Nürburgring.
With more aggressive front-end aero, a GT3-style air vent ahead of the front hood, a large wing at the back, and spindly alloys packed with over-sized brakes at each corner, this Cayman is clearly more extreme than even the range-topping GTS. The rear diffuser and central exhaust tips look about the same as those you'd find at the back of the Cayman GTS, though.
What we can't see, of course, is what Porsche has slotted in under the rear glass, how it's upgraded the interior and how much weight it's stripped out of the thing to get it down to fighting weight, but you can bet it'll come with a substantial power bump and a stripped-out interior with racing buckets and little else to open the gap between it and the GTS... and close the gap to the 911 GT3 which it will join as the baby brother in Porsche's performance-focused lineup. Click above to view the double-batch of spy shots.

Porsche confirms four-cylinder Boxster, Cayman replacement for US

Those who've been anxiously awaiting the return of the four-cylinder Porsche will be glad to know that the wait is almost over. What's more, the quad-pot Porsches won't be kept away from US showrooms but will form an integral part of the company's North American strategy. Confirmation comes courtesy of Automotive News, which spoke to the company's chief executive Matthias Muller about its return to four-cylinder power. "First of all, we will have it in the Boxster and Cayman successor," Muller told AN. "And then we will see how it works and how successful it is and how the customers will react on that, and then we will take the next decisions." The model to which Muller refers is expected to be the 718 – a new line taking the place of the Boxster and Cayman, ostensibly allowing Zuffenhausen to start from scratch rather than "downsizing" the engine on existing models. The new range is anticipated to launch sometime in the middle of next year. Porsche is currently offering a 2.0-liter inline-four with 234 horsepower in the Macan (which we get with V6s) for certain markets overseas, but the 718 is expected to get a new flat-four 2.0- and 2.5-liter displacements with output edging up to 395 horsepower. The last time Porsche offered a four-pot in the US was with the front-engined 968 that wrapped up production two decades ago, but it hasn't offered a boxer four since 1976.