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Parents of terminally ill child sue after son dies following make-a-wish-style ride

Some stories are so sad and depressing, they make you want to go back to bed and pull the covers over your head. This is one such story. 14-year-old Raphael Wittman was suffering from an unspecified form of terminal cancer when he was invited by the children's cancer charity Kinder Krebs Hilfe to a charity drive organized by Porsche Forum Austria. During the drive, the Porsche Boxster Wittman was riding in was involved in a head-on collision. Both of his legs were broken and he bit off his tongue in the wreck. He died seven weeks later, in a Vienna hospital. Now, his father is suing the charity, claiming that the accident robbed his son of the will to live.
"The accident set off a chain of events starting with the doctors putting him on new medication for the cancer he had. He was always a fighter, but suddenly he was saying that he was not going to fight any more," Franz Wittman told Austria's Kurier, according to The Guardian. "We would have had a wonderful last time together [on vacation] but it never happened because of the accident."
Father and son were originally planning to go to Tenerife to spend time together, although those plans were cancelled following the accident.

Porsche Cayman GT4 storms Switzerland with 385 hp [w/video]

Much as we love the Porsche 911 in all its variants, there's definitely a case to be made for the smaller Cayman as the best-driving sports car in the company's lineup. We adore it in all forms, and most recently fell madly in love with the new Cayman GTS. But here at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Porsche has unveiled a truly special, range-topping variant of its mid-engine coupe: the GT4. And after seeing it in person, we're pretty much head-over-heels in love. That's because the GT4 is the most hardcore variant of the Cayman yet, using a 385-horsepower version of Porsche's 3.8-liter flat-six, derived from the 911 Carrera S. It sends power to the rear wheels solely via a six-speed manual transmission with dynamic gearbox mounts, and we're told the hot new coupe will sprint to 60 miles per hour in just 4.2 seconds – a full half-second quicker than the 340-hp Cayman GTS. Building upon that, the GT4 uses a host of chassis components from the potent 911 GT3, and offers further upgrades like ceramic brakes and carbon fiber bucket seats. This should make for one seriously track-worthy machine, and Porsche already says that the GT4 will run the Nurburgring in a scant 7:20 – the same time as the 2011 911 GT3. It's all very awesome, this GT4. To say we're stoked would be a gross understatement. Look for it to hit Porsche dealers in July, starting at $84,600. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. A New Member of Porsche's GT Family The benchmark in its class: the Porsche Cayman GT4 Atlanta, Feb. 3, 2015 - Porsche's GT family is proud to announce the addition of an exciting new member: the Cayman GT4. This is the first Porsche GT sports car based on the Cayman and features components of the 911 GT3. Clocking a lap time of 7 minutes and 40 seconds on the North Loop of the Nurburgring, the Cayman GT4 earns the same lap time as the 2011 911 GT3 and positions itself as the new benchmark atop its market segment. The Cayman GT4 clearly demonstrates Porsche's dedication and passion to continue to promote truly industry-leading two-door sports cars in the future – sports cars that are developed at the Motorsport department in Weissach. The engine, chassis, brakes, and aerodynamic design of the Cayman GT4 are configured for maximum driving dynamics while retaining the versatility and everyday utility that are typical of the two-seater Porsche coupe.

Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.