Garage Kept, Rarely Driven Porsche on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Porsche 918 Spyder could lap the 'Ring even quicker [w/video]

Porsche had a lot to crow about at the Frankfurt Motor Show last week. Not only did it debut the new 50 Years edition and Turbo versions of the 911 and the new hybrid and diesel versions of the Panamera, but while unveiling the final production version of the new 918 Spyder, it revealed the record lap it set around the Nürburgring.
The 918 Spyder's 6:57 lap time makes it the fastest street-legal production car ever to lap the Nordschleife and the first to break the seven-minute barrier. But the driver who clocked the time thinks it can go even faster.
That driver was Marc Lieb, who has won the Nürburgring 24-hour race four times, making him something of an expert on the subject. In speaking with Australia's Drive TV, Lieb suggested that they could get even more out of the car, as you can hear for yourself in the video below.

Porsche 944 Turbo jumps in the MotorWeek wayback machine

While there's no shortage of five- or ten-minute time wasters on the Internet, we humbly submit MotorWeek's awesome series of retro reviews as the best way to take up a short break. This time around, we have a classic Porsche from the 1980s, with John Davis reviewing the 944 Turbo. With a whopping 247 horsepower, the 944 Turbo still represents something of a performer even today, with Davis and Company recording a solid 5.7-second sprint to 60. While it might hold its own against today's hot hatchbacks, it's clear that today's vehicles have come a very long way in terms of interior equipment. Among the things MotorWeek highlights that seem weirdly out of place today include the passenger front airbag and, among the variety of old fashioned controls scattered throughout he cabin, the hilarious equalizer controls for the 10-speaker Blaupunkt stereo.

Next-gen Porsche Panamera snapped running in E-Hybrid spec

The Porsche Panamera first debuted back in 2009 and underwent a facelift in 2013. That means the all-new, next-generation Panamera should be arriving in time for the 2017 model year, and here were have our first look at its plug-in hybrid variant. Following the last prototype spotted undergoing cold-weather testing in Sweden, this new Panamera test mule spotted in southern Europe appears to be running the E-Hybrid powertrain setup – judging, at least, by the presence of a second filler cap hiding what's likely an charging port on the left side rear fender. We'll just have to sit tight, however, to find out whether it will be packing an evolution of the existing powertrain or something entirely new. Though the prototype may look largely undisguised, those head- and taillight graphics look like stickers to throw us off the scent, and these do not appear to be production-ready body panels. Expect the finished product to look far more polished when it arrives sometime in the middle of next year, with the hybrid version to follow sometime thereafter.