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McLaren rules out Porsche Cayman competitor

McLaren has gone downmarket with the introduction of its new Sports Series, but don't expect it to go any lower than that. So while the 570S goes up against the Audi R8 and Porsche 911 Turbo, the likes of the TT and Cayman can rest easy. Speaking with Autocar, McLaren designer Robert Melville ruled out the prospect of developing a sports car positioned lower than the Sports Series. Melville dismissed the idea of a Cayman rival from Woking as "a step too far" and "not exclusive enough" for McLaren. "You look at Ferrari. They are coming from very high end. [The 570S] is stretching us down to R8s and 911s and is as low as we'd want to come." The limit may be dictated, more than anything, by the building blocks. The newly introduced Sports Series adopts the same essential hard points as the higher-end Super Series (650S) and Ultimate Series (P1). Like its more expensive siblings, it features a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and bolted to the back of a carbon monocoque chassis. Only instead of selling for $265k like the 650S or over $1 million like the P1, the 570S will retail for under $190k. Volume is how the manufacturer aims to make up the difference. In fact McLaren stands to generate as much revenue (if not necessarily the same profit margin) selling 2,500 units in the Sports Series each year as it has producing all 375 examples of the P1. Making those same building blocks available at a lower price point – or developing an entirely new set – would be an entirely different proposition... one which McLaren is evidently less than keen to undertake. So while we can look forward to new versions of the Sports Series to follow – including Spider and GT variants soon to follow – more commonplace stablemate appears to be off the table. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2016 McLaren 570S: First Drive View 34 Photos News Source: AutocarImage Credit: Copyright 2015 AOL McLaren Porsche Performance Supercars mclaren 570s mclaren sports series

'Ring Queen Sabine Schmitz battles Ron Simons in Porsche vs Ferrari scrap

We hope you have seven minutes to kill. RSR Nürburgring recently took the time to pit Sabine Schmitz and her slightly modified Porsche 911 GT3 RS against Ron Simons and his Ferrari 458 Italia in a sparring match around the infamous Green Hell. The clip begins with the two drivers engaging in a smidgeon of smack talk before the two get down to the business of beating each other's doors off around one of the most challenging courses in the world. Simons calls his car superior to Schmitz's 911, while Schmitz says she's up against nothing more than a Fiat driven by an old Dutch man.
Don't hold any punches, you two.
We won't spoil the finale for you, but we will say the tango is worth watching. At the end, the loser calls for a rematch. We can't wait to see that throwdown. Check out the clip below for yourself.

Porsche's Mauer recalls the history of the 918 Spyder, hints about next-gen 911

The night before Porsche handed me the keys to its 2015 Macan to drive on both road and track, the company threw together a great dinner for the assembled media in Leipzig. Hosted in Porsche's spaceship-shaped customer delivery center in the eastern German town, I'll admit that I spent the bulk of my night grabbing hors d'oeuvres from passing waiters (they do a nice tuna sashimi), milling around a collection of historic and interesting vehicles on the top floor and gulping down Warsteiner.
In an era of mega car companies, the story of how the 918 came to be was really refreshing.
Before the evening was over, however, Porsche design chief Michael Mauer stopped by my table to exchange pleasantries and thank us all for coming out to drive the Macan. My fellow diners and I passed a pleasant half-hour or more picking the brain of the forthcoming Mauer, and somehow or another, the topic turned to Porsche's newest supercar, the 918 Spyder. In an era of mega car companies (the Volkswagen Group included) and massive development teams, the story of how the 918 came to be is really refreshing.