2011 Porsche Panamera

2011 Porsche Panamera

2011 Porsche Panamera

2011 Porsche Panamera

2011 Porsche Panamera

The new, entry-level Panamera is essentially the same car as the S and it, too, is a joy to drive. You give up some raw speed but not much else, and the base model may handle a tiny bit better than the S because it's slightly lighter. Unless you're planning to log time on a racetrack, this new Porsche is plenty quick. And there's good news for denizens of the snowbelt: The Panamera is actually slightly faster with all-wheel drive than with the standard rear-wheel drive and it handles marvelously in ice and snow.

Porsche (PAH3:GR) Panamera, the four-door luxury car that made its debut in 2010. Until recently, I had only driven the Panamera S, which is powered by a 4.8-liter, 400-horsepower V8 engine. What about the base model, which is only now making its debut in the U.S. and has a 3.6-liter, 300 horsepower V6 under its hood? Would it be too slow and pedestrian to seriously consider, even though it costs a good 15 grand less than the S?

The base Panamera starts at $75,375 with rear-wheel drive and $79,875 with all-wheel-drive. That compares with a starting price of $90,775 for the Panamera S, and $136,275 for the Turbo. Standard equipment on the new entry-level model is the same as on the S and includes leather upholstery, eight-way power front seats with driver memory functions, hard-drive-based navigation and 11-speaker sound systems, a sunroof, a power rear hatchback, rear parking sensors, a tilting and telescoping steering wheel, and a cooled glove box.

2011 Porsche Cayenne S

2011 Porsche Cayenne S

2011 Porsche Cayenne S

2011 Porsche Cayenne S

2011 Porsche Cayenne S

2011 Porsche Cayenne S

There’s just no other way to describe family trucksters that can bomb to 60 mph faster than any readily available sports car could just a few decades ago—and darn near as fast as even the swiftest sports cars on the market today (we’ll presume a similar price bracket for that analogy).

This feat alone wouldn’t be very astonishing—SEMA is ground zero if you want to see Ford F-150s and Escalades ‘roided out with V-8 muscle. Making these respective crossovers corner as if they sat two feet closer to the ground—say, like a 911 or a G37—is why the Porsche and Infiniti are simply astonishing.

I raced around Porsche’s test track in the Cayenne; and blasted back roads in the Infiniti. Insane. That was the word a friend in the passenger seat used to describe the sensation of the FX carving up blacktop with endless grip, aural V-8 roar, and awe-inspiring confidence. I would use the same word (and several more I won’t type) to describe how splendid—and completely mindbogglingly adept—the new Cayenne feels.

2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder

2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder

2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder

2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder

2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder

2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder

The Boxster Spyder is a serious piece, and if you want a cushy Boxster, the S is your ride. The Boxster Spyder disquiets those who don't understand. Yes, it's the top of the Boxster model range, but there is no radio, or air conditioner, and door pulls are reduced to cloth straps. Those of you expecting a range-topper with a $61,200 base price to be the traditional full-boat option-mobile will need to re-center. Simply put, the Boxster Spyder is for motorsports.

Boxster Spyder's spiritual predecessors, the 356 Speedster and 550 Spyder, lumpy, idle-averse camshafts and finicky dual carburetors were the price you paid for performance. Instead of all that ruckus, the 320-horsepower 3.4-liter flat six in the Boxster Spyder is wonderfully flexible, happy to loll along in sixth gear or go roaring off for redline. Maximum horsepower happens at 7,200 rpm, and the full 273 pound-feet of torque punches in at 4,750 rpm. Though the powertrain doesn't feel peaky or high strung, there is a distinct determination that kicks in above 4,000 rpm, the result of the Variocam Plus variable valve-timing and lift system doing its thing. The engine also has the classic Porsche-six snarl that adds to the thrill of running through the gears. Fuel economy turned out to be an entirely reasonable 23 mpg despite a week of redline shifts.

Numbers freaks will note that the PDK gearbox is the one to have for extracting absolute speed from the Spyder. Equipped with the traditional manual, the run from zero to 60 mph clocks in at 4.9 seconds, while the PDK drops a tenth off that figure. Springing for the Sport Chrono Package Plus shaves the PDK's run to 60 even more, down to 4.6 seconds and costs you $1,320 extra. Fine, it's quicker with PDK, but the joy with which Porsche's traditional six-speed manual transmission operates, finding perfect synergy between road, man and machine, is worth a few tenths. Simply put, a manual-transmission Boxster Spyder on a windy road is revelatory.

1960 Porsche 356 Carrera GT Coupe

1960 Porsche 356 Carrera GT Coupe

1960 Porsche 356 Carrera GT Coupe

1960 Porsche 356 Carrera GT Coupe

INTRODUCTION:Pre-A prototypes and a run of quad-cams with the 1500cc engine, the 1600 Carrera GT was a performance 356 that used a larger version of the Porsche 550 Spyder's potent engine. As early as 1958, some Carreras were fitted with a larger engine known as the Type 692. The new unit featured a larger displacement which was better suited for the 1600cc class. Furthermore, it was improved considerably adopting plain bearings and new ignition system.

HIGHLIGHTS:Sold alongside the Carrera de Luxe, the GT was lightened and prepared for racing. This meant it featured little sound deadening or upholstery, aluminum bucket seats, increased compression and slightly more power.

SPECIFICATIONS:Technical director of Porsche Klaus von Rücker was responsible for the new Type 692 engine. It kept the earlier verion's complicated bevel-and-shaft 4-cam valvetrain, but reverted to plain bearings. The increased oil heat was dealt with by a larger oil tank for the dry-sump lubrication system and a pair of oil coolers under each headlight.

DESIGN:The first Carrera GTs to be fitted with the 1600cc engines used Type 692/0 prototype versions that had roller-bearing crankshafts and produced 110 bhp @ 6400 rpm. Less than 40 of these engines were made until Hirth crankshaft supply had dried up then 14 plain-bearing engines were tested until final specification was reached for the Paris Show in October.

1957 Porsche 356 Speedster

1957 Porsche 356 Speedster

1957 Porsche 356 Speedster

1957 Porsche 356 Speedster

Motor : Netgain Warp 9 Series Wound DC Added cooling shroud and blower fan with air filter for additional cooling.

Drivetrain:Netgain Warp9 with Prostreet transaxle. Kept racing clutch.Lightened flywheel to 9 lbs.

Controller : Kelly KDH12120B 1200 amp, 120volt. Hall effect accelerator.

Batteries :72 Thunder Sky TS-LFP90AHA, 3.30 Volt, Lithium-Polymer Two parallel strings of 36 cells. Total storage of about 23 kWh. 180Ah. 80% DOD provides 144 Ah. Vehicle uses 1.8 Ah per mile or about 225 wH.

Instrumentation : MetricMind E-Vision. Working tachometer and speedometer.

Top Speed : 95 MPH (152 KPH)Does 95 mph on highway easily. No float or wandering.

Acceleration : 0-80 km/hr 6.0 sec

Range : 85 Miles (136 Kilometers)Conservatively. Have driven it 107 miles with charge left and no damage.

Watt Hours/Mile : 225 Wh/Mile 1.8 Ah/mile

EV Miles Start : 1,100 Miles (1,769 Kilometers)
Current: 5,000 Miles (8,045 Kilometers)
Total : 3,900 Miles (6,275 Kilometers)

Porsche 356A/1500GS Carrera GT

Porsche 356A/1500GS Carrera GT

Porsche 356A/1500GS Carrera GT

INTRODUCTION:Porsche offered two distinct versions of the Carrera, one called the de Luxe for the street and this model, the Gran Turismo, for the track. The main difference between the two models was weight.

HIGHLIGHTS:The Carrera GT was a purpose-built car with little on board amenities. For instance, no heater was fitted giving the car its 'icebox' nickname. Furthermore, the interior was stripped of sound deadening, side windows were replaced by pull-up Perspex units and only simple door panels were fitted.

FEATURES:

• Mechanically, the GT model was only slightly more powerful than the de Luxe, having sports muffler which provided little deadening and no heater. At the front, a 21 gallon tank was fitted instead of the 13.8 gallon unit.
• Front braking was provided by 550RS units that were 10mm thicker and had cooling scoops. The torsion bars were also changed at the rear to provide one degree of negative camber.
• Offered as both Coupe and Speedster the GT version was considerably lighter than any previous 356. The weight was 1903 lbs for coupe and 1848 for the speedster. Naturally performance values were slightly different between the two versions.

DESIGN:Aluminum was also used in the bucket seat frames, two piece wheels with allow insert and aluminum trim strips for the front/rear bumpers. Less than 10 of these models were offered with quad-cam engines.

Prosche Carrera Sunroof Coupe

Prosche Carrera Sunroof Coupe

INTRODUCTION:
The very first Porsche sport car was hand built in Gmünd/Kärnten, Austria. The entire aluminum body was hand beaten over a wooden buck. Without the benefits of a machine shop, all of the engine and drive-train components were made completely. Over 50 Gmünd cars were built and sold primarily in Austria and Germany. To be closer to parts suppliers, the Porsche Firm, located to Zuffenhausen, Austria, near the Reutter coachworks following the war. The only Porsche to ever have the engine mounted in front of the rear axle, the 356/1 was open top 2-seater. Designed with a tubular chassis, the vehicle was air-cooled and came with a 110 cc engine that remarkably light and quick for the times. Following this first ever radical design, every Porsche 356 to follow was constructed with the engine in the rear, behind the axle.
SPECIFICATIONS:

• With a top speed of over 85 mph (135kph), a total of only 4 models of the 356 were produced in 1948. The 356/1 came with a 1.1 liter engine that was capable of making 40 horsepower. Less than 60 units were produced during 1949 and the earlier part of 1950. These very rare and unique models are known today as the Gmünd Coupes. The tiny sport cars continued to be built during 1950, but now at a factory in Stuttgart where Porsche moved production. A total of 298 units were built and delivered to their owners by the end of 1950.
• Porsche 356 A 1500 GS Carrera GT is boosted to 110 bhp/81 kW. The Speedster is replaced by the Convertible D with a larger windscreen and winding windows at the side. The 1300-cc engines are dropped from the range.
• Carrera receives extra power and is now called the 1600 GS-GT, with the sports version offering more output (1588 cc, 115 bhp/85 kW) than the de Luxe model (105 bhp/77 kW). The 356 B series is introduced in autumn, the Convertible D being renamed the Roadster.

CONCLUSION:
The sporting and Spartan Porsche 1500 GS Carrera is joined by the more comfortable 1500GS de Luxe model.