We’ve always welcomed auto designers on our pages to show off their creations as a way of giving these guys some exposure in the industry. Hey, you never know who may be reading what these days and we like to think we’re doing our part in getting these designers’ feet in the door. This latest piece of work comes courtesy of Tigran Lalayan, a designer out of Armenia who showed us a rendering of his interpretation of the future Porsche 356.
Using the traditional engine composition of the 356 – behind the rear axle that’s paired with rear-wheel drive – Lalayan has added KERS technology to the system to be able to increase the car’s fuel efficiency. As for his overall design of the 356 Speedster, Lalayan stayed true to Porsche’s design language by instilling a number of elements traditionally found in Porsche models, including the low windshield, the oval headlights, the circular - albeit smaller - taillights, and the detachable rooftop.
Overall, Lalayan’s work is okay, if not just interesting. We’d like to see more of a front bumper because, on certain angles, the car looks more like a Volkswagen Beetle than a Porsche. But hey, Lalayan’s design is still much better than what our imaginations and rendering skills – or lack thereof – can come up with, so we have to give some credit where it’s due.
As you know Porsche is celebrating its 60th anniversary, and what better way to do that than by looking for the oldest models on US soil?
We are sure it took some time, but after many searches, Porsche was able to locate the oldest U.S. retailed model; a restored 1952 Strawberry Red 356 Cabriolet.
This find was a result of the My Porsche Classic Search where individuals from all over the U.S. were asked to submit their entries for the oldest Porsche. After sifting through hundreds of submissions, the winner was chosen due to its voyage over the ocean provided by Austrian businessman, Max Hoffman. Hoffman lived in New York and had brought over the first Porsche vehicles to the U.S. in 1950. One of those vehicles was the rare 1952 356 Cabriolet, which owner Dr. Robert Wilson of Oklahoma City, Okla. found in a salvage yard years later, and then completely restored.
Other Porsche in the running for this distinction were a 1965 911, a 1965 912, and a 1970 914.
Check out the list of the top 12 oldest Porsches, as well as the press release, after the jump.
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Like a family fighting about where to go on vacation, the Volkswagen Group are having a little internal conflict of their own. This situation could endanger the future of the Porsche 356, the Audi R5, and the VW BlueSport.
The VW BlueSport was shown at the 2009 Detroit auto show and it got such good press that it was close to production. Yet, because of the infighting, the vehicle is on hold.
So, what’s going on? Well, Porsche doesn’t want the next-generation Boxster to lose sales because of the cheaper 356. Audi, who is having issues with R8 demand, doesn’t want a third sports car to be put between the new Audi TT and their supercar. While VW really likes the idea of the BlueSport, they are currently occupied with other areas, such as the next-generation Golf.
"Sports cars are not at the top of our priority list," states chairman Martin Winterkorn. "This applies in particular to sports cars that require the collaboration of Porsche, which is not even part of the VW Group yet."
Hit the jump for the rest of the story.
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Even the rich and famous are susceptible to a little car trouble once in a while. Goes to show that these people are all human after all.
The latest to fall victim to this embarrassing predicament is none other than Jay Leno. We all know him as the guy with about a gazillion cars in his garage. Apparently, owning that many cars makes it a little hard to keep tabs on maintaining all of them as made evident by his 1963 Porsche 356, which, according to the funny man himself, had a fuel pump malfunction as Jay was driving along Mulholland Drive.
Here’s a photo of him loading his precious Porsche on a tow truck. Tough luck there, eh, Mr. Leno.
Do you have an extra $275,000 in your pocket? If you do, Cooper Classics in New York has a ultra rare proposition for you: the sixth "first Porsche" is for sale. We are talking about a rare Porsche 356 prototype built in 1948 - the pre-production version of the later factory 356 cars.
It features an are one-off aluminum body and Metallic Green exterior paint with a Tan Interior.
It carries a unique provenance with ownership history including some of the major players in early Porsche history including M. Debrunner, president of VW AG Switzerland, and Ruprecht von Senger. Von Senger financed and established the early Porsche dealership network in Europe much like Max Hoffman would do later in the U.S. in 1953. The car was last registered in Switzerland in 1959. It was put into storage for some 20 years and eventually sold to Michael Rizzuto, a restoration specialist in the United States . Mr. Rizzuto sold the car in unrestored condition to film producer Monty Montgomery in 1988. Mr. Montgomery commissioned a full restoration and upon completion in 1992 it was exhibited at Pebble Beach.
