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TopSpeed Rendering: Porsche 911 Speedster based on 991
 
The Porsche 911 Speedster is a rare variant with only three generations notched onto its belt. The first was provided for the 911/930 from 1975-1989 and the second was built from the 911/964 generation from 1990-1994. After 16 years of dormancy, the 911 Speedster arrived at the tail end of the 997 series, more than likely to allow the generation to go out with a bang, but we would have much rather Porsche held out for the 991 generation. If they had held out, we would expect the 911 Speedster to be the last variant to show up on the 911 roster, sometime in 2013. Like the current model, Porsche would focus on making the car lighter and more powerful: the current version uses a 3.8-liter flat six engine that produces 408 HP. Of course, the model would also be a limited edition, so many of us would be unable to get our hands on one. That may not matter though. When taking history into account, the odds of Porsche bringing the 911 Speedster back only a few years after the previous version are slim to none, but we couldn’t help thinking of what the model would look like if they did. Porsche 911 Turbo will get tri-turbo system
 Following the spy shots revealed yesterday of the upcoming Porsche 911 Turbo playing in the snow is a fantastic bit of news about what it will be carrying under that luscious hood. Turns out, the 911 Turbo will be powered by a 3.8 liter, horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine, but not equipped with a twin-turbo system as one would expect. Instead, Porsche is following in BMW’s footsteps by offering a tri-turbo system. This system is currently in the final phase of development and, according to the first details, will help raise the engine’s output from the current 495 HP to somewhere in the region of 525 HP — or the same as that of the current 911 Turbo S. It will include the usual twin turbochargers found in the current engine, but will get a smaller unit mounted close to the engine to boost low-end response. This system will also improve fuel economy and reduce CO2 emissions. Once this tri-turbo system is complete, not only will it fit in with the 911 Turbo, but will also get dropped in the next-generation 911 GT2 and GT2 RS. Spy Shots: Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe plays in the snow
 Lately, all of Europe has been under piles of snow and, for some automakers, this means that it’s the perfect time to test the capabilities of their newest models. The upcoming Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe is now joining the long list of models taken out to play in the snow. Although the model has dropped some of its camouflage since the last time it was caught on camera, the bumpers and the air intakes on the side are still well hidden, completely hiding their real shape. Just like the standard 911, the new Turbo version will adopt a sportier appearance, as well as a powerful engine. It will be powered by a 3.8-liter flat-six engine that will deliver about 550 HP. The engine will be mated to an improved manual gearbox as standard, or an optional PDK gearbox. The PDK will have with no less than seven forward gears, combining the driving comfort of a converter automatic transmission with the dynamic gearshift of a sequential racing gearbox. The Porsche will also feature brake regeneration and stop start systems. The new Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe is expected to make its world debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March and go on sale later in the year. Video: Porsche at Autosport 2012
Porsche has unveiled a pretty cool video presenting their stand at the 2012 Autosport International Show held in Birmingham, England. Porsche launched the 2012 Carrera Cup GB and GT3 Cup Challenge race series, as well as showed off the 918 RSR and the new 911 Carrera for the first time in the UK. Porsche’s presence at the Autosport is pretty important considering this event is kind of a kick-off for the motorsport year - an area where Porsche has a lot to say. Our favorite, of course, is the 918 RSR - a race car that will deliver about 600 HP, while hitting a top speed of 200mph and taking off from 0-60 mph in less than 3.0 seconds. The Porsche 918 RSR will begin competing in 2013. 2012 Porsche 911 SP91-R by Speedart
We all know that the 2012 Porsche 911 is going to be a bonafide seller when the car hits the market soon. But for a car to already have a tuning program waiting in the wings before it makes its world premiere just speaks as to how anticipated this brand-spankin’ new 911 really is. It’s no surprise that the tuning firm that released this package is SpeedArt, one of the best Porsche aftermarket specialists in the world. As part of their ’SP91-R’ program, SpeedArt is preparing an extensive project that will include a new aerodynamic kit, a wheel upgrade, and a performance kit. As part of the aero kit, SpeedArt is giving the new 911 a front chin spoiler, side skirts, rear diffuser, rear spoiler, and a set of 21" LSC-Forged wheels on the exterior. This all lead to minimal changes in the interior, with special leather and Alcantara trims being the only additions. There’s also a new suspension set-up which owners can have the option of using for street and track purposes. As for the performance upgrade, SpeedArt will be installing a new power kit that bumps up the output of the 911’s 3.4L direct-injected flat-six engine from the standard 350 horsepower all the way up to 435 horsepower. Obviously, there are no official photos of the car yet seeing as it’s only going to make its world debut in Frankfurt in a few weeks. For their part, SpeedArt is looking at introducing the SP91-R at the 2011 Essen Motor Show later this year. That should give us plenty of time to hype up the first tuning program for the all-new Porsche 911. UPDATE 1/17/12: SpeedArt’s program for the new Porsche 911 was previewed back in September and it’s only now that the tuning company has divulged the event where the sports car will be unveiled. Circle your calendars for this coming March because SpeedArt will be bringing their new 911 program to the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. UPDATE 04/08/12: SpeedArt has come out with new photos of their SP91-R program for the 911. You can check them out in the gallery after the jump. 2013 Porsche 911 Cabriolet
Now that Porsche has unveiled the new generation 911/991 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the company has started to test the convertible version. Obviously, the two models will more or less be the same, but the Cabriolet will feature a canvas soft-top - and not the folding hardtop previously suggested. Like with the coupe version, the 911/991 Cabriolet will receive an updated exterior featuring an even more muscular stance, a new headlamp design, remodeled exterior mirrors, and new wheels. The interior will be more driver-focused and will offer better technology. As for the engine line-up, the standard Carrera will get a 3.4 liter direct-injected flat-six engine that will deliver a total of 350 HP, while the S version will feature a 3.8-liter flat-six with direct injection engine delivering a raised output of 400 HP. Performance times would obviously suffer just a tad with the added weight of the soft top, but shouldn’t be too far off of the 0-62 mph time of 4.6 seconds for the Carrera and 4.3 seconds for the Carrera S. UPDATE 01/09/2012: The new 911 Cabriolet made its North American debut at the Detroit Auto Show allowing Porsche to unveil a new promo video for the sports convertible. Enjoy! Full story Video: Porsche crashes Mercedes’ party at gas station
YouTube member, Jorrie2, struck gold when he encountered a Mercedes C63 AMG, a Mercedes SLS AMG, a Mercedes CLK63 AMG Black Series, and the lone Porsche 997 GT2 as they were topping off at a gas station. And, as a bonus, the CLK63 AMG Black Series left the gas station in quite a bit of hurry, accelerating rapidly and leaving some tread marks on the road! Following the Mercedes CLK63 AMG were the 997 GT2 and the C63 AMG, which also took part in a little acceleration action, producing some lovely exhaust notes for our hearing pleasure. As a reminder, the CLK 63 AMG Black Series is powered by a 6.3-liter V8 engine that delivers a total 507 HP and sprints from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds. The Porsche 997 GT2 is powered by a 3.6-liter boxer engine that produces 530 HP at 6500 rpm and 502 lb-ft of torque between 2,200 and 4,500 rpm. It makes the 0 to 60 mph sprint in just 3.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of 204 mph. The Mercedes C63 AMG is powered by the usual 6.2 liter V8 engine producing 457 HP. This power output can be increased to 487 when equipped with the AMG performance package. The Mercedes SLS AMG is powered by a 6.3-liter V8 engine located front-mid that develops 563 HP and 479 lbs-ft of torque. The engine will help sprint the car from 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, while top speed will go up to 197 mph. TopSpeed’s Best of 2011: Famous Crashes of the Year
Okay, so it may not exactly be appropriate to pick the best crash of the year, but considering many will be ringing in the new year in a drunken stupor, we think it best to remind everyone of the consequences of drinking and driving. Most of the drivers in the crashes we are featuring were not under the influence when these crashes occurred, but if these guys can get into a massive accident when they’re sober, chances are a drunk YOU will suffer consequences that are much worse. This year actually brought out the worst in many drivers, some of which instigated accidents with multiple supercars, a vehicular dip into the Atlantic Ocean, and high speed rough and tumbles. Unfortunately, not all of these drivers survived these horrific crashes, which only drives home the point that we have to be extremely careful when operating our motor vehicles. Remember to have a SAFE and fun New Year. Hit the jump for the list of the most famous crashes of 2011. Full story 2012 Detroit Auto Show Preview
With the calendar turning over a new page to 2012, the very first major auto show is set to open its doors in Detroit when the North American International Auto Show welcomes automakers - both local and foreign - to the Motor City. This year, American brands are coming to Detroit in full force where they will be joined by a number of international automakers in presenting a steady diet of concept cars, production debuts, and just about everything else in between. Among the notable debuts set to take place include the brand-new 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL, as well as the 2013 Bentley Continental GT V8. German automaker Porsche has also penciled in the 911 Cabriolet for the festivities, while Lexus will be on-hand to display the intriguing and mysterious LF-LC 2+2 sports coupe concept. As for the local contingent, Ford is leading the way with the premiere of the Fusion global mid-size sedan while Dodge is set to introduce their Alfa Romeo Giulietta-based compact sedan, the Dart. There’s plenty of action headed to Detroit when the 2012 NAIAS opens its doors on January 14th. Head over after the jump to check out a preview of all the cars scheduled to be part of all the festivities. Full story 2011 Porsche 911 GT9 Club Sport by 9ff
A couple of years ago, 9ff, brought out a tuning package for the Porsche 911 that converted it to the wickedly fast GT9-R. Now, Papa’s got a brand new bag, and it’s fit for the track. The new model is called the GT9 Club Sport and can be had for a total of €375,000, or about $490,000 at the current exchange rates. Compared to the standard 9ff GT9 model, the Club Sport also benefited from a new front splitter, widened wheel arches, redesigned side sills, a new rear spoiler, and additional air vents added to the front fenders, upper and lower quarter panels, and roof. These additions get powered up by the lesser of the three GT9 upgrade packages that develops 740 HP and 731 lb-ft of torque out of the modified 3.6-liter 6-cylinder twin turbo engine. This boost will allow the GT9 Clubsport to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds, on its way up to 124 mph after another 5.2 seconds (for a total of 8.8 seconds). Top speed goes up to 364 km/h (226mph). Deceleration is aided by 345mm wide Michelin Cup tires and a ceramic brake system that uses 6-piston calipers with 380mm disks in the front and 4-piston calipers with 350mm at the rear. With this system, the modified Porsche can go from 186 mph to 0 in just 6.7 seconds. The new GT9 Clubsport looks striking in blue and orange, but we would have preferred the 1120 HP package be applied under the hood as with the original. Hit the jump for a video of the new Porsche 911 GT9 Clubsport by 9ff. Full story | featured reviews:Porsche 911 latest reviews: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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