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The AutoGuide News Blog is your source for breaking stories from the auto industry. Delivering news immediately, the AutoGuide Blog is constantly updated with the latest information, photos and video from manufacturers, auto shows, the aftermarket and professional racing.

14/01/2012 | By: Colum Wood

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The Tokyo Auto Salon isn’t just about Japanese cars. On the contrary, there’s a large selection of European models, especially thanks to the growing trend for RAUH-Welt Begriff modified Porsches.

Originally a company that modified Toyota AE 86s, founder Nakai-San took his passion for unique style and applied it to classic air-cooled Porsches. So what does the founder of the RWB movement drive? The answer is this machine.

A classic cabriolet model, the Spearmint Rhino car is, understandably, topless. It’s features the usual ultra-wide-body stance, though without the massive rear wing and has been finished in a pristine matte white finish. And even if you’re not a fan of the RWB movement, you simply have to love those wheels.

GALLERY: RWB Porsche

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See AutoGuide’s complete 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon Coverage here

21/11/2011 | By: Nauman Farooq

There are tuner shops, and then there are tuner manufacturers. What’s the difference? While a Tuner shop will bolt on spoilers and body kits, and some good tuner shops can even enhance your engines performance; a tuner manufacturer takes a bare shell and makes the entire car themselves to meet their customer’s requirements.

That is exactly what Ruf does. For 34 years, Alois Ruf has been working on Porsches. His process is so thorough, Porsche sends him bare shells of their cars, and everything is then put in place by Ruf technicians. Each car is thus tailor made for its new owner.

While most of Ruf’s creations look like slightly modded versions of the Stuttgart original, in 2007 they unveiled a car that took the tuning game on a whole new level. It was called the CTR3 and it was built using a chassis that had bits of the 911 married to some Cayman structure, wrapped in a Kevlar-carbon composite body-shell. The end result looked like a car Porsche enthusiasts could only dream about, until now.

It’s not all about looks either. Under the rear clamshell you’ll find a 3.8-liter, flat-six engine with two turbo-chargers. Twin-turbo Porsche motors are not that uncommon, but ones that produce 750-hp and 708 lb/ft of torque certainly are. All this power is fed to only the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential gearbox. Launch it correctly and you’ll cover the sprint from 0-60 mph in just 3.2 seconds, and onto a top speed of 236 mph. That makes the CTR3 a lot faster than the Carrera GT, the fastest production car Porsche ever made.

If all this sounds irresistible to you (if you’re reading about cars on the internet, it should), you’d be happy to learn that a CTR3 is currently being offered for sale in California by R3 Motorsports. Since their advert was missing some information, we called the owner of the company; Ryan Negry, for some more information on this rare beast. According to Negry, this 2010 example has covered just 300-miles and that it can be yours for just $540,000.

[Source: duPont Registry]

31/10/2011 | By: Colum Wood

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Unveiled ahead of its official debut at the 2011 SEMA Show is this very custom Rauh-Welt Porsche 965. The wide fendered, deep dish wheeled, humongously spoilered tuner Porsche is the property of former 0-60 editor Brian Scotto. Recenty Scotto made the switch to work with motorsports personality Ken Block and now runs Block’s “Hoonigan” brand.

What’s Hoonigan? Well, so far it’s just a Facebook page aimed at promoting and enjoying the drive-it-like-you-stole-it lifestyle. But there’s more to it than that, with Hoonigan set to make a big announcement at the SEMA Show.

See AutoGuide’s complete 2011 SEMA Show preview here, with coverage starting Tuesday, November 1st.

GALLERY: RWB Porsche 965

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For more on Brian Scotto’s RWB Porsche, see the here.

27/09/2011 | By: Colum Wood

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***UPDATE*** AutoGuide.com has been contacted by former “0-60 Magazine” Editor and Brand Director for Ken Block’s new brand “Hoonigan“, Brian Scotto, who has informed us that the car does not in fact belong to Ken Block. There is, however, a connection, with the actual owner being none-other than Scotto himself, who does plan to show the vehicle at SEMA to promote the new Hoonigan brand. Stay tuned for info on the car and more details on “Hoonigan.”

Japanese Porsche tuner RWB (RAUH-Welt Begriff) has earned quite a reputation for building some wild retro German machines. Massive spoilers, bright paint and extreme widebodies are all a part of the plan for a shop that promises exclusivity with only one car per customer.

While still on the fringes of auto culture, RWB is about to get some mainstream attention with news that its latest client is none-other than Gymkhana expert Ken Block.

No details have yet been released, but it’s all but certain that this could be the wildest RWB creation yet. Rumors indicate that Block’s creation could be on display at this year’s 2011 SEMA Show.

GALLERY: RWB Porsches

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[Source: 7Tune]

26/01/2011 | By: Jason Siu

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Everytime we feel that Mansory can’t top its previous creation, it looks like the out-of-the-box vehicle builders have no end of out-of-the-box thoughts. Most recently, they’ve taken their already modified Porsche Panamera creation and have decided to splash a highlighter-bright yellow to its exterior.

Prestige Cars in in the United Arab Emirates will be offering the Bright Yellow Edition Porsche Panamera by Mansory that sports blue carbon fiber accents to contrast the bright yellow. The yellow/blue theme doesn’t stop there either, spreading to the engine bay and the interior.

Just like all the previous Mansory Porsche Panamera Turbo creations, this one received upgraded turbos and an exhaust system, bringing horsepower up to 690-hp and torque to 590 ft-lbs.

GALLERY: Mansory Bright Yellow Porsche Panamera

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03/01/2011 | By: Nauman Farooq

The Porsche Cayenne is a very accomplished vehicle. Not only can it handle the rough stuff better than most SUVs, but it can also handle tarmac in ways that seems impossible for a vehicle of its girth.

So a perfect all rounder you could say. However, if you’re looking for something that performed like the Cayenne but looked sportier, you’d have previously been out of luck. Not anymore.

Merdad Design, a British tuning firm has created a 3-door version of the Cayenne and are calling it the 902 Coupe, and this model made its first public appearance at the recent MPH The Prestige & Performance Motor Show in London.

The 902 Coupe is based on a shortened version of the latest Cayenne platform, and from what we can see Merdad has done a very impressive job of phasing out the rear doors and making sure all the lines are properly aligned. It looks like something Porsche themselves had built, and that is no easy feat.

Merdad has also created an attractive body-kit for the 902 Coupe and to complete its new sportier looks, it is also available with a choice of two, 22-inch alloy wheels.

The performance specs look impressive too, with tuning on the Turbo model ranging from 550-hp to 750-hp, which is good for a 0-60 mph run in just 4.4 seconds.

As you would expect from such a tuned vehicle, the interior can be trimmed to your liking. So if you’ve been looking for something truly unique, this 902 Coupe might just be the thing for you.

[Source: Carscoop]

05/12/2010 | By: Jason Siu

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As if Porsche‘s GT2 wasn’t potent enough from the factory, the masterminds at Wimmer RS have taken the factory 620-hp to a fun-filled 703-hp, with 597 ft-lbs of torque to boot. The horsepower boost comes thanks to a new pair of optimized turbochargers, an air intake adjustment, tuning of the throttle valve, a new sport air filter and new exhaust system.

Even more impressive are some of the other numbers Wimmer RS decided to share with the public. Their GT2 RS is reportedly capable of a 0-62 mph time of around 3.3 seconds with a top speed of 221 mph.

We’re pretty sure this is the first example of a modified Porsche GT2 RS, but we can guarantee it most certainly won’t be the last.

GALLERY: Wimmer RS Porsche GT2 RS

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17/10/2010 | By: Jason Siu

Not so long ago we revealed that Merdad was working on a Porsche Cayenne coupe conversion, and now it looks like they’re introducing two renditions of the current-generation Cayenne to the world at the MPH (Prestige & Performance Motor) show.

Merdad will be showing off their new 3-door Porsche Cayenne 902 coupe alongside the Merdad 5-door rendition. No exact details have been disclosed, but they’re telling us to expect anywhere from 550-hp to 750-hp.

“We are very proud that this creation has brought together many British engineers and designers who have contributed to bringing this fantastic beast to the table. We now feel the time is right to unveil the Merdad Cayenne 902 Coupe and the Merdad 5 door to the world at MPH and are excited to see what the visitors to the show think of its unique design and unbelievable power will truly set the show and the rest of the world alight,” stated the founder and creator of Merdad.

We’ll keep an eye out for the debuts in November.

GALLERY: Merdad Porsche Cayenne

Official press release available after the break.

Continue Reading…

15/10/2010 | By: Jason Siu

Ruf has just released their newest creation, a 911 Porsche Roadster inspired by Porsche’s 1967 911 Targa. The Ruf Roadster comes fully equipped with an integrated roll cage for extra safety and chassis reinforcement to go along with the versatility of open air driving.

Powered by the six-cylinder boxer engine that pushes out 400-hp, Ruf’s Roadster has been well thought out giving the driver plenty of options to enjoy their sports coupe. You can either opt to drive the vehicle completely closed, completely open, with a closed roof and opened rear window or open roof and closed rear window.

The lower rear window is made of a three layer polyglass with an electric motor to keep it air tight. The removable roof is comprised of two carbon fiber pieces.

Options for the Porsche Roadster include a dual clutch gearbox and four wheel drive. The car is also outfitted with Ruf’s styling kit, which we absolutely love, and 19-inch wheels.

Pricing starts at an impressive $275,000 excluding tax.

GALLERY: Ruf Porsche Roadster

05/10/2010 | By: Jason Siu

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We can’t even imagine what you’re thinking of this if you’re not a fan of the stock Porsche Panamera to begin with. ASMA has taken a car that already had controversial styling and made it into a solidly ugly machine.

Here are our major complaints: ASMA took the Panamera and made it slightly more aggressive with a widebody setup, yet seems to retain a wheel and tire fitment made for a standard Panamera body. And then there’s the front bumper that is so open, loud and obnoxious that we’re not even sure if it belongs on any car. And we don’t even want to mention the rear of the car, which looks like some radically designed spaceship.

It’s a little disappointing because certain aspects of the kit seem promising if at a certain point they just decided to stop adding more lines and vents. The wheels aren’t half bad, we’re guessing they would pair up nicely with a stock body Panamera. But for now we’ll have to give them a big thumbs down for their effort and hopefully one day we’ll stop seeing creations like this from ASMA. Wait, nevermind… we can always use the laugh.

GALLERY: ASMA Porsche Panamera

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[Source: GT Spirit]