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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.
 |  Feb 29, 10:02 AM

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Purchasing a brand-new Porsche is an occasion in and of itself, but now the German sports car maker is offering a new European delivery treatment available at no extra cost.

Customers can choose from two available starting points– the Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen facility where the 911, Boxster, and Cayman are built, or the Panamera and Cayenne assembly plant located in Leipzig, Germany. The new Porsche owners are first taken on a factory tour to see how the cars are assembled and receive a detailed explanation of new features found in Porsche automobiles. Visitors that chose Leipzig get to drive on the Porsche test track or take a Cayenne through Porsche’s own off-roading course. Meanwhile, visitors of Stuttgart receive free admission for a tour at the Porsche Museum.

Customers who chose the European delivery experience also receive two weeks of insurance and temporary registration to enjoy their brand new Porsche on the open roads. While customers must still pay for their own travel and lodging expenses during the program, Porsche can arrange for reduced-rate packages for their stay. Finally, when the European delivery experience is complete, Porsche will Dave Colemantake back the car and prepare it for shipment to the client’s most convenient Porsche dealership back in the United States.

For the rare opportunity to take a Porsche across the Swiss alps or to exploit its potential across the autobahn, we can’t imagine why a Porsche buyer wouldn’t check off this option.


 |  Feb 27, 4:31 PM

World famous tuner Gemballa will be heading to this year’s Geneva Motor Show with three world premieres, one of which is a custom McLaren MP4-12C. Alongside the McLaren will be four Porsche projects, two of which are world premieres.

Few details were revealed by Gemballa, but they did say the McLaren project would feature bespoke carbon fiber components with 20-inch wheels up front and 21-inch wheels in the rear. The McLaren MP4-12C race car pictured above might give us a sneak preview to what we can expect at the show.

The other two world premieres is a new 991 Porsche 911 model, and a new custom Cayenne. The 991 will feature new carbon fiber goodies, a unique six-pipe exhaust and 21-inch wheels. The Cayenne will have a new modular aerodynamic kit made from carbon fiber and a set of 22-inch wheels.

The other two vehicles that will be in attendance at the Gemballa booth will be model highlights. The Gemballa Mistrale with 721-hp along with the widebody Gemballa Tornado.

 |  Feb 24, 12:01 PM

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Porsche may have made a serious mistake in hiring an ex Wile E. Coyote illustrator to assemble their Cayenne SUVs. Sure it’s funny to see the sneaky canine’s eyes pop out, but there’s nothing funny about that happening to your car.

Jokes aside, more than 20,000 Porsche Cayennes from the 2011-12 model year, including the Cayenne, Cayenne S, Cayenne S hybrid and Cayenne Turbo are experiencing just that. It seems that there’s a chance your headlights might become detached during one of those athletic sprints to get the kids to a soccer game, or any time for that matter.

The recall was expected to begin on February 23, owners will be contacted by the automaker if their vehicle needs to be repaired.

GALLERY: 2011 Porsche Cayenne

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 |  Feb 23, 3:01 PM

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The latest attraction at Walt Disney World isn’t based on a cartoon character, nor is it made of animatronics. It will, however, bring out the kid in you – in an adult sort of way. And the best part? It’s shiny, Italian and can go 200 mph.

OK, so you don’t actually go 200 mph, but piloting an exotic sports car on a race track will easily have you testing the car’s capabilities – not to mention your own.

Designed as the ultimate attraction for adults at Disney, the Exotic Driving Experience can get you behind the wheel of a pricey German or Italian sports car starting at as little as just $199. The “ride” is an addition to the long-standing Richard Petty Driving Experience, and is held at the Walt Disney World Speedway – though only makes partial use of the banked tri-oval. Using one of those banked bends, the rest of the course makes use of a large-scale, though rather technical, slalom running through the track’s infield.

Continue Reading…

 |  Feb 22, 5:01 PM

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Don’t rush to get a manual-transmission Porsche 911 yet, but it seems production of the seven-speed sports car might be limited to the next eight years.

Michael Schätzle, project manager of the new 911, said so in an interview with Automobile, citing sales figures that say 78 percent of the seventh-generation 911 sold with the PDK dual-clutch automatic. It’s a fact that might make driving purists cringe, but transmissions like Porsche’s PDK offer faster, more efficient shifts and consequently improved forward propulsion potential and efficiency.

The 2012 911 actually got a seven-speed manual, as mentioned above, which is a departure from the majority of cars being sold today. Instead it’s more common to see something along the lines of Mercedes-Benz‘ seven-speed automatic or Porsche’s PDK in high-end cars. Nonetheless, the company will offer a manual for the better part of the coming decade, if not longer.

It’s tough to see exactly what else will be available that far in the future, but easy to imagine feeling just as disappointed at not being able to throw a stick around during a 3-2 downshift and feeling the rear tires’ grip melt away.

As for that murky future, Schätzle told Automobile that Porsche is interested in looking at a 9-speed PDK for future models, though such extra gears will require a re-engineered transmission.

Schätzle also said the views he was expressing were his own, not those of Porsche. He also said that even if manuals are forgotten in the 911, they would likely remain on less expensive models.

GALLERY: 2012 Porsche 911

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[Source: Automobile]

 |  Feb 17, 12:15 PM

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The newest generation Porsche 911 Turbo has tough shoes to fill trying to live up to its highly regarded marque. Our spy photo photographers caught the newly designed 911 out testing in a Winter wonderland somewhere near the Arctic Circle.

The 911 Turbo shares its wheelbase with the Porsche Carrera, although it will be four inches longer and sit on a bit of a wider expanse between the tires. Porsche will continue its use of the 3.8-liter horizontally opposed six cylinder engine, but the new 911 will run with a tri-turbo setup, boosting the cars power from 495 to 525 horsepower. The tri-turbo setup will incorporate three seperate turbos, each designed to operate better at different RPMs. This allows the acceleration of the car to be turbo charged as well as the top end, eliminating the rubber band effect found on many turbocharged engines.

The new 911 Turbo is slated for the 2013 model year, so expect more details soon.

GALLERY: 2013 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet

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 |  Feb 17, 9:49 AM

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Hard at work, out photographers have captured the first spy photos of the upcoming 2013 Porsche GT3.

Notable give-aways on this car include the GT3-styled front bumper with a significantly more aggressive design and an outlet right before the hood to help direct air over the car to generate downforce. In addition rear shots reveal the dual center exit exhaust pipes. Absent, however, is the massive rear wing, which is expected in the production version.

Power for the new GT3 is expected to reach the 450 hp range from a naturally aspirated flat-six, with rumors that the car might only be available with a PDK dual clutch transmission.

With the new 2012 911 Carrera S able to run a faster lap time than the current GT3, there’s little doubt that the newest GT3 will be the best 911 yet.

GALLERY: 2013 Porsche GT3 Spy Photos

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 |  Feb 16, 8:49 AM

The newest SUV offering from Porsche is going to be called the Macan. Previously believed to be called the Cajun, Porsche released some details today about its upcoming SUV.

The sub-Cayenne Macan will be available for the customer who doesn’t want a full size SUV, but still wants the luxury of a Porsche. In the Concept sketch we can see that the Macan will sport a low profile roofline but keep the general look of the Cayenne.

The word Macan is Indonesian for Tiger, and was chosen because, “The name of a new Porsche has to fit with the brand, sound good in very many languages and dialects and evoke positive associations,” says Bernhard Maier, Member of the Executive Board Sales and Marketing of Porsche AG.

The Macan will begin production in 2013 in Leipzig, Germany.

Watch the teaser video after the jump.

Continue Reading…

 |  Feb 14, 7:01 PM

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One of the world’s finest private collection of Porsches will be heading to Amelia Island to be auctioned off. The collection is so impressive that Gooding & Company has moved the start time of the auction to 11 a.m. in order to accommodate the 18-car collection.

The Drendel Family Collection of Porsches consists of both street-legal and track cars from 1973 to 1997. Eleven of the 18 will be offered without a reserve, though the best picks, which include a 1973 Porsche 917/30 Can-Am Spyder, will retain a minimum sale price.

If your budget isn’t able to accommodate such extravagance, there are still plenty of no-reserve picks available, including a 1980 Porsche 924 Carrera GT Le Mans, 1980 Porsche Indy Car and a 1987 McLaren-Porsche MP4/3 Formula One.

The Amelia Island Auction will take place on March 9, beginning at 11 a.m. The estimated range of these Porsches span from $30,000 to upwards of $4-million, making this quite a collection to say the least.

“The result of well-developed connoisseurship and deep passion, Matthew Drendel built what has become the world’s most significant private collection of turbocharged Porsches,” said David Gooding, President and founder of Gooding & Company.

“It’s a very rare occurrence when a refined, single-marque collection of high-quality road and race cars is offered to the public. We feel privileged to have been selected to present the Drendel Family Collection in Amelia Island.”

GALLERY: Drendel Family Collection of Porsches

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Refer to the list below for a complete list of the collection.

Continue Reading…

 |  Feb 14, 6:31 PM

In 1983, the Porsche 928S was the fastest production car sold in the United States at a top speed of 146 mph. In Risky Business, you may remember Tom Cruise’s line in his break-out film, “Porsche. There is no substitute.”

Porsche-philes still agree roughly thirty years later; the very 1979 Porsche 928 driven by Tom Cruise in Risky Business had been sold by the Volo Auto Museum for a reported $49,000. According to knowledgeable sources familiar with this particular German coupe, it’s also the car that Tom Cruise first learned to drive a manual in.

With an odometer that reads just over 100,000 miles, NADA Guides mark the average street price for a 1979 928 at just $7,800. However, as this platinum metallic coupe played a pivotal role in Tom Cruises acting career, one could argue that this car is worth more than the sum of its parts. On the other hand, you could also pick up a handsome and well-serviced 1979 Porsche 911 Turbo for the same price.

[Source: Fox News]
 |  Feb 14, 7:43 AM

Reports are coming in that the next-generation Porsche 911 GT3 that is set to debut next year could be offered with a PDK transmission only. The 911 project chief, August Achleitner, recently confirmed that the German automaker’s motorsport division is testing both manual and PDK transmissions on the new GT3 and that only one of the two will make it to market.

Achleitner acknowledged that the PDK is looking like the favorite to be the only transmission to be offered on the new GT3 and that 30-percent of current 911 sales are manual transmission-equipped vehicles. He went so far as to say that when they launched the new Turbo S without a manual, they did not receive a single complaint. Too bad we were a little disappointed to even see that the Porsche Panamera Turbo S wouldn’t have a manual transmission option.

Lastly, Achleitner also confirmed that the next-generation GT2 and GT3 will have a variant of the electromechanical steering system found on the new Carrera.

[Source: Inside Line]

 |  Feb 11, 3:00 PM

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Porsche headed out to Sebring Raceway in Florida to put its new 2012 911 GT3 RSR race cars to the test ahead of their scheduled racing debut at the 60th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

Three of the US teams running the new 911 GT3 RSRs were in attendance as the race car made its debut: Flying Lizard Motorsports, Paul Miller Racing, and Team Falken Tire. The revamped GT3 RSR race car got plenty of changes to the body for 2012, coming in at almost 2 inches wider than its predecessor.

Powered comes from a 4.0L, six-cylinder boxer engine with 460-hp mated to a six-speed sequential gearbox with paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Plenty of aerodynamic improvements have also been made to the new 911 GT3 RSR.

“Our customer teams can expect a technically mature, high performance race car with which they will be highly competitive at international long distance races,” assures Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport. “Our test program on various international race tracks is currently running at full speed. We are very pleased with the car’s performance and drivability.”

GALLERY: 2012 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR

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 |  Feb 10, 2:29 PM

10. BMW 750Li Hybrid: $2,641



Flashy, fast or luxurious cars tend to be expensive. It should come as no surprise then that they’re also among the most expensive cars to insure.

This list, provided by Insure.com shows us the most expensive cars to insure. Whether they’re more likely to get into an accident because of their high-powered engines, more likely to be stolen, or they’re just expensive to make and maintain, these cars cost quite a lot to insure.

How can a hybrid cost so much to insure? When it’s aBMW 750Li Active Hybrid, which has a twin-turbo V8 and starts at $101,000 it’s easy to see why this big BMW lands in 10th place on the list.

 |  Feb 10, 11:41 AM

10. 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S


2012 Porsche Carrera S

Whether you’re heading to the Chicago Auto Show and want to know what to check out, or your trip is a bit more virtual, AutoGuide editors have compiled a list of the must-sees at this year’s event.

Head into McCormick Place and hang a left. You can’t miss the all-new 2012 Porsche 911. It might not be a world premiere, or even a North American debut, but the beautifully blue Carrera S is a piece of art. Four inches longer than the outgoing model it’s more substantial and a much sleeker design.

Powered by a 400 hp 3.8-liter flat-six engine the Carrera S can hit 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds when paired with Porsche’s PDK 7-speed dual-clutch transmission and the optional Sport Chrono Package. It’ll also lap the Nurburgring as fast as the previous generation GT3!

 |  Feb 08, 9:30 AM

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Driving down the boulevard in their Italian supercars, wealthy but genuine car enthusiasts face the difficult challenge of separating themselves from the typical playboys in fast cars. To solve this first world problem, HRE performance wheels proposed that there is no better way to add a touch of class to an exotic than by installing performance wheels with vintage flair.

Introducing the new Vintage Series, HRE wheels recreated three iconic designs from the brand’s 34-year history, each of which range from 18- to 20-inches, and are completely re-engineered as 3-piece forged wheels from quality aerospace-grade forged alloy. What’s more, each wheel is hand-finished in order to meet customer’s specifications for their modern exotic.

HRE provided a press gallery to showcase its new wheels installed upon the successors of the same automobiles that once wore the originals. The German racing car roots of the “501″ wheels are instantly recognizable, as its mesh lace design suits the latest viper green Porsche 991 ducktail nicely.  The five-porthole “454″ is a modern take on the wheels from the sensational Lamborghini Diablo and are just as striking to look at when fitted to the new Aventador. Finally, the pentagram design “505″ is a proper ode to the Ferrari F40, although pairing the set of wheels to a Ferrari 458 Spider is slightly clashing.

HRE Wheels President Alan Peltier said, “The process of recreating vintage designs that captured the style and essence of the originals was very exciting and challenging for all of us at HRE. These designs take us all back to the ’70′s and ’80′s when we were kids falling in love with exotics for the first time and truly becoming car lovers. Capturing all the character and magic of these designs, while ensuring they fit modern super cars and met our current engineering standards, made the project tougher than simply creating replicas of the original cast wheels. We found inspiration in those original designs but created wheels that reflect the HRE of today; wheels that are truly inspired.”

Wealthy automotive connoisseurs, rejoice!

GALLERY: HRE Vintage Series

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[Source: Autoblog]

 |  Feb 07, 5:45 PM

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Rumors of a new Mercedes Benz SLC sports car by AMG  to rival the iconic Porsche 911 were sparked last year. Now, new information from Autocar sheds some light.

According to AMG boss Ola Kallenius, the expansion of the AMG line-up is greatly dependent to the sales performance of its specialized vehicles. “AMG is a financial company and runs with targets, just like every other company. These products can’t just be built for fun. We need a reasonable return to new fund projects.”

The past year for the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG coupe proved to be a successful one. Not only have the sales provided AMG a return, but the “technologically fascinating” SLS succeeded in establishing the brand among the supercar elite as well. To this, Kallenius said, “Could we grow the family? Probably, yes, but that is not a decision we’ve made at this stage. What is clear is that we have entered a segment with an overwhelming reaction from customers and fans — and many of them are entirely new customers to AMG — so it would certainly be the right strategy to grow the AMG brand.”

We expect an entry level stand-alone AMG sports car to be on sale as soon as late 2013. With a projected price tag of £80,000, the two-seat coupe will likely receive power from an all-new 5.4-liter twin turbo V8 nesting in a front-mid-engine layout. Performance is expected to contest the Porsche 911 Carrera S with a 0-62 mph acceleration of 4.5sec and a top speed of 180mph. Engine variants, coupes and roadsters are expected as well.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

 |  Feb 02, 5:02 PM

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The Toyota GT 86, or Scion FR-S as it will be called in North America, isn’t available yet, but it’s already generating tuner buzz.

We were satisfied with the stock 200-horsepower boxer engine during our review in December, but that’s not quite enough power for some of the folks in the hachi-roku forums. Tetsuya Tada, the car’s chief engineer is encouraging the conversation.

“Some Americans already put a 5.0-liter engine in a Mazda roadster. There are fanclubs who want to do the same with our car. There is no rule to limit that. As manufacturers, we can’t do that. We have to give guarantees. We need to build cars that last. Tuners can try. We welcome that,” Tada said.

The 5.0-liter Mazda mod he’s talking about is, of course, the Monster Miata which gets a Mustang V8 shoehorned surprisingly well in place of it’s stock four banger.

While we don’t see the need to tinker with Toyota’s formula, it’s easy to understand the urge.

“As it is, only highly skilled drivers can make full use of the stock engine. Some people may like to have a higher speed in the straightaway, but there are lots of other cars they can choose,” Tada said,

He even teased the idea of putting a more potent engine into future models, though we aren’t holding our breath.

“For our current engine, we cooperated with Subaru. Maybe we [will] cooperate with Porsche or someone else next time. You can partner with anybody in the world these days.”

GALLERY: 2013 Scion FR-S

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[Source: The Truth About Cars]

 |  Feb 02, 5:00 PM

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Out sneaky photographers have managed to snap spy photos of the upcoming 2013 Porsche Cayman on the streets in Germany.

Camoed-up, the test mule reveals little, although an interior shot does show that the Cayman will borrow from the recently revealed 2013 Boxster when it comes to the interior. (It also reveals the fashion sense of German engineers – check out that sweater).

When it does arrive later this year, also look for familiar engines, with a base 2.7-liter flat-six making around 275 hp, while a larger 3.4-liter on the Cayman S should deliver around 325 hp – a number just ahead of its soft-top counterpart. With the PDK dual-clutch transmission and the Sport Chrono package, the new Cayman S should achieve a 0-60 time of 4.6 seconds or less.

Sharing a light weight aluminum chassis with the Boxster, making it both wider and longer than the current car, expect significant weight savings, as well as a big improvement in fuel economy.

GALLERY: 2013 Porsche Cayman Spy Photos

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 |  Jan 30, 4:15 PM

A grid of 58 vehicles at the 50th anniversary of the Rolex 24 at Daytona made this year’s event one of the most competitive races in the history of the franchise. It was so competitive, in fact, NASCAR star racing driver AJ Allmendinger of the Michael Shank Racing #60 Ford/Riley car only beat Starworks Motorsport’s pole-sitter Ryan Dalziel by 5.198 seconds after 24 hours of heated competition.

After Allmendinger had won the Rolex 24, he described his last stint as, “the most fun three hours of racing I’ve ever done.”

Struggling for a race win at the Rolex 24 ever since 2004, Michael Shank Racing’s remarkable victory got even sweeter when its second Daytona Prototype crossed the line to clinch third and close out the podium. However, the battle between Allmendinger and Dalziel in their last stint was so relentless that the Michael Shank No. 6 sister car driven by Felipe Nasr couldn’t stay with the battle and fell back, finishing the race almost a minute behind. The top-three finishers were all Ford/Riley prototypes.

The #60 Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley was brought to the checkered flag by A.J. Allmendinger and co-drivers Justin Wilson, John Pew and Oswaldo Negri Jr. Starwork’s impressive 2nd place finish was thanks to the valiant driving performed by Ryan Dalziel and co-drivers Enzo Potolicchio, Lucas Luhr, Allan McNish and Alex Popow. Finally, in third place, the sister Michael Shank car was driven by Felipe Nasr, Michael McDowell, Jorge Goncalvez and Gustavo Yacaman.

In the GT class, Magnus Racing’s #44 Porsche GT3 driven by Rechard Lietz was the first of the Porsche podium sweep, followed by the TRG #67 Porsche driven by Wolf Henzler and the Brumos racing Porsche of Marc Lieb. Overall, the three 911 GT3 Cup cars finished 11th, 12th, and 13th.
Magnus Racing’s driver Andy Lally said, “We had  the potential to do this. The people assembled by John to start Magnus Racing just two years ago were top0notch guys and he took direction from some really well-seasoned vets. He steered the ship in the right direction and basically put together a really solid, strong effort.”
All in all, the 50th anniversary Rolex 24 at Daytona was an eventful day for all racing teams as well as for all the spectators that filled up Daytona’s infield grandstands to maximum capacity.
 |  Jan 27, 5:00 PM

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Porsche is upping the engineering ante with their 2013 911 Turbo, which our spy photographer caught yesterday, to deliver more power and better fuel efficiency all at once.

The new 911 Turbo will keep the same 3.8-liter horizontally opposed six cylinder engine as previous models, but it will have a new boost thanks to a complex tri-turbo setup similar to what BMW is using in the M550d xDrive and X5 M50d models, among others.

The system employs one smaller turbocharger and two larger ones. The smaller spools up more quickly at lower rpms, delivering an initial power boost that carries smoothly into the second and third larger units.

Although the horsepower ratings aren’t certain yet, the new system is expected to boost the 911 Turbo from 495 to 525 horsepower, which is quite close to the 530 hp 911 Turbo S.

Porsche is currently completing testing on the tri-turbo setup inside their 991, though further details can’t be that far off given that it’s slated for the 2013 model year.

GALLERY: 2013 Porsche 911 Turbo spy photos

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[Source: Auto Car]

 |  Jan 26, 3:30 PM

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Gemballa is known for some of the world’s most exquisite Porsche creations, and despite turmoil over the last couple of years, they’re looking ahead to the future and celebrating their 30th anniversary in style.

For those that aren’t fortunate enough to afford Gemballa’s real creations, they have had a model car collection of some of their most famous models available for purchase. But now a limited edition series has been released, starring their infamous Mirage GT Blue and MIG-U1 in white. Each model car will only have a limited quantity of 300, each numbered in an individual display. Best of all, the price is only around $76 based on today’s conversion rates and includes VAT and shipping. No idea if they’ll ship all the way to North America, but for two model cars with Gemballa’s prestige and a limited edition behind it, it’s a respectable price tag. If you’re interested, shoot collection@gemballa.com an email.

Vehicles in Gemballa’s other model car collections include their Mirage GT in various colors, their Avalanche GT2, Avalanche GTR, and their Cayenne variants.

GALLERY: Gemballa 30th Anniversary Model Cars Collection

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 |  Jan 26, 2:00 PM

Porsche continues to be a tremendous success story, particularly since the launch of the Cayenne SUV. A vehicle that saved the German sports car maker from bankruptcy, in some markets it now accounts for half of the brand’s sales, raising the question, is Porsche too reliant on the Cayenne?

The answer would seem to be in the affirmative. One shocking statistic comes from last year’s sales figures. Porsche Cars USA posted impressive figures with 29,023 units sold, a solid improvement over 25,320 in 2010. According to a report by automotive statistics firm GoodCarBadCar, if you remove all Cayenne sales from the mix the remaining number is 16,045. What’s so shocking about that? Well, Porsche’s sales in 2002, before the Cayenne joined the fleet, were 21,320 units, meaning that, Cayenne aside, the last time Porsche sold fewer sports cars than they do now was in 1997.

The time in between has seen the addition of the Cayman, hardly a volume seller, but still a factor in propping up the brand’s sports car numbers. And those years prior to 1997 are the pre-Boxster era.

The numbers are negligibly different for 2010 as well, with 16,997 Porsche models sold if you don’t include the 8,343 Cayennes. Subtract the 7,741 Panameras too and you’re left with just 9,256 Porsche sports cars sold. Delete the 7,735 Cayennes from the 2009 sales figures, Porsche’s worst year in over a decade, and you’re left with a slightly better 11,961 total, which includes few (1,247) Panameras. Jumping back another year to pre-recession 2008 and total sales are a more robust 26,035. Delete 11,216 Cayennes and you’re left with 14,819 sports cars.

A key contributing factor to the decrease in Porsche’s sports car sales over the past few years has been lower and lower sales of the 911. In 2007 Porsche sold 13,153 units, dropping to 8,324 in 2008. Jump ahead to 2009 and the number slides further to 6,839 and then just 5,737 units in 2010. It was only last year, with the addition of numerous special edition models and dealers eager to push 2011 models off their lots to make room for the next generation car that 911 sales increased to a few hundred units to just over the 6,000 mark.

Increased sales of the Cayenne and decreased sports car sales could be entirely unrelated events, though there is the possibility that Porsche customers are foregoing cars like the 911 for the Cayenne. Or, there’s the possibility that 911 customers are just going somewhere else entirely.

Based on these numbers it’s not surprising that the brand has announced another sports car to sit between its upcoming flagship 918 and the 911 range. Until that product gets here, the launch of the 2012 911 models and a new Boxster will certainly bolster the brand’s sports car balance sheet.

 |  Jan 26, 9:30 AM

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Since the debut of the new Carrera at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year the P-car faithful have been eagerly anticipating the launch of the next-gen 911 Turbo. That launch date is getting closer with our latest spy photos of the every day exotic giving a closer idea of just what the future holds.

Sharing a wheelbase with the Carrera, the new Porsche Turbo will be roughly 4-inches longer end-to-end and as is obvious from the photos will sport a significantly wider track and accommodate an all-wheel drive system. Of note, the rear spoiler on this test mule appears to be fixed, but expect an automatically-deploying unit on the production model. With the sleeker styling of the new 911 combined with these aggressive new rear haunches, the 911 Turbo is finally beginning to look more like a car that offers supercar levels of performance.

While no details about the upcoming twin-turbo flat-six engine have been released, considering the current Turbo S makes 530 hp we expect no less from the new Turbo. Even 550 hp would be a solid bet. Also, the Turbo could finally see a top speed that reaches the 200 mph mark.

Expect a major overhaul on the 911 Turbo’s interior with significant inspiration from the Panamera.

GALLERY: 2013 Porsche 911 Turbo Spy Photos

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 |  Jan 23, 9:00 PM

Chances are a burnout is pretty far from the picture when you think of a hybrid, but in this case speed is the name of the game.

Last friday we posted a story about a teaser video featuring the Porsche Panamera S Hybrid titled “World’s Fastest Full Hybrid,” but just when you thought the message was clear, an Infiniti M35h showed up in the shiny Porsches’s paint. Well, it’s official: the M35h is faster than the Porsche, meaning it’s the fastest accelerating hybrid in the world.

Just when we thought Audi had a headlock on the cheeky advertising niche, Infiniti jumped up to prove that they too could pull sneaky shenanigans over the competition. The teaser video turned out to be the first little bit of the full clip which, not surprisingly, showcased Infiniti spanking Porsche in a heads up race.

The video is a dramatization, though reading the small print reveals that the company did have Guinness World Redords there to keep things fair. In the end, the M35h scored a 13.41-second quarter mile, though there was no small print to show how Porsche fared. We get verification that Infiniti won the race, though the video isn’t a trustworthy source of the margin of victory.

Regardless, the M35h gets an impressive 39 mpg while managing to hit 60 mph in just 5.9 seconds. That beats the Porsche’s maximum 30 mpg highway by a big margin, meaning the Infiniti takes a win in both columns, something all but the most brand-loyal customers will likely be concerned with. On top of that, opting for the Infiniti, which starts at $53,700 means room in the budget to buy a couple of new economy cars for the kids, versus the $95,000 Porsche price tag.

That said, you should make up your own mind. Watch the video below.

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