#Porsche911

Back in the summer of 2010, a Porsche 911 Turbo that was part of Porsche Canada’s press fleet was put through a garage door by the son of Canadian Auto Journalist Peter Cheney. The story generated all kinds of feedback, from those shrugging it off as “boys will be boys”, to righteous indignation bordering on “off with his head“.

Canadians get a raw deal when it comes to cars. Even though their dollar is worth a little bit more than the greenback (and is projected to rise in the near future) cars still cost about 30 percent more on average. Due to the discrepancy, it’s common for Canadians looking for luxury vehicles to buy their cars in the United States, and import them back to Canada, where savings can be in the thousands, despite importation fees and taxes.

Everyone’s favorite sports car is set to get a bit smaller in it’s next generation, as reports claim that the base engine in the 2012 Porsche 911 will move from its current 3.6L to a more compact 3.4L displacement.

Despite tremendous advances in automatic transmissions over the past decade, many driving enthusiasts still prefer a traditional stick shift and clutch. A testament to just how tightly the less-than-silent minority of three-pedal drivers is, came when BMW tried to drop the 6-speed manual from the previous generation M5. The uproar was so significant that eventually BMW execs and product planners changed their minds, offering a 6-speed manual with the warning that it will be slower than the SMG.

Porsche purists who derided the brand’s introduction of the Cayenne SUV and Panamera sedan should be thankful for the existence of the two cars – without them, the brand may not have survived through the past decade.

One fun fact you may not know about the Porsche 911 – it’s the world’s best selling race car. According to Porsche, more than 1,400 Cup cars have been sold since their debut in 1998, and this year marks a big upgrade for the venerable, but still competitive racer.

The biggest change is a switch to the GT3 RS as a starting platform. This allows the 911 Cup to get the wider track and body, which also allows for bigger wheels, tires and brakes, and a more powerful 3.8L flat-6 engine making 450 horsepower.

The updated 911 Cup will make its debut in England in 2011, but you can hit the jump to read all about it, and peruse through the gallery.

Gallery: Porsche 911 Cup

A report in trade publication Automotive News suggests that Porsche is planning a hybrid variant of every model in its lineup. Porsche’s Cayenne Hybrid is the first Cayenne sold to the public, while the 911 GT3.R has successfully campaigned in high level sports car racing in Europe.

In true Porsche fashion, a limited edition Carrera Cup Asia model has been released for the fast-growing Chinese market. The 30 units will be offered in Guard Red, Carrera White and Black, each sporting contrasting accents on the car courtesy of Porsche Racing decals.

Porsche employees are now banned from going on Facebook for fear of corporate espionage. A Bloomberg report states that Porsche brass are worried that foreign intelligence services are intercepting messages sent via Facebook. Sites such as Ebay were also banned at company computers.

So clearly drifting has swept America by storm, skipping all the way across the ocean from Japan. And now it’s influencing other forms of motorsports out in the Middle East. But there is something interesting about what they’re trying to do: it’s not quite the drifting that we’re used to seeing, nor is it quite autocross the way we’re used to seeing. What they intentionally end up doing is setting up what would appear to be an autocross track, dousing it with water for a slick surface and promoting the drivers to do a controlled, out-of-control, lap around the course.

The first dead giveaway that this isn’t drifting as we’re used to seeing is the everyday vehicles lining up to compete on the course, much like autocross fashion. Then seeing a large collection of AWD cars like Mitsubishi‘s Evolution and Subaru’s WRX.

SSK Racing out in the Middle East is promoting the series as Drift Art.

We’re going to safely assume that it’s rather difficult to hold a sanctioned drift event out in the Middle East with actual tandem battles. Instead this format can reach out to the grassroots level racers and let them have an event filled with fun and the opportunity to do what we all wish we could do with our cars on a daily basis. We can’t wait to see what they have in store and how they’ll take this to the next level. But please, someone needs to let them know that it’s “professional,” not profissional.

Make sure to check out the video after the break.

[Source: Crank and Piston]

Available starting next month is famed Porsche tuner TechArt’s package for the 911 Turbo S. And as with all TechArt tuning packages, we’re thoroughly impressed inside and out with its numbers. Horsepower is increased by 90-hp to 620-hp and torque goes up 89 ft-lbs for an impressive 605 ft-lbs of torque.

Acceleration is clearly at a blistering speed with TechArt’s 911 Turbo S hitting 62 mph in merely 2.9 seconds. A top speed of 207 mph is also possible once the modifications are done. No pricing has been released yet, but the tuning package consists of everything you’d expect: TechArt air filter, manifold, exhaust system and a pair of pressure sensors. While the bolt-ons obviously help let the engine breathe, we’re going to guess a bulk of the performance increase comes from the retuned ECU.

GALLERY: TechArt Porsche 911 Turbo S Tuning Package

Automotive News, not generally known for its “enthusiast content” published a blog about Germany’s famed 13-mile Nurburgring race track, and how car companies are touting their ‘Ring times more and more in their advertising campaigns. We can’t help but wonder how many cars will be sold on that basis, and whether it’s worth paying attention to Nurburgring lap times anymore.

Hit the jump for more