Holy crap, is Porsche working on a shooting brake version of the Cayman? A Top Gear fan sent a video to TopGear.com of a test mule that makes a strong case that they are.
Or… is this a test mule for the rumored Cayman Turbo and the extra bodywork is just to provide easy access to the engine for testing purposes?
The financial news about Porsche has turned into a soap opera. After being the most profitable automaker on the planet and almost swallowing up the much-larger Volkswagen, Porsche is now trying to figure out how to survive and manage its huge debt.
Word comes now that the rumored deal with the Sheik of Qatar is almost a done deal. The rumored deal will see the Sheik getting 20 percent of Porsche Holding SE for €7b with an option to buy 20 percent of Volkswagen. This would have the effect of nearly wiping out Porsche’s debt, but prevent Porsche from getting any more of Volkswagen.
To add to the rumors, Porsche is supposedly having a high-level meeting on July 23rd to decide whether to approve this deal, or to possible sell 49 percent of Porsche AG to Volkswagen. Apparently, VW is offering “substantially more than €4b” for 49.9 percent of Porsche AG, and the overall deal would bring another €1b more to Porsche than the Sheik’s deal for Porsche SE.
Confused? Well, hang in there, we should know more after the 23rd of July…
About a year ago, Cadillac laid claim to the fastest four-door car around when a CTS-V lapped the famed Nürburgring in 7 minutes 59 seconds.
Porsche’s test driver (no word if it was Walter Röhrl or not) lapped the ring in 7:56 in a Panamera Turbo, taking the title (at least momentarily) from Cadillac.
Although I was skeptical at first of the Panamera, I have a feeling it is going to win me over just like the Cayenne did… damn you Porsche!
Fans of Top Gear know all about their famous races… they’ve raced cars against planes, trains, boats, bicycles, and more. But this time they may have outdone themselves. In last Sunday’s episode, James May and Richard Hammond race a new Panamera S against the British Royal Mail service.
Starting in the most southwestern part of Britain, the Scilly Isles, they race 900 miles over land and sea to the Orkney Islands in north Britain. So if you want to deliver a letter overnight, are you better off driving a Panamera or buying a stamp? And what did Captain Slow and the Hamster think of the Panamera?
On June 22, 1934, Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche GmbH, Konstruktionen und Beratung für Motoren- und Fahrzeugbau (what is now known as Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart) was given the go-ahead by the Association of the German Reich of the Automotive Industry to build the Volkswagen.
Ferdinand Porsche developed the concept of the “People’s Car” in 1933 and presented it in 1934. After five months of consideration, the Volkswagen was a go. Over the next several years, Porsche produced several prototypes and variants of his design, and in 1945, regular production of the civilian Volkswagen began.
Porsche is commemorating this anniversary with a special exhibition at the Porsche Museum from June 22nd through July 31st. Among the items on exhibit will be a rare pre-war prototype of the Volkswagen, used by Professor Porsche as a personal car, and a rare VW Beetle diesel prototype built in the early 50s.
The 2009 J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey results are out, and Porsche came in second only to Lexus.
Porsches on average has 90 problems per 100 cars sold, just behind Lexus’ 84 problems per 100. The industry average was 108 problems per 100. And who was the worst? That would be MINI with 165 problems per 100.
Check after the jump for a chart with the full results.
Porsche has announced its 3.8-liter 911 Carrera S engine has won the 2009 “Best New Engine of the Year” award in the International Engine of the Year Awards.
The power combined with the efficiency and drivability of the direct fuel injected engine helped earn the award. The current engine, combined with the PDK transmission, produces 385 hp while maintaining a 23 mpg average fuel economy.
The new engine is 8.5% more powerful and 13% more fuel efficient than the previous 911 Carrera S engine. And CO2 emissions are down 15%.
So, if you want to drive the Best New Engine of 2009, head to your Porsche dealer and grab yourself a brand new Carrera S.
Car and Driver recently drove the Panamera S and Panamera Turbo and came away impressed.
First, they say the styling looks much better in person. Next, the cars are insanely quick. The Panamera S sprints from 0 to 60 in 4.8 seconds, 0 to 100 in 11.5 seconds, and hits a top speed of 175 mpg. The Turbo does 0 to 60 in 4 seconds flat, 0 to 100 in 9 seconds flat, and hits 188 mph.
They also like the interior, saying it has plenty of room and is nicely styled, with nice materials. They even like the fact that the base price for each model includes a lot of features, resulting in fewer of Porsche’s typically high-price options.
Is there anything they didn’t like? Well, they thought that even the optional sports exhaust was a bit too quiet.
July 15, 2009 
Posted in Cayman, Spy Shots, Video 
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