• Tag Archives Porsche

  • This Porsche 959 Prototype Is One of Very Few Surviving Examples In Existence

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    This Might Look Like A Production Porsche 959 At A Glance, But It Definitely Is Not

    This Porsche 959 Prototype Is One of Very Few Surviving Examples In Existence Exterior - image 1018513

    This Porsche 959 Prototype Is One of Very Few Surviving Examples In Existence Exterior - image 1018513

    I wouldn’t criticize you if you tried to say this was a normal Porsche 959, as the body does look pretty similar to the production car. However, this isn’t the case. In fact, as if being one the few surviving examples of just 12 prototypes built didn’t make this car rare enough, it’s also one of the few that were finished in Ruby Red. The car was apparently designed specifically for electric system testing and hot weather testing on the U.S. West Coast and in Europe.

    This Porsche 959 Prototype Is One of Very Few Surviving Examples In Existence Interior - image 1018506

    This Porsche 959 Prototype Is One of Very Few Surviving Examples In Existence Interior - image 1018506

    Still need proof that this is an authentic prototype, well that proof comes on the inside. Throughout the testing phase, several different interior layouts were installed, including one with different seats. You can find extra and disconnected electric wiring under the passenger seat along with hard mounts for the electronic testing equipment next to the rear seats. The car is also lacking power steering, ride-height control, a passenger-side mirror, alarm, windshield washer, and the fuel filler cap among other things.

    Porsche 959 specifications
    Engine 2849 cc Bi-turbocharged flat-6
    Bore x stroke 95.0 x 67.0 mm
    Compression ratio 8.3:1
    Horsepower (DIN) 444 HP @ 6,500 RPM
    Torque 370 LB-FT @ 5,500 RPM
    Fuel delivery elect. port injection
    Transmission 6-speed manual
    0-60 mph 3.7 seconds
    Top Speed 197 mph

    This 959 Prototype’s History Is Interesting

    This Porsche 959 Prototype Is One of Very Few Surviving Examples In Existence Exterior - image 1018517

    This Porsche 959 Prototype Is One of Very Few Surviving Examples In Existence Exterior - image 1018517

    How much do you think the asking price is?

    Swipe up to learn more about it, see the full gallery, and find a link to the sale listing!

    After the Porsche 969 hit the production lines, Porsche destroyed most of the other prototypes that were built alongside this one. This car, however, was imported into the U.S. in the latter half of the 1980s and was displayed like a trophy at the HQ of Vasek Polak – a Porsche importer and dealer. Sometime after that, it was shipped off to Japan for demonstrational activities before being sold to Belgium and later the United Kingdom. The car eventually made it back to its homeland of Germany, where it’s currently on sale. According to the listing, it has just 26,520 km (16,478 miles) on the odometer, but the asking price is a mystery. If you’re interested in owning a very rare care, you’ll have to contract the owner through Mechatronik to find out how much you’ll have to shell out.

    Source: Mechatronik


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  • Porsche 911 Sport Classic Caught Testing

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    Porsche 911 Sport Classic Caught Testing Exterior Spyshots - image 1042616

    Porsche 911 Sport Classic Caught Testing Exterior Spyshots - image 1042616

    Our spy photographers caught the upcoming Porsche 911 Sport Classic out for a new testing session on the public roads of Germany. As you can see the car is missing most of the camouflage which means the testing sessions are pretty much done, and all that is left is mostly fine tuning.

    The prototype follows the design lines of the 911 models, but there will be a few distinctive features. First one is of course that little ducktail at the back – a signature of the Sport Classic models. The 911 Sport Classic will also feature a double bubble roof and the lines of the special hood will match perfectly the lines of the roof.

    Porsche 911 Sport Classic Caught Testing Exterior Spyshots - image 1042615

    Porsche 911 Sport Classic Caught Testing Exterior Spyshots - image 1042615

    The only camouflage we can see on this prototype is some tape around the sides of the ducktail spoiler and in the middle of the rear light arrangement.

    As for the engine, rumors suggest the 911 Sport Classic will get the same engine as the 911 GTS: a 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six that delivers 480 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque.

    Rumors suggest Porsche will only build 2,000 units of the 911 Sport Classic.

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  • Ford Outperforms GM, FCA in Third Quarter Sales

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    Ford said the F-Series finished the third quarter strong with a 17.2% increase in September.

    Ford Motor Co. outscored its Detroit rivals, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler during the third quarter by reporting a smaller sales decline and picking up share in the pickup market.

    Ford, reporting a day after GM and FCA, was down 4.9% compared to a year ago. GM and FCA reported 10% declines during the third quarter as the industry showed signs of recovering from the impact of Covid-19 pandemic, which stalled sales last spring.

    “Despite the challenging pandemic environment, our retail unit sales were down only 2 percent and we had our best third quarter of pickup truck sales since 2005,” said Mark LaNeve, Ford vice president of sales marketing and service. “F-Series finished the quarter on a high note with September sales up 17.2% with over 76,000 F-Series pickups sold. This is a testament to our winning product portfolio and the performance of our great dealers.”

    (U.S. new car sales show signs of life in September.)

    Volvo Cars enjoyed its best September sales results since 2004.

    FCA’s Ram pickup deliveries slipped 3.4% year over year to 156,157 pickups during the third quarter as the Chevrolet Silverado pickup from GM fell 5.4% to 145,525 units. Subaru and Toyota reported sales gains in September as actual sales gains versus the previous year.

    Volvo Cars USA maintained its upward momentum trend announcing its fourth consecutive month of year-over-year growth. Retailing 10,274 cars in September 2020, the strong result represents 10.2% growth over the same period last year and marks the best September result for the brand since 2004.

    Honda brand sales climbed 11% as trucks set a September record with a 20.4% jump, while Acura September sales increased 16.6% on strong performances from MDX, RDX and ILX. “September marks a high-water mark for Honda sales this year with double-digit gains and our first month in positive territory since the pandemic began,” said Dave Gardner, executive vice president of National Operations at American Honda.

    (Automakers expected to report strong September sales.)

    Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today reported total September sales of 24,237 vehicles, an increase of 28.7 percent compared to September 2019. Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc. (MMNA) today reported third-quarter 2020 sales of 24,857 vehicles, an increase of 1.5% over the same period in 2019, and up a significant 49% over the previous quarter of 2020.

    Mitsubishi Motors saw sales rise 1.5% versus last September and a 49% compared with the second quarter of 2020.

    Volkswagen of America reported its sales 7.6% and Porsche Cars North America Inc. said third quarter U.S. retail deliveries rose 5% from the same period a year ago, continuing a recovery trend from coronavirus lockdowns in the first half of 2020.

    September 2020 sales benefitted from two extra sales days, and the Labor Day holiday weekend, which fell in August for 2019 results. Incoming figures from reporting automakers are reflecting year-over-year improvements for the month, and on an unadjusted volume level the sales tally for the month is expected to be up 2-3% year over year the first time since February 2020 the market will realize a monthly y/y improvement,” noted IHS analysts Stephanie Brinley.

    (Tesla hits quarterly delivery record but Wall Street is not impressed.)

    “The SAAR reading for the month is expected to improve from the 15.2 million unit reading in August, possibly bumping against a 16-million-unit pace. But this would still be well below the 17.2 million unit reading of September 2019,” she said.


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  • Porsche Pack Pinched, Is One Press?

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    Image: bluefish-ds/shutterstockTen Porsche drivers with leaden feet were stopped for doubling the speed limit in Gilpin County, Colorado, and one may have been a press-fleet car.

    Or at least, had manufacturer tags.

    According to a police officer quoted in The Denver Post, one of the vehicles stopped was being used as a pace car.

    The last vehicle in line appears to be shod with the license plates usually used by Porsche to denote that the car belongs to the manufacturer.

    Just because the car has manufacturer tags it doesn’t mean a journalist was driving. Could’ve been a Porsche employee, of course, too. And neither “journalist gets a ticket” nor “OEM employee gets a citation” is much of a story. More like an occupational hazard. This, I know from experience.

    Just this weekend a Chicago speed camera flashed me.

    Even the 80 in a 40, while eye-popping, isn’t necessarily that big a deal – depending on the context. In a residential zone, yes, on a rural two-lane, not so much.

    Really, this is only worth a story because the picture is kinda funny. I’m not downplaying the potential seriousness of the violations – again, context matters – but when was the last time you saw a trooper writing up 10 tickets at once? All for vehicles of the same make?

    To be clear, if one looks only at the speed above the limit, the citations are no laughing matter, as Colorado law says that 25 mph or more over the limit is a Class B misdemeanor traffic offense. Fines can be as low as $15 or as high as $100.

    Furthermore: “Misdemeanor traffic offenses in Colorado are separated into Class 1 misdemeanor traffic offenses and Class 2 misdemeanor traffic offenses.  Persons convicted of a Class 1 misdemeanor traffic offense are subject to a minimum sentence of 10 days in jail or a $300 fine, or both, and a maximum sentence of one year in jail or a $1,000 fine, or both.  Persons convicted of a Class 2 misdemeanor traffic offense are subject to a minimum sentence of 10 days in jail or a $150 fine, or both, and a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail or a $300 fine, or both.”

    As repeatedly noted, though, context matters. The Twitter picture shows that the plethora of Porsches was stopped on a two-lane road with nothing around but grassland and rocky hills. While we’d never encourage driving recklessly or routinely driving at excessive speeds, common sense suggests that doing double the limit in this kind of area doesn’t carry the same risk as doubling it up near residences and business.

    On the other hand, it’s possible the picture might not show residences and the like that are just out of frame, and the tweet does say “80+” in terms of mph. It could very well be that our scofflaws weren’t driving safely but in a spirited manner that just happens to be well above the limit, the way auto journalists sometimes do (and presumably, test drivers for the OEMs do, too. It could also be that while those speeds look low-risk on that road, they really aren’t.

    Let’s hope our Porsche drivers drive more smartly and the cops showed leniency if appropriate. I’ll save my rant for how all speed limits aren’t created equal for another time.

    H/t to reader Rudy!

    [Image: bluefish_ds/Shutterstock.com]


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