Porsche Panamera Turbo S

This is the new Porsche Panamera Turbo S, and because the GT2 RS has sold out, it’s now the most powerful Porsche on sale.

Porsche Panamera Turbo S: the numbers

The new Porsche Panamera Turbo S is powered by the same direct injection and twin-turbo 4.8-litre V8 that’s found in the regular Panamera Turbo. But thanks to new turbochargers with titanium-aluminium turbine wheels (which cut weight and improve responsiveness) and a new ECU, the power output climbs from an already impressive 493bhp and 516lb ft to 550bhp and 553lb ft. And if you select the Sport or Sport Plus modes of the standard-fit Sport Chrono Package Turbo (or during kick-down in the normal setting) you get 590lb ft – up from 567lb ft in a Sport Chrono Pack Panamera Turbo.

Mix all this with four-wheel drive and a launch control function, and Porsche claims a 911 Turbo Cabriolet-matching 3.8 second run to 62mph, two-tenths faster than a Sport Chrono Pack Panamera Turbo. The top speed is up 3mph to 191mph, and the fuel economy figure remains unchanged at 24.6mpg too.

And it costs the same as well?

Wishful thinking. Unfortunately the price goes up, from £102,909 to £122,623, but that does includes £7700 worth of Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC), Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus), the Sport Chrono Package Turbo, side sills from the Porsche Exclusive range, two-tone leather and 20-inch Turbo II alloys. UK sales start in June 2011.

Mercedes-Benz SL550

Of all the Mercedes-Benz models that could be accused of being born with a silver spoon in its mouth, the SL arguably tops the list. Unlike many grand-touring cars, the Mercedes SL has never been forced to compromise its blue-blood personal-luxury/sport ideals with feigned attempts at practicality to please executives or attract buyers. It has, more or less, remained an unapologetic take-it-or-leave-it proposition since it debuted nearly six decades ago, and the 2013 SL550 does nothing to alter its course. Cool, Quiet Confidence Every move the 2013 SL550 makes is steeped in a competent, laid-back confidence; pin the throttle, and the car takes a moment to gather itself, as if saying to the driver, “Okay, dude, you ready? This is gonna be pretty awesome.” And with that, the seven-speed automatic downshifts, the twin turbos gorge themselves on air, and the whole shebang takes off, pulling hard to an observed 159-mph top speed (Mercedes claims an electronically limited 155). Life in th...

McLaren 650S Sprint

McLaren’s new 650S model now comes in three flavors, the standard road going 650S, the competition-spec 650S GT3 for serious racers, and now there’s the 650S Sprint which is aimed at track enthusiasts who still want a little bit of comfort. The 650S Sprint also replaces the MP4-12C-based 12C Sprint as McLaren’s track toy for the super-rich. Compared to the road model, the 650S Sprint features increased downforce and better cooling airflow to the 3.8 litre twin-turbocharged V8. It also features a competition-spec fuel tank and quick-fill cap, a larger radiator borrowed from the GT3 car, a new hood with additional cooling ducts for the radiator, front wing louvres for improved airflow, reduced ride height and recalibrated damping and spring rates, 19-inch center-locking race wheels with either Pirelli slicks or wet tires, onboard air jack system, and an upgraded braking system. On the inside the McLaren 650S Sprint features a stripped-out design with a FIA-approved rol...

Bentley Continental GT

Driving the new 205mph Bentley Continental GT Speed around Thruxton, Britain’s fastest racetrack: now that’s a day out you look forward to. After all, this fastest-ever (roadgoing) twin turbocharged, W12 Bentley has 616bhp, up from 567bhp the standard W12. It does the 0-62mph sprint in four seconds, and the lap record around the gentle rolling straights of Thruxton was set by Damon Hill, in a Williams in 1993 at an average speed of 147mph. I, however, maxed out in this particular prodigiously fast British flyer around Britain’s fastest circuit at 37mph, and even that was a bit hairy. Bloody, sodding, naffing snow. So every time somebody walks in your office and moans about struggling to get their Mondeo off their snowy drive and crashing through their neighbour’s porch, or how icy the work car park is and how they fell over and broke both ankles, send them this link and say: ‘Yeah, but you didn’t have a Conti GT Speed, a race track to yourself, and...

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