Road Strikers

Make: Porsche Model: 901 Concept Year: 2015 Engine / Drivetrain- The Porsche 901 is a reinterpretation of what the iconic 911 could have been. It was created by Ege Arguden, an automotive designer and graduate of the Art Center College of Design in California, with experience working at Chrysler, BMW, Volkswagen and Ford. The Porsche 901 was designed to be a next-generation 911, but one which draws heavily on the first generation car for influence. That might not be immediately apparent given the cars sleek, futuristic styling. But the size of the car - smaller like the original - and a number of crucial design elements provide the connection. Signature design cues from the 911 include the iconic round headlights, and incredibly curvaceous bodywork. Like the original car, the Porsche 901 concept features an extremely low rear end and a single arch beltline. Arguden also tried to keep the bodywork as uncluttered as possible, while also injecting some of the racing pedigree of the ...

► Porsche 911 Black Edition is here ► All black, extra equipment galore ► On sale now, priced from £75,074 Porsche knows a thing or two about portfolio management and relies heavily on churning over new derivatives to sustain interest as model ranges age. And that’s why today we’re publishing photographs of the new Porsche 911 Carrera Black Edition for the first time. It echoes the approach of earlier 911, Boxster and Cayman Blacks: there’s ebony paintwork and cabin treatment, plus a slew of extra equipment. That means Turbo-spec 20-inch alloy wheels, automatically dimming rear-view mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, cruise control and a Porsche Sport Design steering wheel to hold on to. Dynamic bendy LED headlamps are fitted, as are Bose surround-sound stereo, heated seats and parking sensors. Porsche 991.1 Carrera Black Edition: the specs Choose from coupe or convertible Black 911s, both powered by the regular Carrera’s 3.4 flat six wit...

Equipment Included: Porsche Cayenne S 30" Custom Extension - Rolls Royce Edition Center panel with glass or solid panel All leather seatings Mohawk vinyl top with factory rear window Upgraded suspension package Rear vanity mirrors Two 12 Volts electric ports Tissue box and trash chute on package tray AM FM CD radio in overhead cockpit 2 LCD TV facing seats Exit assist straps and coat hooks Side consoles for storage Window tinting to rear compartment Drive line extension fully balanced Hardwood center console glassware and ice chest 5/8" Wool felt temperature control insulation on floor Double radiant barrier insulation on roof and side panels Rubber backed reversible overlay mat Rust inhibitor application to underbody Additional AC and heat Evaporators 1 Auxiliary heavy duty 9" pusher fan LED Overhead reading lamps over forward facing seats Single glass or privacy divider Hands free intercom system All fiber optics moved and extended to match fa...

Porsche 991 GT3 R is the race version of the 991 GT3 RSMassive wing? That'll be a GT racing car911 GT3 R uses same trick vents above front wheelsNo Porsche Media system hereClothes line-spec rear wing is a GT racing essential ► Race version of 991 GT3 RS revealed ► Extreme weight saving and aero pack ► Deliveries end of 2015 for 2016 season The Porsche 991 GT3 RS is as hairy-chested and track-focused as the current Porsche 911 gets.  Well, almost. Because this is the racing version: the 911 GT3 R. There’s always someone with better kit. That’s a rather large rear wing Certainly is. Underneath it is a development of the production car’s 4.0-litre flat-six with around 500bhp, running through a six-speed paddle-shift sequential gearbox. Besides adding that outsized wing and splitter combo, the racer takes advantage of the road car’s aerodynamic trickery, with the same vents over the front wheelarches increasing downforce over the front ...

Our Porsche 717 artist's impression (by Andreas Hartl) ► Electric rival to Merc CLS, Tesla ► Four-door body, battery power ► 300-mile range, four-wheel drive Porsche is busy preparing a battery-powered rival to the successful all-electric Tesla Model S - and CAR has details of this project, provisionally badged the Porsche 717. It’s being developed on the Volkswagen group’s latest MSB architecture under development for the Panamera Mk2 and the next Bentley Continental. If all goes according to plan, we can expect a sporty four-door, four-seater with clear 911 overtones, wrapped in a more compact footprint than a Panamera’s. Our artist’s impression above shows the kind of direction being explored by Porsche’s design department, according to our sources. Sounds like the 911 cookie cutter hasn’t run out yet… Porsche 717: a Tesla fighter from Stuttgart The sports car brand already offers two plug-in hybrid electric vehicles...

This is Porsche’s new 911 Turbo, with an enlarged and twin-turbocharged engine producing more power, plus the option of a twin-clutch gearbox that features proper gearshift paddles. What’s the new engine in this new Porsche 911 Turbo? Unbelievably, it’s the first entirely new engine in the 35-year history of the Turbo. Essentially it’s the same direct-injection 3.8-litre flat-six that you’ll find in regular 911s, but now fitted with variable geometry twin turbos to give a healthy 493bhp, a 20bhp increase over the current car. Porsche also claims CO2 emissions are down by around 18%, fuel consumption is improved, the 0-62mph time is cut to 3.4 seconds and the top speed is up two notches to 194mph. A six-speed manual is still standard, but for the first time the seven-speed double-clutch PDK gearbox is available. And the good news for enthusiasts is that although the counter-intuitive rocker switches are standard, customers can opt for proper steering whe...

Here's a special edition to slaver over: Porsche today announced plans to build a limited run of the new 911 Sport Classic. Inspired by the Carrera RS 2.7 in parts of its wardrobe, the 911 Sport Classic will be built in very limited numbers with just 250 cars planned. Perhaps on account of its price – it'll cost well over double the cost of a regular 911 Carrera S... The 911 Sport Classic is designed to showcase the bespoke skills of Porsche Exclusive, Stuttgart's do-anything-for-anyone personalisation division. It has added the new double-bubble roof to the wide-body Carrera S bodyshell, and that ducktail rear spoiler archly echoes the 1973 RS 2.7's iconic rump. What about the tech changes on the 911 Sport Classic? It's a rear-drive Carrera S foundation, so you get the regular 3.8-litre direct-injection flat six – but fettled some. There's a new resonance intake manifold with six vacuum-controlled switching flaps – enough to raise power by 23bhp for a 408bhp...

This is the new Porsche Boxster Spyder and, as the arrival of any new Porsche tends to be a polarising event, you’ll either be sighing in disgust or yelping in delight. The bare facts? This Boxster Spyder is Porsche’s lightest and quickest current-gen roadster yet thanks to the folding roof being junked. The Spyder will be unveiled at the LA Auto Show in December 2009, and it’s not a run-out limited edition like previous Spyder-tagged Boxsters, but the third (and most expensive) permanent addition to the roadster range. So the new Porsche Boxster Spyder doesn’t have a convertible roof? Well it does. Sort of. To create the Spyder Porsche has binned the folding roof and all its associated mechanics, and in its place comes a bit of cloth that attaches to the windscreen and hooks onto the new rear deck. Even with the side windows up and the glass wind deflector in place, there’ll still be a few gaps letting the wind in. It’s only meant for low-speed dr...

Porsche will show off the new supersized, beefcake 911 Turbo S at the  2010 Geneva motor show. It’s the 911 Turbo aimed at that greedy niche who think the standard car isn’t fast enough. Which presumably consists of one Herr Rohrl. We’ve never for one moment thought the regular 911 Turbo was shy of a few ponies, but someone in Stuttgart obviously thinks so. Hence the new Turbo S model, sporting a faintly ludicrous 523bhp and 516lb ft of torque. Thank goodness for four-wheel drive, we say. Does Porsche always build a 911 Turbo S? They have done in recent years. There’s a small band of buyers for whom having the top car is everything, and Porsche has serviced this niche in 1998 and 2004. The extra power comes from the regular 911 Turbo’s pair of variable geometry turbos, cranked up to 11. The Turbo S is available only with the seven-speed PDK twin-clutch ’box and 19in RS Spyder wheels. Considering the extra oomph on tap, combined economy of 24...

You’re looking at the new Porsche 911 GT2 RS, not just the most powerful 911 that Porsche has ever built, but the company's most powerful road car period. The output from the GT2 RS’s twin-turbo flat six? 611bhp – 88bhp more than before. And as the new GT2 RS – there will be no ‘regular’ GT2 version – weighs 70kg less than its predecessor, that wholesome 611bhp provides this rear-engined monster will a stunning 446bhp/tonne. 611bhp? This new Porsche 911 GT2 RS must be pretty quick then? Oh yes, though the lack of four-wheel drive does limit its 0-62mph time – it can only manage a paltry 3.5 seconds, versus the 3.3sec that a Turbo S will knock out. However, time the GT2 RS from standstill to 124mph and it’ll get there in 9.8 seconds, a whole second quicker than the 523bhp Turbo S. And if you’re interested in your 0-186mph times, the GT2 RS records 28.9 seconds. Of course, you’ll need to be pretty handy to set those time...

Further evidence of Porsche market saturation: the new Porsche 911 Speedster, announced today ahead of its debut at the 2010 Paris motor show. Porsche has dabbled with speedsters before, of course. Most notably with the 356 - and Stuttgart's playing homage to that car with the new 2010 911 Speedster. Only 356 will be built worldwide and you might understand why when you see the £144,100 price tag. UK deliveries start in January 2011. ; How have they created the 911 Speedster? By chopping 60mm off the windscreen of a wide-bodied Carrera 4 bodyshell; that stubby window now in place is angled back. There's a manual canvas roof complete with double-bubble hard top. It's not just a Californian poser, insists Porsche. The Speedster comes with a limited slip diff and an engine developing some 20bhp more than standard. So how quick is the new 911 Speedster? It'll be plenty fast enough. The 3.8-litre flat six from the regular Carrera S develops a stronger 402bhp and 310l...

This is the new 2010 Porsche Cayman R, the lightest and most powerful version yet of Stuttgart’s mid-engined sports car, and the closest it’s ever been allowed to get to the hallowed 911. How much more powerful is the new 2010 Porsche Cayman R? Over and above the Cayman S, the Cayman R has a mere 10bhp more, taking the total to 325bhp – the torque figure is unchanged at 272lb ft. Much more impressive (and important) are the weight reductions: the Cayman R is 55kg lighter than the Cayman S. The biggest weight savings come from the carbonfibre bucket seats, but there are also lightweight aluminium doors from the GT3, a smaller fuel tank, and Spyder wheels (the lightest set of 19in alloys that Porsche makes) that trim 5kg. The Cayman R's interior is also stripped out, with no air-con, no radio, and the fabric doors pulls from Porsche’s RS models, plus an Alcantara steering wheel. It's positively bare in here. So the new Cayman R is quick, right? The 0-62mph ti...

This is the latest Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, the 2011 version of the famed German sports car company’s range-topping GT racer. So what’s new about the new Porsche 911 GT3 RS? The 911 GT3 RSR’s 4.0-litre flat-six engine now produces 449bhp (five whole horses more than the 2010 version) thanks to ECU tweaks, a redesigned exhaust system and a modified air intake housing. Maximum engine revs are a stratospheric 9400rpm, of course it’s rear-wheel drive, and the gearbox is a six-speed sequential unit. Porsche has also treated the GT3 RSR to aerodynamic changes. The new front spoiler means extra downforce, and there have also been tweaks to the position of the rear wing and the shape of its mountings, plus the rear bodywork. Wider (up by a inch to 12in) front tyres are said to reduce understeer and provide extra grip. The 911 GT3 RSR may tip the scales at just 1220kg, but it’s your pocket that’ll feel the weight – you can order one now for €410,00...

Another week, and rather than just another Porsche, it’s another Black Edition Porsche special – this is the Porsche Boxster S Black Edition. There’s more power and more standard kit, but the price is higher too. Just 987 will ever be built, in a nod to Porsche’s internal numerical designation for the Boxster. So what’s new on the new Porsche Boxster S Black Edition? Let’s start with the mid-mounted engine, which is upgraded to Boxster Spyder-spec with an extra 10bhp and 7lb ft, taking the totals of the 3.4-litre flat six to 316bhp at 7200rpm and 273lb ft at 4750rpm. Combined with the standard-fit six-speed manual, the extra power knocks a tenth off the 0-62mph time – down to 5.2secs – but apparently doesn’t affect the fuel consumption. Exterior tweaks include black paint, a black set of the Boxster Spyder’s lightweight 19in alloys, black 'Boxster S' lettering on the rear luggage compartment lid, 'Black Edition' script on th...

Two of 2010’s most exciting cars were the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid racer, and the Porsche 918 Spyder concept car that previewed Porsche’s hybrid successor to the Carrera GT supercar. What do you get when you mix the two together? Answer: the new Porsche 918 RSR, just unveiled at the 2011 Detroit motor show. So the new Porsche 918 RSR is a race version of the Porsche 918 Spyder concept? It’s not a simple case of sticking on a set of slicks and a big wing though: the conventional hybrid system of the 918 Spyder doesn’t work with racing, so it’s been abandoned for the GT3 R Hybrid’s flywheel set-up. Outgoes the rear-mounted lithium-ion battery pack and electric motor that allowed zero emissions running – and for the concept to squeak through official emissions testing with a super-clean 70g/km. The 918 RSR still has two nose-mounted electric motors like the 918 Spyder, each driving a front wheel, but these are now linked to the flywheel set-up....

Porsche recently rolled out the first of three Boxster E electric vehicles, to take part in the 'Electromobility Region Stuttgart' local government initiative in Germany. Porsche Boxster E: the battery-powered Boxster prototypes The Boxster E is powered by two electric motors, capable of a peak power output of 180kW. Energy is stored in a 29kWh battery pack. So is Porsche taking on Tesla in the EV sports car market? Not with the Boxster E. Three electric Boxsters are being built as part of a programme sponsored by the Baden-Wurttemberg state government (Porsche's home state in Germany) and WRS, the Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation. Porsche's hometown of Stuttgart is one of eight model regions participating in a federal pilot programme sponsored by the Minitsry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs to develop EVs and their supporting infrastructure. The electric Boxster: a rolling test lab The three Boxster E prototypes will take part in the pr...

Porsche has released details of its updated 911 GT3 R Hybrid – the 2010 original nearly won last year's Nurburgring 24hr race before (ironically) it retired with petrol engine failure. The 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid – the lowdown Before this report disappears in a chorus of ‘it looks the same as last year’s one’, let's outline where Porsche’s engineers have been busy. At the unfashionable end of the car remains a 4.0-litre flat-six engine producing approximately 470bhp. Up front are twin electric motors, now producing 75kW of power each (up from 60kW) and combined these give the GT3 R Hybrid a 197bhp electric boost, which can be programmed to activate automatically via the throttle pedal, or manually selected during overtaking. F1-derived hybrid tech for the 911 GT3 R Hybrid Power for the two electric motors doesn't come from batteries, but flywheel accumulator technology from Williams Hybrid Power, an offshoot of the Williams Formula 1 team. T...

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 191mp...

This is the new Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0, a 493bhp race car for the road. Think of it as the ultimate 911 – it brings together the brilliant chassis of the GT3 RS, the lightweight secrets learnt on the GT2 RS, and the stonking 4.0-litre six cylinder engine that powers the GT3 RSR racer. This Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 sounds like quite a package… It is, and topping the list of impressive highlights is a new 4.0-litre flat-six engine. The 102.7mm bore remains the same as the GT3 RS’s 3.8-litre engine, but to create the new 4.0 it's been stroked out from 3797cc to 3996cc. Essentially it’s the horizontally opposed engine you’ll find in the 911 GT3 RSR racer, and this new RS 4.0 uses exactly the same crankshaft that you’ll find in Porsche’s customer race car. The pistons are forged too, and the conrods are made from titanium. The result is the biggest ever engine found in a factory-approved 911, and one the most powerful naturally aspirated engines on ...

Worried that Porsche's stripped-out Cayman R is a little too hardcore, but still want its power increase and don't want to pay extra for air-con? Then you want the latest special edition Porsche, the Cayman S Black Edition. Porsche Cayman S Black Edition: the performance mods Limited to 500 copies worldwide, the Black Edition features a range of minor tweaks beyond its dark paint, and top of the list is a tiny 9bhp increase to a Cayman R-matching 326bhp. The torque figure remains unchanged (at 273lb ft), but the 0-62mph time improves one-tenth to 5.1 secs, to sit neatly between the 5.2secs of the Cayman S and the 5.0secs of the Cayman R. Spec the optional PDK dual-clutch transmission and that'll drop to five seconds dead, and the extra-cost PDK Sport Chrono Package takes a further 0.2secs off the total. Top speed raises by a sarcasm-inducing 1mph, to 173mph for the manual, and 172mph for the PDK edition. Fuel consumption and CO2 figures are unaffected by the Porsche Cayma...