2024 - page 84

When it comes to reimagining and modifying Porsche cars, there is no shortage of great names that specialize in the art of making the German company’s performance models even more capable than they already are. Such treatment is not limited only to the Porsche 911 and 718 models though. The German company, Friedrich Performance Manufaktur (FPM) offers performance-enhancing treatment for all Porsche models, and one of its latest kits is dedicated to making the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT faster than the latest, most powerful 911 we have. Of course, the 992.2 update is about to bring even more radical variants of the iconic, rear-engine sports car, but the Friedrich Performance package for the Cayenne GT gives it a 36-percent bump in power with a bit of extra torque. As you may expect, the numbers are impressive, but even more surprising is how little it takes to unleash that extra power from the Porsche SUV.

Unfortunate circumstances are just as likely to hit cars as they are people and I recently stumbled upon one such build on the web and this one is bound to raise a few eyebrows, among the classic Porsche 911 community. Air-cooled Porsches are one of those things that are considered art. Altering any aspect of them is the automotive equivalent of blasphemy. Unless, of course, you are Singer, Tuthill, or one of the other names, dealing in reimagined 911s. Essentially, what you are looking at is a Frankenstein of a car. It started as a 1976 model that was turned into a race car, and eventually, thanks to a landslide, it required a powertrain transplant. Chris Ashton from Ruffian Cars is the man behind the crazy Porsche 911 race car, and what he had to say about this build and how it um... evolved, was quite the story. More importantly, the Tesla powertrain is not where the madness of this classic 911 build ends. This also raises the question - is it better to let something die or save it through unconventional methods?

Regardless of the generation, beyond the 911 Turbo models, the GT range is the next natural step. These track-bred cars have continued to evolve since the late 90s and early 2000s with the introduction of even more hard-core models with the likes of the GT3 RS and GT2. Given how most of these track-bred cars are limited-run models, they tend to command a premium over your average run-of-the-mill Carreras. I was curious to see how the GT3 market in particular has been faring over the past few years, given the wild ride we had with regard to pricing, through the pandemic, and here’s what I found.

Sharing production costs between models is not uncommon in the modern-day automotive industry. It seems even Porsche’s iconic sports cars are no exception and the Porsche 981 and 991 models are a perfect example. The 911 doesn’t need an introduction as it has been Porsche’s flagship sports car since 1964, after succeeding the 356 - Porsche’s first sports car, since the company officially became a brand. That said, Porsche’s financial troubles from the 1990s, prompted the company to give us a budget-friendly model. In came the 986 Boxster, and it immediately became clear it was a cut-price, mid-engine 911, minus the rear seats. This was not the last time Porsche did this. Australian YouTuber and Porsche aficionado, Jeff Richardson took a deep dive into the 981 and 991 Porsche models to examine how much they have in common. He also bought a flooded 981 Boxster solely to dismantle it. One thing became clear to him – the extent of the similarities between the 911 and Boxster/Cayman is a lot more than you initially may have thought, and it doesn’t stop with these two models.

If you’ve ever wondered how a classic car would fare around one of the most iconic racetracks in the world, driving instructor and local Nürburgring dweller/ YouTuber, Misha Charoudin gave us an answer, through a video he shot in what started life as a 1972 Porsche 911 T/S. There is no shortage of reimagined, restored, or resto-modded classic Porsches these days, but this one seems to be ticking all the right boxes. You wouldn’t be able to tell at first glance, but the car has been tastefully done up. I suppose that’s the proper way to know if a car has been modified properly when it looks bone stock. Under the hood lies the most pleasant of surprises, thanks to which the classic 911 now packs substantially more power. The engine is also much larger than the original 2.3-liter Carrera S mill. In a way, this is the Porsche 911 equivalent of a muscle car, and this particular example started life as a race car, according to the owner.

The 911 Turbo S may not be one of the world’s most beautiful cars, but it does have a timeless appeal, and if you are lucky enough to have one in your garage, you probably spend a lot of time just admiring it. However, if you ever feel like Porsche’s vibrant PTS colors do not offer the individuality you are looking for, this is where TopCar design’s Stinger GTR comes into the picture. TopCar Design has always been about pushing the boundaries when it comes to crafting custom Porsche body kits and the Stinger GTR is a spectacular manifestation of their unique creative process.

Porsche has a long history of rallying, and its lineage includes models like the iconic Porsche 953 – the original 911 Dakar. For the 992 generation, the German automaker decided to have another crack at the 911 Dakar formula. The rally-inspired 992 was produced in just 2,500 examples, and they are all sold out. That said, these 992 Dakar models started popping up on the auction sites for more than twice the original, $222,000 asking price. Most examples seen on classic.com cost north of $350k. But thankfully, there are plenty of alternatives to the Porsche 911 Dakar. It seems every other day we are getting an off-road version of the Porsche 911 from some company. Let’s suppose you are looking for something more affordable or closer to the original, 953 Dakar. In that case, there are a few companies out there, making fully-functional Porsche 911s that can easily tackle rough terrain while still being refined enough for daily use.

Since its inception back in 1964, the Porsche 911 has been going against the status quo. For over six decades, Porsche engineers have perfected the formula of putting the engine in the rear – a highly uncommon design decision among modern-day automakers. But back when the 911 was still a young name, the company wasn’t sure the rear-engine formula would work long-term. At one point, Porsche even considered replacing the 911 with the V8-powered 928, but that never happened. Porsche’s decision to keep the rear-engine 911 around, paid off as continues to deliver truly unique driving characteristics, for which the car is still praised today.

For many, the Porsche 911 is the ultimate sports car. Refined and versatile enough (in most of its variants) to be used on a daily basis, but also quick enough to put most exotic cars to shame. Every generation of the 911 gets its fair share of special editions. For the 992 generation, Porsche decided to bring back the Dakar monicker, originally used on the 1984 Porsche 953. That said, with only 2,500 examples of the modern-day Porsche 911 Dakar made, only the quickest and most resourceful of Porsche enthusiasts would have had the chance to get behind the wheel of the special 911 off-roader.

When we talk about open-top thrills in a sports car, the Boxster is, often, the first to come to mind. The mid-engine Porsche sports car first appeared in 1996 and was instrumental in pulling the German automaker out of financial trouble. Three generations later, the 718 Boxster remains a solid pick among open-top sports cars. The roadster’s balanced chassis and lightweight nature allow it to punch above its weight while offering one of the most unique driving experiences of any convertible. That said, the Porsche 718 Boxster is not the only great roadster out there. BMW’s latest iteration of the Z4 has been around since 2018, but it somehow isn’t talked about as much. One reason could be the rebirth of the Toyota Supra, which in its fifth generation is, essentially, a re-bodied Z4. After having the chance to experience both cars, we decided to see if the BMW Z4 is truly underrated and how it stacks up to the Porsche 718 Boxster.

There is an obvious hierarchy when it comes to V.A.G’s subsidiary companies. Both Porsche and Lamborghini are, brands recognized for their capable sports cars. That said, over the last two decades the two performance automakers have branched out into other formats. This is especially true for Porsche, which introduced its first SUV model – the Cayenne – way back in 2002. Lamborghini was late to the SUV bandwagon (unless you’re talking Rambo Lambo, a.k.a, the LM002), albeit not as late as its main rival, Ferrari. The Italian marque from Sant’Agata Bolognese introduced the Urus for the 2018 model year, and in 2024, it became a hybrid-only model.

The Porsche Cayenne is already a tech fest on wheels. The brand’s first SUV proved you can have off-road capabilities, luxury, and even performance, all in one package. Over two decades and three generations later, the Porsche Cayenne has evolved into an even sportier, more tech-heavy offering in the high-performance SUV segment. At the same time, Porsche engineers have done a bit of work on the chassis, to better distinguish the Cayenne from its siblings – like the Volkswagen Touareg, Audi Q7, Audi Q8, and Lamborghini Urus, which rely on, largely, the same hardware under the skin.