2025 - page 108

With its hair-raising corners, elevation changes, and blistering speeds, the 13-mile Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany also known as the "Green Hell," has been the ultimate test track for any performance car. For decades, European automakers like Porsche, Mercedes, and Ferrari have dominated at what is considered the world’s most demanding race track. Cracking a sub-seven-minute lap time here is truly a badge of honor. For nearly 100 years, no American manufacturer has achieved this feat. However, all this changes with the 2025 Ford Mustang GTD’s, official Nürburgring lap time of 6:57, putting this pony car in the league of elite-performance cars. Now while MotorHeads.com is all about Porsche, Ford’s record is of significance, as it was attempted in Porsche’s own backyard.

The 992.2-generation Porsche 911 GT3 and GT3 Touring were officially unveiled a month ago. Both models are available on the Porsche configurator to spec as you see fit. If you are a track enthusiast then the 911 GT3 would be the logical choice, with its aggressive aero kit, providing plenty of downforce. But if you want the GT3’s legendary, normally-aspirated flat-six that revs to 9,000 RPM, without the crazy aero, the more civil GT3 Touring would be more your cup of tea.

With 2025 around the corner, Porsche finds itself in a bit of a pickle. Their lofty plan of 80% of sales to come from EVs by 2030 seemed a tad bit too ambitious. The lukewarm reception to electric vehicles, particularly in key markets like the U.S. and parts of Asia has forced a re-evaluation of strategy at Stuttgart. I mean just look at sales of the all-electric Taycan sedan for example, which still isn’t seeing much demand even after the recent 2024 facelift. Also, things like range anxiety, charging infrastructure woes, and the lack of soul in many EVs have conspired to dampen the enthusiasm amongst the wider public. While I applaud Porsche’s initial goals, it’s clear that the EV market isn’t quite ready to fully embrace the electric future.

Just after a month of taking the wraps of the 992.2 GT3 and GT3 Touring, the online configurator for both models is now live. While there is frankly an exhaustive amount of permutations and combinations possible, I wanted to take a look at some of the most expensive options available. The optional Weissach Package in particular, which is all about shaving off precious pounds and hopefully milliseconds on the race track is of interest to me, as it is the first time that Porsche is offering it for the GT3. Strangely enough, it is not the most expensive option that I could find.

Coupe SUVs went mainstream since the X6 kickstarted this trend in 2008. Since then, many automakers have joined the Coupe-SUV bandwagon such as Audi with the RSQ8, Lamborghini with the Urus, and even Porsche with the Cayenne Coupe. In the ballpark of 100 grand, I wanted to see how the latest BMW X6 M60i, (which by the way is the mid-spec model) stacks up against the Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid Coupe for the 2025 model year. (second base)

Normally, when we think of reimagined or resto-modded classic 911s, the work of Singer is probably the first to come to mind. Of course, there are others like Theon, Gunther Werks, Kalmar Automotive, and so many more. Then, there’s Erbacher – an outfit based out of Dornach, Switzerland, dedicated to making its own epic iteration of the often-reimagined Porsche 964.

Catering solely to car enthusiasts may seem like the best way for a company to go bankrupt unless you are Porsche that is. The German carmaker has realized people still want gasoline-powered models and the declining demand for EVs has inadvertently forced Porsche to make some strategic changes and adjustments, that have been widely welcomed by some of the brand’s biggest fans. By now, everybody has heard of how many automakers originally planned to electrify most of their lineup by 2030, with some even planning a full transition to EVs. Porsche meanwhile has now taken a slightly more flexible stance due to a slowdown in demand for electric cars, and it appears that we will continue to get some interesting ICE-powered models. However, this may come with a few sacrifices, as you’re about to find out.

The 992.2 update for the Porsche 911 is an interesting case. On the one hand, we got the first-ever production hybrid 911 with the GTS earlier this year, but on the other, for the first time, we didn’t get a power bump on the track-focused GT3 model. The 992.2 lineup is slowly being updated as new 911 variants are coming out, and with the GT3 and GT3 Touring models being introduced on 18 October, we know the 992.2 GT3 RS should be around the corner. The most track-focused, normally-aspirated 911 will undoubtedly feature slightly more power out of its signature 4.0-liter flax-six. But what if you don’t want to wait? If you already have a 992.1 GT3 RS (or if you are considering one), Porsche Super Cup racing veteran and tuner, Manthey Racing based at the Nürburging has a solution for you. The company’s kit will take your 992.1 GT3 RS and infuse it with much-needed chassis and aerodynamic enhancements, which could make the 992.2 GT3 RS look like an unnecessary upgrade.

Between trying to stick to the 2030 electrification plans and keeping the internal combustion engine alive, Porsche has made some weird decisions of late. EV demand has decreased, prompting a few strategy changes from the German automaker. The all-electric Taycan in particular was affected by this market shift, as the performance EV went from being one of the most popular Porsche models to now suffering declining sales. Global Taycan sales have dropped by almost 50 percent during the first nine months of 2024 and this makes me draw parallels with another Porsche model from the 1980s that started out strong but ended up being axed due to slow sales. The 928 suffered a similar fate during the second half of its production cycle. Porsche had big plans for the 928 and its derivatives, which never saw production. All this begs the question: is the writing on the wall for the Porsche Taycan EV? There is more to suggest that this is the case and I am going to share all we know so far.

The Porsche 911 spans eight generations and counting. On paper, the latest 992 is measurably superior to every 911 generation, but just like the controversial water-cooled 996, it also brings a lot of innovation, perhaps too much for the Porsche purists. The 992-generation Porsche 911 is also the largest, heaviest model of the iconic, rear-engine sports car. This is frowned upon by some enthusiasts, especially those fond of the much lighter 997 and 991 that came before it. The 992.2 update brought with it the first hybrid Porsche 911 and it seems impressive, given that the mid-range GTS model is now about as capable as the range-topping 992.1 Turbo/ Turbo S variants thanks to the electric assist from the new T-Hybrid system. But what about the noise? How has this revolutionary bit of tech impacted the sound profile of the Hybridized 911? Does the all-new 3.6-liter mill sound better than the 3.0 unit found in the 992.1 GTS? Well, I did some digging on YouTube and Reddit, and here’s what I found.

Porsche pulled off a real surprise move when they showed off the Macan EV in January 2024. While this new all-electric Macan is inevitably the future and is here to stay, for the time being at least, instead of ditching the old gas-guzzler, the German automaker has decided to keep it around (until 2026)! This is a great strategy, given how the EV market has cooled off lately. The Macan after all is consistently one of Porsche’s best-selling models.

The Porsche 911 is now in its eighth generation and with the introduction of the GTS, GT3, and more recent Carrera T, we can say that the rollout of the Dot 2 models is well underway. With every subsequent generation, you’ll find the Porsche has continued to evolve the 911 lineup to include a vast number of trims ensuring there’s every flavor of 911 available for a wide demographic. In the 991 generation, for example, you had 35 different variations of the 911, and don’t even get me started on the body styles. Anyway, some of the most stand-out or well-known trims include the likes of the Carrera, Turbo, and GT models. The Turbo nameplate celebrates 50 years in 2024, while the GT3 celebrates 25. So quite a momentous year for Porsche then.