News - page 48

Earlier this week, Porsche issued a press release about an upcoming top-end Panamera variant that set a new Nürburgring record. At the time, the German automaker did not reveal the specific trim that climbed to the top spot in the Executive cars class with combustion engines and hybrid powertrains. Porsche simply referred to it as the ’Panamera Top-Model’. But just a few hours back, a new video of the record-setting lap went live on Porsche’s social channels, confirming the record-setting model as the 2025 Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid alongside the announcement of the Panamera GTS. Test driver Lars Kern, a veteran of the Nordschleife set a new record with a time of 7:24.172, beating the outgoing model generation’s time by 5.64 seconds. Back in July 2020, Kern set a time of 7:29.81 minutes in the Panamera Turbo S, but later that year in November, the Mercedes AMG GT 63 S 4Matic+ managed to beat that record with a time of 7:27.800.

Porsche and toy maker LEGO, have had a long and fruitful relationship for many years. The LEGO Technic versions of Porsche’s best models are incredibly life-like and have become collector’s items that have adorned many a desk. In the past, they have collaborated to create the LEGO Model 911 GT3 RS, which is made up of more than 2,700 parts. This year, both brands are collaborating to host the Porsche 4Kids Summer Program, at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. This year LEGO has developed a new Technic model of the Porsche GT4 ePerformance which will be the focus of the program this year.

I’m a sucker for anything with a Porsche crest on it and Porsche Design (PD) has always understood how to blend performance with pure, unadulterated style. Their design philosophy also extends to two wheels. I’m talking about E-Bikes that Porsche Design added to its product lineup in 2021. Regular E-bikes these days are about as exciting as a grocery-getter. But Porsche? They simply don’t do boring. A result of a partnership between Porsche and Rotwild, these E-bikes offer a premium riding experience and draw inspiration from iconic Porsche models like the 911 and the futuristic Taycan E.V. If you’re a Porsche fanatic, their range of E-bikes is a cool way to break a sweat, and now they’re kicking things up a notch with some new colorways and a smartwatch collab that’ll make any Porschephile drool.

Porsche is adding two more variants of the Macan EV to its line-up. Joining the Macan 4 and the Turbo announced back in January 2024, are the base RWD Macan and the 4S, which will fit between the Macan 4 and the top-of-the-line Turbo variant. The entry-level RWD version is powered by a single motor borrowed from its dual-motor siblings mounted over the rear axle. The base version also uses the same capacity battery as the rest of the line-up, a 100 kWh battery of which 95 kWh is usable. This single-motor set produces 335 horsepower and 415 foot-pounds of torque. You can boost the output to 355 briefly using launch control. The base Macan has a top speed of 137 MPH and a 0-60 time of 5.4 seconds. The base Macan is lighter by 242 pounds thanks to only having one motor, this also translates to a WLTP range of up to 398 miles.

AutoTopNL’s YouTube channel is known for high-speed P.O.V. driving videos and reviews of some of the fastest cars on the planet. Fortunately for them and their subscribers, channel founders Max and Martijn are based right on the border with Germany, the land of the Autobahn. Their most recent video features a 2001 RTurbo 550 by renowned German Tuner, Ruf Automobile. According to official figures, the 550 can hit a top speed of 218 MPH, which is not too shabby for a car that is 23 years old. Find out this fares when you show it a section of the infamous German autobahn.

The Porsche 911 is one of the most iconic and recognizable and iconic sports cars of all time, and within this decade it will be an EV. However, Porsche has also claimed it will be the last of their models to be electrified. After the Macan EV, the next models to embrace electrification in the next two years will be the Boxster and the Cayman. The German brand is doubling down on its commitment to the electrified future, as evident with the discontinuation of several ICE models in Europe, including the Macan, Boxster, and Cayman. According to Porsche CEO Oliver Blume, the brand already has received 10,000 orders for the Macan EV which will be released in the second half of 2024.

The Porsche 911 Dakar nameplate was revived in 2022 as an homage to the legendary 911 953 rally car that was victorious in the Paris to Dakar rally in 1984. Based on the 992.1 Carrera 4 GTS, the modern reincarnation of the Dakar has been modified to venture off the pavement. Upgrades from the factory include an adaptive lifted suspension which gives it 6.3 inches of ground clearance (with an additional lift of 1.2 inches), chunkier Pirelli Scorpion All-Terrain Tires, and metal skid plates which help protect the underside on rough terrain. As for propulsion, the Dakar carries over the engine from the Carrera 4 GTS, a 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six making 473 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. The transmission of the Dakar is an 8-speed PDK automatic sending power to all four wheels.

Toyota is hard at work reviving iconic nameplates, and luckily for enthusiasts, this also extends to the brand’s sports cars. We have been hearing about Toyota MR-2’s return since 2019, but until a few months ago, we didn’t have any concise information. Reports from Japanese outlets were gradually revealing details about Toyota’s soon-to-be-revived, mid-engine sports car. In stark contrast to what we initially believed, the new MR-2 will not be a budget-friendly model, co-developed with Daihatsu and Suzuki. This turned out to be Toyota’s S-FR, which will also be sold as the new Suzuki Cappuccino and Daihatsu Copen and would compete with Mazda’s MX-5 Miata. This puts the MR-2 in a whole other league, and judging by the performance figures revealed, it would also likely be able to keep pace with most variants of the Porsche 718. Maybe even outperform it?

I am a firm believer that you cannot extract supercar performance from an SUV. Maybe in terms of straight-line acceleration, but not when it comes to cornering. Apparently, I am wrong since Nurburg’s resident YouTuber/ test driver and Norschleife dweller, Misha Charoudin recently published a video with a very exclusive Porsche Cayenne. The SUV in question, is the 2024 Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT, but it is not the Euro-spec variant, you might expect. Instead, a viewer from Mexico imported the range-topping version of Porsche’s performance SUV, as it is sold on the Mexican market, for and naturally, he had to visit one of the most iconic racetracks for a couple of laps. Porsche has proven over and over again its performance models can take the physics rulebook and throw it out of the window. This spiced-up Cayenne Turbo GT is no exception. Here’s what makes this one special.

Believe it or not, the all-electric Taycan Turbo GT holds the prodigious title of the "most powerful road-going Porsche ever". This 4-door road missile combines a 1019 horsepower powertrain with sharp handling, giving it an edge over its EV competition. When optioned with the Weissach package, the Taycan Turbo GT can hit 0-60 MPH in 2.3 seconds and achieve a top speed of 190 MPH. All that power from the Taycan’s dual motors is channeled through a 2-speed direct-drive transmission to all four wheels. The GT4 RS is a track fiend with the same engine that powers the 911 GT3, albeit detuned a little to make 493 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of Torque. Interestingly the same engine produces 502 horsepower and 346 pound-feet of Torque in the 911 GT3. This flat-six engine sits in the middle of the car and directs all its power through a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission to the rear wheels.

In a recent interview with YouTuber Jack from Savagegeese, the lead product manager for the Porsche 992.2 911 Carrera GTS and base models - Clen, took the opportunity to discuss the car’s T-Hybrid system. Diving into the technical aspects, Clen identified the T-hybrid turbo setup as the most complex feature of the car. Their goal with this system was to create something that captured the essence of hybrid performance without the traditional weight burden of a typical hybrid. Achieving consistent performance was obviously paramount, and Porsche collaborated closely with their Motorsports division, drawing inspiration from successful cars like the 919 Le Mans racer. This collaborative effort yielded a new breed of hybrid if you will, one that balances performance with efficiency,

For five generations, the Prelude was one of Honda’s most technologically advanced models, known for its agile handling and performance features from the 1970s through to the ’90s. Now, after more than two decades, the iconic nameplate is making a comeback, in a brand new avatar with a new hybrid heart. However, the web is abuzz owing to some of the design choices that Honda has made with its upcoming sports car. The front end appears to have borrowed cues from the new Toyota Prius and Crown. Looking at the rear, things once again look oddly familiar. The tail-end of the sixth-gen Prelude features a narrow light bar and strategically placed model and brand name, that appears to come straight from Porsche’s design studio. But why did Honda make these design choices when they had the opportunity to start from a clean slate?