Spy shots

While the sales of EVs have experienced a slowdown in recent times, automakers continue to develop products until the market catches up. In the meantime, I’m curious to see how a brand like Porsche adopts to these challenges particularly when its facing competition not just in China (they shut nearly 29% of dealerships in 2024), but also in key markets like the United States and also in its home turf, once again from a looming threat of Chinese EVs.

So here we are again with yet another leak of the 992.2 Turbo. This time, it’s a schematic from an instruction booklet. If you’ve been following along, you’ll know we’ve already uncovered a few juicy details from Porsche’s own configurator a while back, but this latest discovery sheds a bit more light on what Porsche has been quietly cooking up for the 992.2 Turbo, that is soon set to take the hybrid route. Now, I’ll admit, that the hybridization of the Turbo is a rather divisive turn of events. It’s not the sort of thing that will get everyone clapping politely. But regardless, let’s delve into what we actually know.

While EV hypercars haven’t exactly lit the market on fire (I’m looking at you Rimac Nevera), EV sports cars might just be the category to watch out for. Think about it, Porsche is grappling with supply chain issues for its upcoming 718 EV, and the 911 EV is still some time away. Meanwhile, Tesla’s Roadster seems like a distant dream at this point. But China? China is eating everyone’s lunch. Now, I’ve ridiculed some of their past creations for being copycats but having driven a Chinese EV myself I have to admit, that the Asian giant has come a long way not just in terms of coming up with some truly unique and original products, but also in terms of innovating across all verticals of its domestic auto market.

One by one, the 992.2 lineup is being rolled out. This generation marks huge changes for Porsche’s iconic sports car as it brought us the first 911 powered by a hybrid powertrain. While the 911 won’t go fully electric anytime soon (if ever), some of the more high-performance 911 variants will not live on without experiencing big changes. When it comes to normally aspirated Porsche 911s, the GT3 RS sits at the top of the food chain as the most track-focused model of the bunch.

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.

Porsche has been churning out facelifted 911s this year faster than you can say “mid-life crisis.” This year, we’ve already seen the base 992.2 Carrera, the mental GTS, the stripped-down T, and even the track-focused GT3. But the real storm’s brewing on the horizon and the one that I’m most excited about is the Turbo lineup. Now, thanks to a leak on Porsche’s own configurator from its German site (talk about a spy’s paradise!), we’ve got a glimpse of the upcoming Turbo for the first time. It’s not much, just a rear-end shot from a video showcasing the cruise control system, but it is enough to get the rumor mill churning once again.

There’s a special kind of anticipation that comes with a new Porsche 911 Turbo S. While the modern-day Turbo models may not have the visceral soundtrack of a naturally aspirated mill; combining luxury, and performance with everyday usability, is a formula that Porsche has refined since the 1974 original, and the German automaker celebrated 50 years of the Turbo this year.

The wait is finally over! We’ve been poring over those blurry spy shots for months now, speculating on the finer points of the new 992.2 Porsche 911 GT3. But the guessing game is officially done. Mark your calendars for October 18th, because that’s when Porsche throws the digital confetti and unveils the next chapter of the brand’s naturally-aspirated story in all its glory.

If you’ve been keeping tabs and following the story on the upcoming all-electric Boxster, by this point, you’ve already seen extensive coverage of camouflaged prototypes on tests. They’ve been spotted across a number of locations from the Nürburging in Germany, and winter weather runs up in the Arctic circle to more recently, the streets of San Fransisco. But have you ever wondered what lies under the heavy cladding of the 718 EV? Well, a rendering based on the spy shots we’ve seen so far, could be a great way to decipher these details and that’s exactly what we have here.

Spy shots of the upcoming all-electric 718 Porsche Boxster EV (983) are nothing around, and we’ve seen test mules doing the rounds around the Nordschleife and down in the Alps for a while now. However, with the launch date closing in, I felt now would be a good time to take a closer look and do a run-down about everything that we can see on the car, with the help of some close-up shots from Instagrammar and spy shot photographer: Stéphan Barral.

A Porsche 911 that bears an uncanny resemblance to the rare 993 GT1 has sent shockwaves through the automotive world. Spotted at Los Angeles airport, the car’s identity remains shrouded in mystery. Is it a one-off Porsche project or a custom build by a tuning house? Speculation is rife, with names like Singer, Ruf, MP Gemballa, RML, and Unofficial Machines tossed into the mix. However, the most compelling evidence points towards Tuthill Porsche, a British firm renowned for its work on classic 911s.

The latest spy shots of the upcoming 2026 911 GT3 and Touring models are out and we have some juicy details to share. But to understand a bit more about the upcoming model, we need to look back at the 991 generation GT3 first. The last time that the .1 Gen to .2 Gen upgrade happened on the GT3, was back in 2017 after a three-year gap. The 991.2 received a bigger 4.0-liter engine derived from the Porsche 911 GT3 R and Cup racing cars with an output of 500 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque. There were a lot of redesigned and tweaked bits to make it aerodynamically better, increasing downforce by 20% with no compromise on drag. But, the most endearing thing Porsche did was listen to their customer base and bring back the manual transmission as an option. You could also opt for the lightning-quick PDK, both systems sending power to the rear wheels. As seen on the 991 generation, given that it’s three years since the 992.1 GT3 came out, the timing for a .2 GT3 seems imminent.

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.

In a recent video, Porsche aficionado and YouTuber ARC Driver dove headfirst into a potential mystery courtesy of Porsche themselves. While configuring a 911 on the Porsche website, ARC stumbled upon an image that piqued his interest. Initially appearing as a standard 911 silhouette, a closer look revealed some intriguing details. Wider rear fenders, a prominent turbo intake, and a unique ducktail spoiler whispered "New car alert." Unlike the rest of the blacked-out silhouette, the entire spoiler was rendered in grey, fuelling speculation of a deliberate hint from Porsche.

Manthey Racing was recently spied yet again testing their GT3 RS MR Prototype at the Nurburgring. The prototype has been wrapped in monochromatic camo this time around, but we can discern that the Manthey Racing team has worked their aerodynamic magic on this GT3. For starters, the rear wing looks like it belongs on an airplane, composed of a large fin, attached to where the rear windshield used to be. YouTuber Arc Driver recently dropped a video taking us through a detailed breakdown of all the modifications to the MR Prototype. Manthey Racing is known for Porsche-centric body kits and their in-house race team. Incidentally, the team recently claimed victory in the LM GT3 Category at Le Mans, and they did so in the Porsche GT3R Racecar.

Hot on the heels of the Macan EV, two test mules of the all-electric Cayenne were spotted testing in the Alps under heavy camouflage. Following the Taycan and the Macan, the Cayenne will be Porsche’s third EV. Now an electrified Cayenne has existed since 2010 in the form of an e-Hybrid variant, but this upcoming Cayenne will be the first to go all-electric. The Cayenne of course is one of the models that saved the Porsche brand and took the performance SUV mainstream. With the brand set to electrify 80% of its model lineup which also includes the 911 by 2030, it comes as no surprise that the German automaker is expediting the electrification of its best-selling models, the Macan and the Cayenne.

Spyshot photographers in Germany recently spotted the next-generation Porsche 911 Turbo going around the legendary Nürburgring. Porsche recently revealed a refreshed 911 (992.2), introducing the first-ever hybrid 911, the Carrera GTS, with a new 3.6L single-turbo engine. Specifications for the base Carrera and Carrera GTS were confirmed, but details on higher-performance models remain shrouded in mystery. The prototype spotted is the 992.2 Turbo, featuring the active rear spoiler instead of a traditional wing. This, combined with the camouflaged air intakes, bumpers, and rear haunches, suggests significant exterior changes are in store.