Strange cars - page 24

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.

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.

Some digital artists are content with basic flame paint jobs and slammed Civics. Then there’s Kyza, a.k.a Khyzl Saleem who has once again cooked up something that’ll have Porsche fanatics frothing at the mouth: a bonkers fusion of the legendary Porsche 935 Slantnose and the innovative and over-engineered Porsche 959 supercar.

As a scale model car collector, I continue to yearn to buy a miniature version of some of my favorite rides. So when I saw this go-kart, I knew I had to investigate. It is built by Little Roadsters and designed to resemble a 1970s Porsche 911 cabriolet in the style of a 3.0 Carrera RS. There’s something undeniably charming about driving around in a scaled-down version of a legendary vehicle. It’s like stepping into a time machine but without the time travel.

Porsche has a long tradition of participating in the annual Monterey Car Week. One of the biggest car events on the automotive calendar. It dates back to 1950 when it was held for the first time, as a supplementary event to the Pebble Beach Road Race. Like other automakers, Porsche’s iconic sports cars were an expected sight at the Monterey Car Week, and this year, we got to see a great number of highly original, reimagined, and downright crazy builds, based on Porsche’s greatest sports cars ever made.

There is no shortage of bizarre project cars and this one is definitely one of the more unusual ones. NazMaz OSR, a channel on YouTube that is dedicated to cars powered by rotary engines recently showcased a very interesting project. This is especially true for those lusting after the air-cooled 911 models. Don’t let the modernized looks fool you though. Underneath, this is an early-model classic 911. For whatever reason, the owner has decided to go to town and transform it into an epic "hybrid” between a Porsche 911 and Mazda RX-7. But that’s not everything. Jeffrey, the owner of this car, has also used parts from newer 911 models to update the classic, air-cooled sports car. Some of the engineering decisions behind the build are mind-boggling, and we try to make sense of what could possibly justify turning an early-model 911 into a rotary-powered race car for the road.

Jeremy Snow, who runs the ‘Electric Supercar channel’ on YouTube is all about, as you may have guessed from the name, EVs. Because Elon is taking his time with delivering the Roadster (seven years and counting), Jeremy built one for himself. He has previously also built a Hummer H1 EV. One of his latest project cars taking the EV route is a 2014 Porsche Cayman, which will soon be dubbed the GT-E.

Porsche prides itself on making some of the best-engineered road cars in the world. That said, electrification is becoming more wide-spread in the automotive industry and has even spread to the sports car segment. Many new high-performance models are hybrids and there are plenty of companies out there, already offering fully-electric performance cars. While Porsche is looking to prolong the life of the internal-combustion engine for as long as possible, the Geman brand’s strategy also involves electrifying 80 percent of its lineup by 2030. While this may not necessarily happen anytime soon, Porsche is about to give us its first EV sports car, in 2025.

Each Porsche 911 can be considered a timeless classic. Hardcore, classic Porsche enthusiasts will most desire the air-cooled 911 models, but sometimes, mixing old with new can be an exciting endeavor. The 911 is one of the most replicated and reimagined sports cars in the world, and while Porschephiles are extremely picky about what can and cannot be done to a 911, we believe they will get behind this super-clean build. It involves a very clean Porsche 964 Carrera that for some reason, has done away with its original, air-cooled flat-six engine. Fear not.

In 1977, Porsche gave us the 928 – a more luxurious take on the German sports cars. Just two years later, at the 1979 Frankfurt Motor Show, the audience saw a Porsche 928 Targa. However, it wasn’t Porsche that made it. Sure. The German carmaker made the donor car required for the conversion, but the Porsche 928 Targa was conceived by Rainer Buchmann. The Porsche 928 was more of a comfortable cruiser that could double as a sports car, instead of the 911’s all-out performance car characteristics.

The Porsche 911 is a perfect representation of the classic sports car. The rear-engine model has been continuously evolving since its inception in 1964, and its lineage is easily traceable through its classic design. That said, under the pressure of increased safety and more modern tech, each new generation has become bigger and heavier. The 911 is no exception as the 992 generation is a far cry from the original models, barely touching 2,300 pounds. This is a follow-up to a recent interview with Porsche design boss, Michael Mauer where he talked about the possibility of a more compact 911 and a potential 911 E.V. We decided to envision a hypothetical, smaller variant of the Porsche 911 and take a look at how possible it is, and whether this will open the door for a fully-electric 911. Can the Porsche 911 as we know it co-exist with a smaller, but fully-electric version of itself?

Porsche is best known for its sports cars, predominantly the 911. The rear-engine model, although far from being the brand’s only performance car, shows continuous commitment to perfecting the classic, rear-engine design, we have all loved since 1964. While the 911 would remain as a gas-powered model for as long as possible, Porsche has diversified its lineup over the last two decades. Following the Boxster, Porsche introduced its first SUV, the Cayenne, and a few years later, in 2009, the Panamera high-performance sedan. One thing no one expects from Porsche is a minivan.