Porsche - page 276

Strap yourselves in, gearheads, because a piece of automotive and cinematic history will soon hit the auction block, and it’s gonna make your wallet weep. Remember that #20 Porsche 917k that stole the show in Steve McQueen’s Le Mans? Yeah, the one with the screaming flat-12 and the Gulf Oil livery so good it should be illegal? That very car, chassis number 917-022, is getting ready to trade hands in January 2025 at Mecum’s Kissimmee auction.

Back in 2019, Porsche finally took a leap into the electric future with the Taycan, a sleek and powerful EV that proved sports sedans could be both thrilling and eco-conscious. Seeing an opportunity to carve its own path in the electric performance sedan market, sister-brand Audi followed suit with the e-tron GT, its second electric offering after the fat e-tron SUV, built on the same J1 platform developed by Porsche.

There is an obvious pattern when it comes to Porsche introducing its new 911 variants. There is a version of the rear-engine sports car for everyone, but when a new 911 comes out, we don’t get all variants at once. Things are not much different for the 992.2 update, although there is one big difference. For 2025, we got the first Porsche 911, powered by a hybrid powertrain, and this changes a few things in the Porsche 992.2 lineup. Models that are typically offered from the start will now take longer to arrive, and this includes the best-selling 911 variant – the Carrera S. This has everything to do with Porsche’s hybrid 911 variants, which sometime in the next two years, will be joined by the first hybrid Porsche 911 Turbo. Despite working on keeping the internal combustion engine alive for as long as possible, Porsche is really pushing the hybrid 911 agenda, and here’s what this means for the next-generation 992.2 Carrera S.

Look, Porsche knows people still love the sweet, sweet sound of a roaring engine, especially with its second most popular model in the United States, the Macan. So, they’re doing the whole "we woke, also we want your money" thing by offering both electric and gas-powered Macans at the same time. While, Porsche does plan to eventually ditch gas for good in the Macan by 2026, what if you’re on a budget and want that luxury-ish, sporty-ish SUV vibe without the Porsche tax? Well, Audi’s latest Q5 and SQ5 are clinging to dino juice for the 2025 model year and could serve up as a compelling alternative to the gas-powered Macan.

Sometimes I like imagining purely hypothetical competitions about some of my favorite things- Godzilla vs Kong, Edison vs Tesla, Autobots vs Decepticons, etc. I also like to imagine the odd supercar match-up from time to time, something I am sure we are all guilty of. The question of whether one car is better than another is a question that is as old as automobiles itself. And while we can only compare spec sheets or watch the drag races of some of our favorite supercars, some of us are fortunate enough to take it a step further.

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.

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.

For the 2009 model year, Porsche refreshed the iconic 911, ushering in the 997.2 generation. The Targa 4S, a unique model combining the classic Targa top with all-wheel drive performance, received notable updates, both inside and out. A more powerful 3.8-liter flat-six engine replaced the previous 3.6-liter unit, while subtle exterior changes modernized the timeless 911 silhouette.

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.

So, remember when we at Motorheads were all abuzz about Porsche possibly adding a simulated shifter to their electric cars? I’d said earlier that if there’s one thing missing in EVs, it’s driver engagement, and while Dodge has had a go with it on its fake sounds in its latest Charger, it is Hyundai that got execution right on the Ioniq 5 N, where the fake engine sound does not only sound good, but it also perfectly sync’s in with the gear shifts that simulate an eight-speed transmission. But it’s not just me though, top auto journalists from renowned publications, and even influencers like Doug DeMuro and MKBHD a.k.a, Marques Brownlee have praised Hyundai for it. I personally feel that this could become a trend that automakers will start to cash in on. However, seeing such a thing on Porsche is unlikely to happen, as the German automaker has officially put those rumors to bed.

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.

Ben Mellors, M.D. of Fifteen Eleven Design, based out of the U.K. decided to do something completely different from the rest of the Porsche restomod world. While most shops are obsessed with building the next crazy iteration of the 911, Ben decided to create a modern redesign of the lesser-loved 914 instead. The result is a compact retro sportscar that looks like it was designed in the modern era, with the performance to match. It might not appeal to everyone, but it ticks all my boxes. The only parts retained from the donor car are the A and B pillars and the floor.