Sports cars - page 108

Brooks Weisblat, owner of the Drag Times YouTube Channel owns some cool and fast cars. Some of these special cars in his garage include a Ferrari SF90, a McLaren 765LT Spider, and his most recent acquisition, his Guards Red Porsche Turbo S. He recently took on the legendary Tail of the Dragon mountain pass road in Tennessee, along with some of his friends. The Dragon, also known as Deals Gap, is an 11-mile world-famous stretch of road with 318 curves popular with riding and driving clubs across the world.

California-based company, Singer Vehicle Design is a little over 10 years old and continues to impress with its unique take on classic Porsche 911s. The company has evolved greatly since its humble beginnings back in 2013 and now features a fully-fledged workshop with a meticulously organized, multi-step process, which focuses on painstakingly perfecting every detail of the reimagined 911s, down to the smallest thing. This near-psychotic obsession with attention to detail has resulted in what is considered the benchmark for a perfectly reimagined classic Porsche sports car. Singer focuses on quality over quantity, which is why every variant of the company’s reimagined Porsche 911 lineup is produced in limited quantities and costs as much as (or more than) a brand-new Porsche 911. Throughout the resto-modder’s decade of manufacturing Porsche 911s for purists, Singer has made only four different models, not counting the different body styles. Here’s how the Singer lineup looks today.

The 2024 Porsche 718 Spyder RS is a Boxster that has been turned up to 11. With the engine borrowed from its track-focussed sibling - the 911 GT3 RS, the 718 Spyder RS is a force to be reckoned with. It is a fitting send-off to the gasoline-powered Boxster as Porsche transitions the model to electric power. The engine makes slightly less power than the GT3 thanks to a more restrictive exhaust and tops out at 493 horsepower, compared to the GT3’s 518 horsepower. Unfortunately, it does not come with a manual gearbox, and the only transmission available is the 7-speed dual-clutch automatic which sends power to the rear wheels.

Imagine a high-octane summer camp for the hottest supercars around. That’s exactly what the scene MotorTrend has set for its annual Performance Vehicle of the Year award. While some automakers were decidedly a little shy about letting their million-dollar machines battle it out, the magazine managed to snag a couple of epic drag races. Two unlikely contenders to battle it out in a 1/4 mile dash were the 992.1 Porsche 911 GT3 RS, and the Maserati MC20 Cielo. Which model came out on top? Read on to find out.

Currently, only two carmakers produce boxer engines – Porsche and Subaru. Normally, when you hear a six-cylinder boxer engine, the first to come to mind is the German automaker, famous for being the last brand to put an air-cooled engine in a high-performance sports car. Subaru is still sticking to flat-four engines for its models, but back in the golden era of Japanese sports cars, it introduced a six-cylinder boxer engine that could rival what Porsche had. The EG33 was the only flat-six Subaru engine to feature in a two-door coupe. It also served as a basis for future Subaru flat-six engines. In 2020, Subaru produced its last flat-six engine, but before that happened Subaru almost redefined the GT segment altogether, with a Porsche-sounding Subaru, powered by a flat-six.

Porsche has revealed two more trims of the third-generation Panamera, bringing the total number of trims to seven, made up of three gas-powered models and four hybrid models. The Turbo S E-Hybrid is the most powerful production Panamera ever and is now the flagship trim. The GTS is the most powerful gasoline version in the line-up and sits below the Turbo E-Hybrid trim. The plug-in hybrid V8 powertrain in the Turbo S E-Hybrid has a combined output of 771 horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque. The bigger 21.8 kWh battery charges faster and retains 45 percent more charge. The all-electric range hasn’t been announced but estimates suggest around 30 miles from E.V. only mode.

Porsche’s legendary 911 has always been the quintessential everyday sports car. Since its debut in the ’60s, it has effortlessly blended performance and practicality, proving that you don’t need to sacrifice thrills for everyday usability. Now in its eighth generation, the 992 911 continues this tradition, boasting even more power and refinement while remaining a surprisingly versatile daily driver.

Porsche promised to keep the 911 internal-combustion-powered for as long as possible, but in 2024, we were introduced to the first hybrid 911. While many Porsche fans were worried about the direction the iconic sports car took, Porsche put those trepidations to rest by schooling everyone on how to make a hybrid sports car without ruining it. Porsche was wise to keep electrification to a minimum, unlike other carmakers like Mercedes, which turned its AMG SL and AMG GT models into heavyweight bruisers in their range-topping 63 S E Performance variants. Those are now plug-in hybrids although they don’t boast a particularly high electric range – just 8 miles. Porsche decided to take a different approach with the 911, by developing an entirely new hybrid powertrain, revolving around a flat-six engine, internally dubbed the 9A3B6 engine. Here’s everything you need to know about Porsche’s clever, new T-Hybrid system.

Jeff Rhoades is far from a typical Porsche owner who shows up at your local Cars & Coffee on a Sunday. He’s a man on a mission. A former lawyer with a serious case of wanderlust, Jeff has transformed his 911 Carrera 4 into a dirt-caked expedition vehicle. His mission? Simple. To visit all 63 National Parks across the United States. With 46 already under his belt, this modern-day Lewis and Clark is far from finished. In the process, he has already racked up over 140,000 miles.

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.

The 911 Speedster was a special commemorative model released to celebrate Porsche’s 70th anniversary. There have been several ’Speedster models in the past, six generations of them starting with the 1954 356A. But this is the first Speedster developed by the GT wing of the company. This makes it the first convertible from the team after the legendary V-10-powered Carrera GT. However, that car was developed by a special-projects team.

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.