Sports cars - page 60

Action cam company, GoPro recently released some thrilling footage of veteran driver Jeff Zwart taking on the spectacular Pikes Peak. This brutal 12.7-mile course features 156 blind turns and climbs to a staggering 14,115 feet. It’s a place where racing legends like Michelle Mouton and Booby Unser have pushed their limits. Jeff isn’t just another rally driver; he’s also a renowned director and photographer. His work includes several well-known automotive commercials and movies like "The Art of Racing in the Rain." He’s also a true motorsport champion, having secured eight class championships and earning a place in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Hall of Fame. He’s a winner of both the U.S. Pro Rally Championship and the Baja 1000.

The Half 11 is a Le Mans-inspired prototype built from scratch by designer twin brothers Iliya and Nikita Bridan. They are the founders of L.A. Shop: Oil Stain Design Labs and have over a decade of experience working with the largest automobile brands, including Honda and General Motors. The Half-11 is so called because its chassis is from a 911 which had to be cut before being integrated with its body. The brothers jokingly call their project the "Last Bad Idea", but every aspect of the build was done with detailed precision. The idea’s genesis, which eventually became the Half-11, began with a sketch by Iliya, combining the front end of a Porsche 911 with the rear of a Porsche Indy racecar. They immediately met with a team of fabricators, welders, and designers to get this project off the ground. The duo have big plans for their project car and want to make a limited number of models based on this prototype.

The 2021 911 Turbo Cabriolet mixes exhilarating performance with open-top luxury, continuing Porsche’s legacy of high-performance convertibles. This latest iteration gets a more powerful 572-horsepower 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six engine and a new eight-speed PDK transmission for the 992 generation. The result is 0-60 mph in a mere 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 199 mph, placing it in the supercar territory.

Be it road cars or motorsports, Porsche is a brand that is steeped in tradition and there are certain things about models like the 911, that the German marque should be very careful about changing or altering, or it could leave the Porsche faithful reaching for the pitchforks. Think stuff like the five-gauge instrument cluster with the big analog tachometer in the center, or the twist-and-turn Le Mans-style starter that sits to the left of the steering wheel.

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.

The 2022 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS is a high-performance sports car that bridges the gap between the Carrera S and the top-of-the-line Turbo models. It combines the iconic 911 design with cutting-edge technology and exhilarating driving dynamics. The 2022 model is part of the 992-generation 911 lineup (the 992-generation represents the eighth iteration of the iconic sports car), which was introduced in 2019.

The 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet is the latest iteration of the iconic German sports car, now with even more power and refinement. This open-top version of the 992-generation Turbo S boasts a twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter flat-six engine that churns out an impressive 640 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, significantly increasing over its predecessor. With this extra muscle, the latest model rockets from 0-60 mph in just 2.7 seconds and reaches a top speed of 205 mph.

Being the most capable 911 around a racetrack, the 992.1 911 GT3 RS is just a toned-down version of the 911 GT3 R endurance racing car. The aggressive bodywork isn’t just for show, but has a genuine functional purpose. Right from its design (that massive rear wing is just otherworldly for a street-legal production car) to delivering flat-out performance, thanks to its high-revving naturally aspirated flat-six, the 911 GT3 RS is an enthusiast’s dream that costs Ferrari money. Aerodynamics is the magic formula that transforms a fast sports car into a track-devouring monster. It’s all about manipulating the airflow around the vehicle to maximize performance and handling.

Even before it first debuted back in 2007, the R35 Nissan GT-R had its sights set on the Porsche 911 Turbo, outgunning it on its home turf, i.e. the Nürburgring. While the rivalry between the two has been fierce for over a decade, Godzilla is bowing out after a 15-year reign. While production ends in the U.S. for the 2024 model year (2025 in Japan), enthusiasts can grab the final editions. The 2024 Nissan GT-R boasts a revised front fascia, grille, wings, and rear end designed to improve aerodynamics without sacrificing downforce. Nissan engineers meticulously crafted a new mesh grille for better cooling and lower drag. At the same time, the top-of-the-line Nismo version receives a more aggressive rear wing and additional aerodynamic elements. A new "Stealth Gray paint" job completes the Nismo package, marking an apt send-off for this JDM icon.

The swan-neck rear wing, an aerodynamic spoiler design innovation that debuted in motorsport, emerged in response to safety regulations introduced by the Automobile Club de I’Quest (ACO) in 2009. These regulations aimed to address concerns about rear-wing-induced accidents during high-speed races. Engineers constantly tinkered, trying to squeeze out more downforce without sacrificing speed to increase on-track stability.

Remember YouTuber Danny Z’s budget Porsche that we featured recently? Danny and his crew bought a beat-up 996 911 from Copart Auctions for $10,000. They completely transformed the looks of the stock car by throwing on a GT3 body kit. But the driving experience left something to be desired. It was time to make the car handle better, on a budget, of course. While this isn’t a full-blown tune to unlock more performance from the flat-6, the Copart Porsche did receive a few vital upgrades to improve its handling and more crucially, the way it sounds.

In the world of Porsche, the "GT" badge has always signified a level of performance and focus beyond the ordinary. Take the 992.1 911 GT3 RS, a car barely disguising its racing roots. With its massive wing, aggressive aerodynamic bodywork, and a howling 4.0-liter naturally aspirated flat-six engine churning out 518 horsepower, it’s the pinnacle of what a road-legal Porsche can be.