The Porsche

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche Dies at the age of 76

Porsche Fan — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 09:38:04 +0000

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche – Designer of the Porsche 911 Dies Aged 76

It is a sad day for Porsche fans everywhere as it has been announced that Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the designer of the iconic Porsche 911 died on Thursday 5th April aged 76 in Salzburg, Austria.

Born on 11th December 1935 in Stuttgart, Germany, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, or "FA" was the eldest son of Ferry Porsche who grew the Porsche car business alongside his father Ferdinand Porsche who had started the company in the 1930′s and had designed and developed the Volkswagen Beetle for the Nazi regime.

"Butzi" as he was known to his family showed early promise as a designer while growing up during turbulent times for Germany, designing and building his own toys. Engineers at the company recognised his talents though when he made plasticine models of a design for a car that would replace the Porsche 356. That car would become the Porsche 911 and was shown to the public for the first time at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show.

At the time of his death Ferdinand Porsche was the honorary president of Porsche’s supervisory board and had been president of the board from 1990 to 1993 even though he had left the company in 1972 to start his own design company which are renowned for quality products such as watches, spectacles, writing instruments and even household appliances, all marketed under the Porsche Design brand name.

Porsche Cayenne

Porsche Fan — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:13:03 +0000

Porsche Cayenne

In 2002, there were many people around the World raising their eyebrows with interest (some may have even been raised in disgust), when Porsche announced that they were launching a 4×4 crossover SUV to add to their range of cars. There were two versions of the car in the initial lineup. These were the Cayenne S and the Cayenne Turbo. Both cars used a 4.5 litre V8. Inthe Cayenne S, this produced 340 bhp with 370 lb ft of torque. This was good enough to send the Cayenne S off to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds. Top speed was about 150 mph.

The Cayenne Turbo was a different animal. It’s V8 turbo charged engine developed 450 bhp and propelled the Cayenne Turbo to 60 mph in only 5.3 seconds. In 2006, the Turbo S was introduced as a direct competitor to the Mercedes ML63 AMG. The Turbo S still used a 4.5 litre V8 but this had twin turbos that kicked up the horsepower to 521 bhp with 521 lb ft of torque. Acceleration to 60 was now down to 5.0 seconds and the top speed of the Cayenne Turbo S was 171 mph.

If you didn’t need your Porsche SUV to be such a beast, Porsche also introduced a VR6 version using a 3.0 litre turbo charged V6 with around 240 bhp. There then came a real departure for Porsche when the first diesel powered Porsche Cayenne hit the road. Diesel engines came in different shaped and sizes starting off with a 3.6 litre 290 bhp V6, right up to a 4.8 litre 550 bhp turbo diesel in the Turbo S.

The current version of the Porsche Cayenne went on sale in the Spring of 2010. It has been facelifted and looks shorter than the old car and to most the styling is a vast improvement over the original. Again, as with the original Cayenne, the car is one of three SUVs from the Volkswagen group that use the same base, the others being the Audi Q7 and the Volkswagen Touareg.

The current range of Porsche Cayenne’s is very similar to the original lineup. We start of with a 3.6 litre 296 bhp V6 in the base model. This is followed by a 395 bhp 4.8 litre V8 in the Cayenne S, which is the same engine as used in the Porsche Panamera S. The next in the lineup, the Cayenne Turbo, also shares an engine, this time with the Panamera Turbo. This one is a 498 bhp turbocharged 4.8 litre V8. There is also now a Cayenne S Hybrid which uses a 328 bhp 3 litre V6 coupled to a lithium ion battery powered electric motor prosucing 46 hp for a total power output of 375 hp.

Only the base model comes with a manual gearbox as standard. All the other Cayennes come with the 8 speed tiptronic. As far as performance figures are concerned for the current Porsche Cayenne lineup, they are as follows. The base model V6 will get to 60 in around 7.5 seconds with a top speed of 143 mph. The V6 diesel is slightly slower off the mark at 7.6 seconds with a top speed of 137mph. Next comes the S with a significant improvement in performance from its V8 engine. 60 mph comes along in 5.9 seconds and the top speed is 160 mph. The V6 S Hybrid is a surprisingly gutsy little number with a sprint time of around 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 150 mph. Then comes the daddy. The V8 Turbo will hit 60 in 4.7 seconds and it has a top speed of 173 mph.

Manufacturer:	Porsche
Body Style:	4 door 4×4 SUV
Layout:	Front engined 4 wheel drive
Engine:	3.0 V6 (standard), 4.8 litre V8 (S)
Transmission:	8 Speed tiptronic auto (all except V6)
Power:	296 bhp (standard), 498 bhp (Turbo)
Torque:
Economy:	25.2 mpg (standard), 24.6 mpg (Turbo)
0-62:	7.5 seconds (standard), 4.7 seconds (Turbo)
Top Speed:	143 mph (standard), 173 mph (Turbo)
Price:	£42,990 (standard), £86,896 (Turbo)
Competition:	Win a Porsche
Extras:	Porsche Cayenne Wallpaper

The New Porsche 911 (991)

Porsche Fan — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:10:14 +0000

7th Generation Porsche 911 – The All New 991

Porsche launched the 911 Carrera in 1963 and I think I am fairly safe betting that no-one predicted that fifty years later, the basic design would still be recognisable. We are now seven generations in to the evolution of the 911 and the classic design remains, albeit with a few tweaks here and there.

Don’t let the fact that the new 911 looks very similar to the outgoing 997 fool you though. The components to go to make up the new Porsche 911 (991) are over 90% brand new, or at least re-designed. The result of the all the tweaks and modifications is a car that is truly awe inspiring. Just when you thought the 911 couldn’t possibly get any better, Porsche come out with a version of the car that is more agile, more stable, is quicker, corners better and on top of it all, consumes less fuel than previous versions.

To start with, the body now contains more aluminium-steel composite which is lighter than some other materials and its increased use in the new car has enabled engineers to shave off 45kg from its overall weight. To increase stability at high speeds, an automatic spoiler deploys and asjusts itself according to the speed you are travelling, enabling it to add up to 90kg of downforce over the rear wheels.

In the standard car, the new 3.4 litre flat six engine delivers 350 bhp, but is 16% more efficient than the outgoing version. If you want even more thrills than 350 bhp can deliver then the 911S is powered by a 3.8 litre version of the engine which delivers 400 bhp. This will propel the car from standstill to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds. Coupled to the engine is the first seven speed manual gearbox which even has a system to prevent you selecting 7th gear without you having first been through 5th and 6th.

In these days of fruegal economies, even supercar manufacturers are looking for ways to make their cars more fuel efficient. Porsche have added a stop / start system to the 911 which will kill the engine when you stop at the lights, only to fire it up again when you press the accellerator. When you are crusing along the motorway, the 911′s ‘sailing’ mode automatically idles the engine for you to further enhance fuel economy.

Manufacturer:	Porsche
Body Style:	2 door coupe
Layout:	Rear engined, rear wheel drive
Engine:	3.4 litre flat six (standard), 3.8 litre flat six (S)
Transmission:	7 Speed manual
Power:	350 bhp (standard), 400 bhp (S)
Torque:	288 lb ft (standard), 325 lb ft (S)
Economy:	34.4 mpg (standard), 32.4 mpg (S)
0-62:	4.4 seconds (standard), 4.1 seconds (S)
Top Speed:	178 mph (standard), 189 mph (S)
Price:	£71,449 (standard), £81,242 (S)
Competition:	Win a Porsche

New Porsche 911 Driven on Track

Porsche Fan — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:48:46 +0000

Track Testing the new Porsche 911 (991)

Taken from the official Porsche channel on YouTube, this four minute long video features Gordon Robertson talking about the new Porsche 911 (991) while putting it through its paces at the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone.

Porsche Panamera GTS

Porsche Fan — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:21:29 +0000

Porsche Panamera GTS

May be you’re the type of person that needs a caar with four doors, a car with real room for four people to come along for a ride but you also need a car that you can drive properly when you’re alone. Perhaps you have tried the Porsche Panamera, but it wasn’t quite man enough for you. Well, take another look, because Porsche have just released a version of the Panamera which they are calling the GTS

The Porsche Panamera GTS is based on the 4S model and has had a few extra little tweaks thrown into the mix aimed at giving the family man who needs a little zip from his school run car just what he is looking for.

The first tweak is under the bonnet. It might sound like you are getting the standard 4.8 litre V8, but this one has been interfered with a little so that it now produces 424 bhp, which is up 30 bhp from the Panamera 4S. Torque is up too from 500Nm to 520Nm. You also get firmer dampers and a 10mm lower ride height. If you really want to go around corners fast, then press the sport button and the air springs will drop you another 15mm. Finally, mechanically at least, the rear track is slightly wider for enhanced stability and the huge vented disc breaks from the Turbo have been borrowed too.

The mechanicals are not the only changes though, as you will feel a little exclusivity coming your way if you opt for the GTS in the shape of black surrounds for the headlamps as well as distinctive LED lights. There are also 19" alloys to play with and quad exhaust exit pipes. There is also exlusive Carmine Red paintwork available as an option.

So, if you’re looking for a 4 door GT car within which you can seat 4 adults comfortably at a considerable pace and considering that the price hike is only £6280 over the 4S, the Panamera GTS makes lots of sense and is a lot friendlier than the Turbo.

Manufacturer: Porsche

Body Style: 4 Door GT

Layout: Front engined, four wheel drive

Engine: 4.8 litre V8

Transmission: Seven speed, twin clutch

Power: 424 bhp

Torque:

Economy: 25.9 mpg

0-62: 4.5 seconds

Top Speed: 179 mph

Price: £90,409

Competition: Win a Porsche | Wallpaper