Paul Tan on the Automotive Industry
Porsche has released a collection of 4 videos to promote the new Porsche 911 Turbo S, set to make its public debut at the Geneva show later this month. The videos are quite interesting as they give a visual walkthrough of the technologies found in the Turbo S – we get to see cutaway animations of how various technologies work such as the dynamic engine mounts. A must watch for the Porsche-loving geek. Check them out after the jump.
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If you want something more than a 911 Turbo, insist on turbocharged power and don’t want to go the full way to get the expensive and hardcore GT2, here’s somewhat of a middle ground for you – the Porsche 911 Turbo S.
Power for the 911 Turbo S is up by 30 horses compared to the Turbo, so it now puts out 530 horses and a peak torque of 700Nm. There’s only one transmission available – the 7-speed Porsche PDK twin clutch transmission, which puts down power to all four wheels via the Porsche Traction Management all-wheel drive system.
The Turbo S comes standard with fade-resistant Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB), Dynamic Bending Lights, 19-inch wheels in RS Spyder design with central locking, a three-spoke sports steering wheel with gearshift paddles, adaptive sports seats, cruise control, a CD-DVD changer and an exclusive twin-tone leather upholstery in Black with Crema or Black with Titanium Blue.
Yours for Euro 173,241 including 19 per cent VAT in Germany for the coupe and 184,546 Euro including VAT for the cabrio. Look after the jump for a few very hi-res photos – they’re a few MB each! There’s also a video if you’re interested.
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Porsche Asia Pacific has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to appoint Sime Darby the sole and exclusive importer of Porsche cars in Malaysia. In this role, Sime Darby will assume full responsibility for the importation, distribution, sales, marketing, PR and after sales service for Porsche cars in Malaysia, including the right to appoint dealers and service centres.
Sime Darby, which also owns a Porsche Centre in New Zealand, is expected to officially take on this responsibility from Jaseri Automotive Group Sdn Bhd by the end of the first quarter of 2010. Porsche Centre Glenmarie will remain as the base for Porsche Sales and Service while additional Porsche Centres will be added to ensure higher service levels.
“We are pleased to welcome a new partner to our Asia Pacific family, and are confident that the team at Sime Darby are the right choice for us to grow the Porsche brand even further. We are also very happy that Dato’ Mokhzani Mahathir (chairman of Jaseri) will remain as a shareholder in this new partnership, which will ensure continuity and a seamless transition for our customers,” said Christer Ekberg, MD of Porsche Asia Pacific.
No, 9ff isn’t a typo error, but a tuner from Dortmund, Germany specialising in Porsches. While names like Gemballa and Ruf are more famous, 9ff’s GTurbo packages for the Porsche 997 GT3 and GT3 RS are bound to get a few headlines.
Let’s take the case of the 997 GT3 RS for dramatic effect. 9ff put a Bi-Turbo conversion to the standard 450 bhp engine with upgrades such as titanium connecting rods and extra strong forged pistons. Three packages are available: GTurbo750 with 750 bhp/850 Nm, GTurbo850 with 850 bhp/910 Nm and the GTurbo1000 with 1000 bhp/940 Nm of torque.
Choose the 1000 bhp option and your Porsche will accelerate from 0-100 km/h in a scant 2.9 seconds. 0-200 km/h is done in 8.2 seconds and 9ff claims that you can technically go on to 392 km/h. To do that, mods like rear fenders with air intakes (for the intercooler) and air outlets in the front fender to reduce the pressure in the wheel wells at high speed are made.
Not many actually want, or can handle, that sort of performance, so 9ff sells an aerodynamic kit for Euro 8,900, and light alloys (fits regular tyres) at Euro 4,890. There are also rims with a central lock system at Euro 5,950.
Porsche test driver Walter Röhrl is set to compete in the Nürburgring 24 hour race in May 2010 with a stock standard Porsche 911 GT3 RS. The double world rally champion, now 62, returns to the famous endurance race since last competing there in 1993.
But he’s far from rusty. Röhrl has tested every standard Porsche on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife since 1993 and said this about the current GT3 RS: “Right from the word go, the 911 GT3 RS reminded me of a race vehicle. No other road-going 911 has ever been as close to a race car as this current GT3 RS. That’s why I’m thrilled to be able to prove that this sports car is up to the challenge of the 24-hour race.”
The GT3 RS is powered by a 450 bhp, 3.8-litre, six-cylinder boxer engine. Befitting its hardcore nature, it comes with extra short transmission ratios as standard. The car’s dynamic engine mounts change in their stiffness and damping to “improve the connection between the engine and body when driving under racing conditions”. These, plus a body optimised for downforce makes for a good track car out of the box.
Walter may face stiff competition from the race cars he helped to develop though – Porsche’s GT3 RSR has been dominating the race for the past four years!
Recently we blogged about the Brabus GLK V12 claiming the fastest SUV title with a top speed of 322.3 km/h, a feat which we presume has shook the tuner world, because here comes Techart’s Porsche to challenge the Mercedes. The Cayenne fell short, but only by a whisker.
Test driver Sandro Reuter reached a top speed of 321.2 km/h at Nardo in this Techart tuned Cayenne Turbo. The Leonberg, Germany based tuner installed its TA 055/2.2 performance kit that takes power to 680 bhp, an increase of 130 bhp over the standard car. The top speed run was aided by an aerodynamics kit together with a Sport air suspension module. The Porsche wore Continental Cross Contact ultra high-performance tyres on 22-inch Techart Formula rims in the speed mission.
Techart’s big black bruiser may have failed to unseat the Brabus, but that didn’t stop them from claiming a (subsidiary) title – this Cayenne is the world’s fastest full size SUV!
The big green monster you see above is the eRUF Stormster grun (German for Green), a Porsche Cayenne powered by a Siemens electric motor and lithium ion batteries from Li-Tec. You can get it either with the “grun” body above or a standard Cayenne body.
It’s not going to be scorchingly fast though – because of the massive 2,670kg weight, the 270kW (367hp) electric motor can only take the Stormster up to 100km/h in 10 seconds. That’s just quite sad – for a car to start feeling reasonably fast it has to breach the 8 second mark. The baseline Cayenne with the 3.6 litre V6 can do the sprint in 7.5 seconds. I guess that’s the price to pay for zero emissions.
Other battery and motor related vital stats include a 200km range and a top speed of 150km/h.
Be prepared for a whole load of Porsche propaganda to be released by the folks at Zuffenhausen (er, or should I say Leipzig in this case) over the next few months, largely centered around the new Panamera and how it is ‘part of the family’. These videos must be for those who say a Panamera isn’t really a real Porsche, and these folks usually have the same opinion of the Cayenne. What’s your take on this? In the meantime, enjoy three videos after the jump.
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This is the classic case of overambition gone wrong. David doesn’t upset the odds this time around and gets swallowed up by Goliath instead. The David here is of course Porsche, the small sportscar maker trying to take control of Volkswagen, the giant that has Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley, Bugatti, Skoda and Seat under its stable. We can now officially add Porsche to that list as VW has completed the deal to take a 49.9 percent stake in the Stuttgart based company for €3.9 billion.
VW describes the move as “the next milestone on the way towards the integrated automotive group with Porsche under the leadership of Volkswagen”. A carmaker as prolific as Porsche would look good in any group’s portfolio, and this acquisition will undoubtedly strengthen VW’s position in the premium sector plus provide synergy in costs.
Best of all (for VW, that is), the Group’s annual operating profit is expected to increase by some €700 million in the long term, thanks to Porsche’s ability to sell cars at a big profit. Porsche’s ex CEO Wendelin Wiedeking took over the reins when Porsche was on the verge of bankruptcy, transforming it into the world’s most profitable automaker. But in trying to usurp VW, he took it a step too far.
This is an interesting development – you know that big starter battery that you have in your car? It’s usually a lead battery but now Porsche has the option for you to use a lithium ion battery! The li-ion starter battery weighs less than 6kg, which results in an over 10kg weight reduction in the car.
The lithium-ion starter battery will be available from January next year for the Porsche 911 GT3, Porsche 911 GT3 RS, and the Porsche Boxster Spyder. It will be an option priced at 1,904 Euros delivered with the car. The car will be delivered with the lead battery installed, and the lithium ion battery accompanying it. The lead battery is still required as the lithium battery does not work in temperatures below 0 degrees Celcius, so winter starts won’t do. It’ll work great in Malaysia though, where the temperatures are always in the battery’s operating range.
Swapping the batteries yourself should be easy as the fastening points, electrical connections and voltage range are fully compatible with the lead models. The li-ion battery is the same length and width as the lead battery but is about 7cm shorter.
The new li-ion battery’s capacity is about 18Ah, which at first seems far lower than a lead battery’s 60Ah, but Porsche claims that a lead battery only has a practical usable capacity of about 30%, while in a lithium ion battery it’s almost 100%. The lithium ion battery can also be recharged by the alternator more quickly thanks to smaller internal resistance. The li-ion battery also allows for a greater amount of charge/discharge cycles, and a reduced self-discharge effect, thus prolonging battery life.
