Results of the “Best Upgrades for the Money Poll”

January 31, 2008

Porsche HIDs

On January 15th I asked you to tell me what’s the Best upgrade for the Money for my 993. 22 of you responded and the overwhelming majority voted for the Headlight Update (HIDs). Here are the complete results:

Headlight Updates - 14 Votes = 64% of all votes

PSS9s - 2 Votes = 9% of all votes

New Wheels (MY 02, etc.) - 1 Vote = 5% of all votes

RSR Muffler - 3 Votes = 14% of all votes

Audio upgrade - 0 Votes = 0% of all votes

Just Drive and Enjoy - 2 Votes = 9% of all votes

Total Votes: 22 Started: January 15, 2008

I know, I know, the percentages add up to 101%. I rounded up on a couple to keep the math and presentation easier. Bottom line - the voters felt the same way I do. So, looks like I have my next project - High Intensity Discharge Lights or HIDs.

For those of you new to my blog, please take a moment to subscribe, IT’S FREE!!!. By subscribing, you can get updates via email (just fill our the form on the top right) or via RSS and your favorite reader.

If any of you have a favorite brand or supplier for HIDs, please let me know by commenting below or emailing me at johnsirving@gmail.com. I plan on purchasing ASAP so I can do the install as soon as possible.

Written by 993C4S · Filed Under Upgrades | 1 Comment

Porsche 911 awarded title of “Best Automobile in the World”

January 30, 2008

Okay, this is almost getting to be routine. In the last week I’ve talked twice about the Porsche 911 being the benchmark to compare all other supercars to.

Well, it seems that a lot of other people feel the same way too. Read the Press Release below from Porsche:

Stuttgart. This morning Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, received the award “Best Automobile in the World” in the Cabriolet category for the Porsche 911. Almost 95,000 readers of the German specialist journal “auto motor und sport” voted the open Carrera into first place among a field of 49 other cabriolets, roadsters and spiders.

Thus the Porsche 911 Carrera has continued a unique tradition. In the magazine’s series of 32 readers’ prize awards since 1977, the ‘Elfer’ (or ‘elevener’) and its model variants Turbo and 911 Cabriolet have gained a total of 37 overall victories. On the occasions when it did not quite make it to the summit, the Porsche 911 occupied second place, mostly just behind other Porsche models such as the 959 or the Carrera GT.

With the title of “Best Automobile in the World“, following its winning of the “Autozeitung” Auto Trophy in November in the categories “Best Sports Automobile” and “Best Cabriolet over 30,000 Euro”, the Porsche 911 has gained the most important publicly-voted awards of German speaking specialist journals for the autumn / winter season 2007/2008.
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Porsche 911 the “Benchmark” Once Again?

January 30, 2008

Just last week I asked the question Is Porsche the “Benchmark” for all other Supercars? Since then I’ve been inundated with emails from readers. Some agree, some don’t and others wanted to know how I was defining a “Supercar”. So for starters, let’s define the term.

According to Wikipedia

Supercar is a term generally used for a high-end sports car, whose performance is highly superior to that of its contemporaries. It has been defined specifically as “a very expensive fast or powerful car with a centrally located engine”[1], and stated in more general terms: “it must be very fast, with sporting handling to match,” “it should be sleek and eye-catching” and its price should be “one in a rarified atmosphere of its own.”[2] but the proper application of the term is subjective and disputed, especially among enthusiasts.

As the definition says, the term is “subjective. I commented last week (to a blog reader) that certain Porsche models, especially of the Turbo and Twin Turbo variety are generally described as “supercars”. What’s interesting about Porsche and makes them so great is their infinite drive-ability and relative ease of maintenance (compared to say a Ferrari or a Lambo) that they can truly be used as daily drivers. Something much more difficult to do with other “supercars”.

Why do I bring this subject back up so soon? Well, as I was surfing around today I noticed that Jaguar may be once again planning a Porsche 911 rival. Look at those words, a Porsche 911 rival. Porsche as a brand couldn’t ask for better press. Every time another manufacturer compares themselves to Porsche it just helps to reinforce the image that the Porsche 911 is the sports car of choice.

As an aside, I say once again planning, because the car mentioned in the article I read is the same one that was first introduced as the F-Type roadster back in 2000 at the Detroit auto show. Now that we are on the eve of Jaguar switching ownership from Ford to Tata, the rumor mill is back in full-force suggesting the development of a sports car that will be much more enticing, more true to the idea of a sports car than current flavors of XK or the proposed F-Type (originally designed to compete with the Boxster) and on par with a Porsche 911. I think it’s a big goal for Jaguar, seeing how they don’t even have anything that competes with lesser Porsche models (or any other sports car marques for that matter).

In my opinion, what makes Porsche the “benchmark” for all others and what has set the standard so high is the overall quality, ride, build and timeless styling combined with the fact that any one of the 911 variants (including the scary fast Twin Turbo) can be used as a daily driver.

Written by 993C4S · Filed Under Porsche vs. | Leave a Comment