A Porsche Designed to Compete with Hummer

August 29, 2008

I bet that headline gets your attention! No, it’s not what you think. Yes, we all know the Cayenne SUV from Porsche but, what about the AMPV 2a?

The highly creative name (note the sarcasm) is a product from the joint-venture between Rheinmetall Land Systeme (RLS) and Krauss Maffei-Wegmann (KMW) (Germany’s two leading armored fighting vehicle (AFV) contractors) who have formed the Armored Multi Purpose Vehicle consortium.

At present, the consortium is concentrating on the 9.3-ton AMPV 2a. Designed to be transported by a C-160 (a really, really big transport airplane) and to withstand a 100-kg improvised explosive device (IED) blast at five meters, as well as offering ballistic, mine, and nuclear, biological and chemical protection. The AMPV 2a has a self-supporting safety cell initially designed for add-on mine and IED protection. Production is planned for 2011 with testing taking place over the next few years.

With the help of the Porsche Design Group the AMPV was created for the German Armed Forces, by the consortium, but could be sold to foreign (maybe the US?) governments as well. I don’t know about you, but if I had the choice between a Porsche Designed vehicle or a GM one (Hummer is now owned by GM) I would take the Porsche designed one hands down.

Porsche-AMPV

This isn’t the first foray into the military for Porsche. Some of you may remember the Porsche Designed Kübelwagen that I wrote about a few months ago. In addition, Porsche assisted in the designing of the Tiger tank series and the Elefant tank that were the staples of the German army during World War II.

[Source: Aviation Week-Ares Blog]

Written by 993C4S · Filed Under Porsche Design Group | Leave a Comment

Picture a Porsche in your Driveway

August 28, 2008

If you are the type that wants or needs to impress your friends or, if you every just wanted to see what a new Porsche would look like in your driveway, then Porsche has created a great web-site for you; Porsche I Can.

The concept is simple. Take a snapshot of your driveway, upload to the Porsche web-site, select the proper ride, make any number of adjustments you want and your done. You can then choose to share your creation with your friends by emailing it or download it as wallpaper for your computer (see the image below.)

If you really feel the need to impress, you can do like I did and take things a step further. Go to Google Images and download a picture of the nicest driveway you can find. Use that purloined image as the basis for your Porsche creation (if you’re going to dissemble you might as well go all the way.)

The only issue I found with the site is the model selection. As of today you are limited to the base model version of the Cayman, Cayenne, Boxster or 911. If the site takes off let’s hope that Porsche adds to the selection. Personally I wouldn’t mind having a GT2 in my driveway. Or, at least a picture of one!!!

Written by 993C4S · Filed Under Culture | 2 Comments

Reader’s Rides Featured as Used Porsches for Sale

August 27, 2008

Over the past few weeks, a number of people have emailed asking to advertise their cars on this site. Currently, there is no classified section available. The cars you do see for sale are either those listed by the sites sponsors or those found on eBay. Would the ability to list your cars for sale, to a very targeted group of Porsche owners and enthusiasts (more than 10,000 per month and growing), interest you?

For those of you looking to sell your Porsche, I want to remind you that each one of the site’s sponsors: TruSpeed Motorcars, Willhoit Enterprises and Sloan Cars all buy cars as well. I know what you’re going to say, they’ll only offer you wholesale pricing. In some instances, that may be true, but in others, depending on the car, they may be able to do much better. The market for certain cars is very limited and they get most of their inventory from people just like you. Each one of them is as much a buyer of cars as they are a seller.

With that said, I wanted to showcase three cars that were brought to my attention in the last few weeks:

Race-Ready Porsche 914 For Sale or Trade

The first comes from a reader looking to trade one interesting Porsche for another. Specifically, Dan Muldowney is looking to trade his race-ready 914 for another air-cooled gem (993, 964 or 930.) Here are some particulars:

1974 Porsche 914-6 2.2 liter Race Car: Very fast. Very light. Drives, handles and shifts like a shifter cart, only bigger! Current PCA and Vintage / VSCR log books. Professionally built and maintained by Bob Viau and his team at Auto Edge for the last 10 years. PCA GT5R or S class. PCA, NASA, SCCA, POC and Vintage legal. Current PCA inspection, (4/20/07). Weighs 2000 lbs. 250 Horsepower.

1:54 at BIR. “Fastest Lap of the Race” at Barber Motorsports Park, 2004. “Worker’s Choice Award” at Topeka, 2007. “Worker’s Choice Award” at Gingerman 2003. 15 First In Class finishes in the last 20 starts. Very reliable. Recent rebuild on engine and sequential transmission with test hours only. New suspension.

The remaining details about Dan’s car are way too long to list (including a recent engine rebuild with test hours only), but he has over $125,000 invested and is asking $37,500 or B/O and will consider all trades or cash + trade. You can contact Dan directly at his email or by sending to us via the contact page.

Last of the Air-Cooled 993s For Sale

The second car to showcase in today’s post comes courtesy of Willhoit Enterprises (not only is Willhoit a sponsor, but the 993 showcased in the about section of this site was purchased there.) For sale at Willhoit’s is a 1998 Porsche 993 C2S.

Okay, what’s so special about that you ask? Well, besides being the last of the air-cooled 993s, this particular example is a one owner with only 5075 miles. For all intents and purposes this car is brand-new. The 993 comes equipped with the following: chrome oval exhaust tips, metal door sill with insignia, aluminum instrument dials, aluminum shifter and brake handle, motor sound package, limited slip with active brake differential, am/fm cassette cr 210 radio, 18” technology wheels, full power seat left, partial power seat right, automatic speed control and power sunroof. The pictures below speak for themselves. Please contact Michael for more information.

A Water Pumper-996 For Sale

Last, but definitely not least, is a 2002 Porsche 996 Carrera 4S. This particular car is finished in one of our favorite colors schemes, Lapis Blue exterior with Savanna Beige interior. At only 22,500 miles this Porsche comes complete with the CPO through May of 2009.

The seller, Adam Shuster, says the car is in excellent condition with no paintwork/accidents and more importantly, no stories. He has all the service records, manuals, keys, etc. This 6 speed 996 comes with a B&M short shifter, heated seats with memory and Porsche crest, AM/FM/CD, rear wiper, painted center-caps, painted rear bumperettes, center console and bumper plugs, Aluminum look gauge surrounds, Red “S” on deck lid and pre-wired for Valentine One Radar.

If you’re interested in any of these cars, or would like to have your Porsche vehicle showcased on this site, please use the comment field below to get in-touch or use the contact page to email us directly.

In the coming weeks and months, we will be rolling out a new look and feel to the site with additional features. If enough of you respond positively, we will include a classifieds section to list your car. Lastly, if you haven’t yet answered our current poll, be sure to let us know what kind or Porsche you currently own.

Written by 993C4S · Filed Under Cars | Leave a Comment