Porsche just revealed the updated 997 GT3 RS at the Frankfurt Auto Show. The night before the unveiling, Andreas Preuninger, Manager of High Performance Cars for Porsche, gave us* the opportunity ride shotgun as he took the first produced 2010 Porsche GT3 RS out for a ride on the Autobahn. Due to traffic, he was only able to get the car up to 292kph on the unrestricted A5 Autobahn.
The second half of the video, Andreas tells us what went into the development process for the new GT3 RS and what the car is capable of doing with the new technology and performance upgrades from the previous generation. Enjoy!
Just last week I was fortunate to speak with Sam Cabiglio about the making of the new Porsche Panamera Commercial and his involvement in it. At the time, I posted a video that showed some of the excitement going on behind the scenes during filming.
Today, I received the following video, directly from Porsche, that shows more of the making of the new Panamera commercial. With everything that apparently has gone into the making of this commercial, I hope it’s as good as the behind the scenes footage makes it out to be. Given the fact that the commercial’s director, Jeff Zwart, is the same guy that directed Porsche’s most recent US commercial “Bloodlines”, I think there’s a good chance it will live up to the hype!!
3 Days + 162 Crew Members + 4 Cameras + 36,000 Feet of Asphalt + 2 Insane Helicopter Pilots + 50 Legendary Porsche Sports Cars + 22 Precision Drivers + 16,000 Feet of Film = 1 Historic Family Reunion to Welcome the New Porsche Panamera.
Far-fetched you say. Not so fast. As early as just last year Porsche tuner Ruf introduced the Ruf Greenster, while Porsche themselves presents us with a hybrid powered Cayenne and Panamera. Until very recently, electric Porsches were for those with either an engineering background, an eye toward the environment or someone with a good donor car to lend to the cause (maybe a combination of all three).
Today’s announcement by new Porsche CEO Michael Macht revealed that Porsche is considering, and working hard, on an electric-powered sports car that would meet the high demands of the Porsche brand.
“I am also convinced that one day Porsche will have an electric sports car in its line-up,” said Macht at the company’s press conference today. While he cautioned that so far the available battery technology is not “sufficient to meet Porsche’s strict requirements,” he said “our engineers are already working hard on this challenge.”
“An electric sports car would therefore only make sense for Porsche if it offers performance and a cruising range similar to that of current sports cars in the market,” he said. “We are therefore taking the first step in this direction with a full hybrid – in the Cayenne, the Panamera and maybe in the not too distant future also in a racing car or a production 911. Why not?”
Why not, indeed? Given the torque that full electric motors can produce, if Porsche’s engineers can unlock the secrets that would allow for a fully electric 911 to perform at the same level as today’s fossil fueled fleet, imagine the possibilities.
What I want to know is will an all electric 911 come with a sports exhaust option that plays the sound of a normally aspirated motor? I’m not sure I could live without the aural experience that I’ve come to know and love from Porsche. The full press release is below.
ATLANTA, September 15, 2009 — Speaking publicly for the first time at the Frankfurt Auto Show, Porsche’s new president and CEO, Michael Macht, revealed that Porsche is considering and working hard on an electric-powered sports car that would meet the high demands of the Porsche brand.
“I am also convinced that one day Porsche will have an electric sports car in its line-up,” said Macht at the company’s press conference today. While he cautioned that so far the available battery technology is not “sufficient to meet Porsche’s strict requirements,” he said “our engineers are already working hard on this challenge.”
“An electric sports car would therefore only make sense for Porsche if it offers performance and a cruising range similar to that of current sports cars in the market,” he said. “We are therefore taking the first step in this direction with a full hybrid – in the Cayenne, the Panamera and maybe in the not too distant future also in a racing car or a production 911. Why not?”
Macht pointed out that Porsche has a long legacy with hybrid technology as it was exactly 109 years ago that Professor Ferdinand Porsche built the first fully functioning car with hybrid technology.
Speaking about Porsche’s newest model, Macht said the new Panamera Gran Turismo is already generating thousands of orders just three days after its market launch in Europe.
The highly anticipated Panamera represents Porsche’s fourth model line and is the brand’s first-ever four-door sports car. It goes on sale in the U.S. on October 17, 2009.
“Although the car has only been at the dealership for three days, we already have 4,500 orders for the Panamera, most of them from customers who have not even seen the car yet,” he said Macht. “And since test drives for customers have only just started, sales of the Panamera are already making a very positive start.”
Another highlight of the press conference at Frankfurt was Porsche’s presentation of its new 2010 911 Turbo, the flagship of the venerable 911 range.
“The 911 Turbo is the spearhead in innovation throughout Porsche’s complete range of sports cars. It has been successful in the market for 35 years, accounting throughout this period for almost 80,000 units sold worldwide,” said Macht.
Premiering alongside the venerable Turbo will be a series of asphalt-burning 911s, including the 911 GT3 RS, and its race ready sibling the 911 GT3 Cup car.
Porsche also took the wraps off its limited-edition 911 Sport Classic at the Frankfurt show, marking a return to the tradition of occasionally issuing ultra-exclusive production cars. The Sport Classic will not be offered in the U.S. Production will be strictly limited to 250 units.
Written on September 13th, 2009 at 10:04am by 993C4S
UPDATE: Seems like the Changi Airport Group didn’t like their first attempt at a video either. Here’s an updated video of the race that shows things from a different perspective and shows that the race was a lot closer than I originally thought.
In a bid to answer the question, “Which is faster, a Jet or a Porsche?” (not to mention gather some much needed publicity), the Changi Airport group staged a race between a 747 and a Porsche GT3 Cup Car. In what looked like a fairly lopsided race the Porsche won quite handily. While the 747 wins the race for overall top-end, it would need to be airborne to overtake the Porsche.
As hard as they tried, the video and the race just doesn’t seem that exciting. The concept was interesting, but after watching the results, in the video above, I would say the best thing about he execution was the girl they used to wave the green starting flag (and her white boots). If a video with a better perspective is found, I’ll update this post and let you know. In the mean time, here’s a much more entertaining race for you.
As a Porsche fan, its been a bit frustrating over the last few years waiting for my favorite marque to get with the program and join the revolution, the social networking revolution that is. At times, it seems as if Porsche corporate moves at one of two speeds, slow or glacial. However, over the past few months something or someone has awakened the sleeping giant and they have actively and openly embraced the many outlets available on-line with which they can promote themselves. The latest endeavor, Porsche TV.
As part of the Porsche Channel on YouTube, the Official Porsche TV series takes various cars of today and yesterday and showcases their strengths both on and off the track. There are quite a few models to choose from and there should be something for everyone. My choice for today:
Porsche 911 993 Carrera from Official Porsche TV
Don’t forget, besides the official Porsche channel, you can also take a look at the PorschePurist.com channel on YouTube (we would love to have you subscribe) and on Flickr.
In June of this year Porsche was hard at work filming the world debut commercial for the Porsche Panamera. The shoot used 16 cars from Jerry Seinfeld’s collection and another 15 more from the likes of Roger Penske, Brumos, Mat Drendel and others. While the commercial was filmed at a former Marine Air Base in El Toro, California, it will be altered to look the Bonneville Salt Flats. The final version of the commercial should air sometime soon, but the video below provides a behind the scenes look at what production was actually like. The cars and the action in this video speak for themselves.
Sam Cabiglio, one of the world’s premier Porsche aficionados (and also works directly with Jerry Seinfeld to manage and his massive Porsche collection) was part of the making of this great commercial. As he said, “Too bad it had to end!”
Oh, how Porsche loves to tease us. Set to debut along side the new 911 Turbo, GT3 RS and Cup Race Car is the new 2010 Porsche 911 Sports Classic. The tease? You can’t buy one if you live in North America. However, for those lucky souls living in the ROW, for an entry fee starting at Euro 169,300, you can add one of these new 911s to your garage.
Highlights of the 2010 Porsche 911 Sports Classic
Wider body from Carrera 4S with unique front and rear bumpers, double-bubble roof and ducktail rear spoiler
Special light grey paint with darker grey accents
Interior in Espresso Nature with woven leather finish on seat centres, leather on air vents and door handles; light grey Alcantara roof lining
Power kit bumps 385 horsepower Carrera S engine to 408 bhp; six-speed
manual transmission only
Standard Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes
New 19-inch Fuchs-style wheel with silver outer lip and black center
Limited edition of 250 models worldwide
If you would like to see some additional photos of the 2010 Porsche 911 Sports Classic they are available on the PorschePurist.com new Flickr account. The full press release is below for your reading enjoyment.
Porsche AG has distilled the DNA of the classic 911 into an exclusive expression of class and style. Built in strictly limited numbers for the most enthusiastic and well-heeled fans, the 911 Sport Classic marks Porsche’s return to a tradition of occasionally issuing ultra-exclusive, small-series production cars. The 911 Sport Classic will be presented at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show and is limited in production to just 250 cars.
This very special 911 from Porsche Exclusive, the company’s specialist department, which builds customized versions of Porsche cars with levels of customization that go far beyond the company’s regular production models. Developed over three years, the 911 Sport Classic shows incredible attention to every detail, with each aspect of its design catering especially to the most demanding group of aficionados.
The unique character of the 911 Sport Classic is evident at first sight in the newly developed double-dome roof. Also, while this model is based on the rear-wheel-drive Carrera S, it features the wider rear body of the Carrera 4S, with its rear fenders swollen by 44 millimetres, and has a wider rear track. A striking SportDesign front apron with unique spoiler lip and the fixed ducktail rear spoiler (a visual reference to the 1973 Carrera RS 2.7) round off the unmistakable look of the 911 Sport Classic.
Power comes from Porsche’s 3.8-litre flat-six with Direct Fuel Injection (DFI), enhanced through the introduction of a newly-developed resonance intake manifold with six vacuum-controlled switching flaps. Together, they up power by 23 bhp to 408. The 911 Sport Classic comes exclusively with a six-speed manual gearbox.
Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB) are standard on this exclusive 911, as are a lowered PASM sports suspension and a mechanical rear axle differential. Custom-made 19-inch wheels, with their five-spoke centres painted black like the Fuchs rims familiar to fans of vintage 911s, offer a perfect match for the character of this most exclusive car.
The very special, highly sophisticated interior of the 911 Sport Classic demonstrates one of the core competences of Porsche Exclusive and is characterized by new materials never used before even by Porsche. One example is woven leather made up of smooth leather strips and woven yarn, featured on the seat centrepieces of the newly-designed adaptive sports seats complete with light-grey piping, and on the door panels.
The dashboard includes a wide range of inserts and custom trim components; it is finished in Espresso Nature natural leather, providing a distinctive contrast to the exterior paint in Sport Classic Grey.
Marking the introduction of this special limited edition model, Porsche Design Driver’s Selection will also introduce a range of new products at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Limited-edition AluFrame luggage as well as a polo shirt, a cap and a personalized lanyard mimic the colour concept of the 911 Sport Classic; a top-quality 1:43-scale model will also be available.
The Porsche 911 Sport Classic will not be available in North America. Sales worldwide begin in January 2010; the base price of the car is Euro 169,300.
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