If not, it’s well worth the watch. Not Porsche’s typical video, this youtube special uses today’s multimedia technology to explain the history of the 911 and how it all comes together to create a unique “identity”. Perhaps what I like the most is the movie like projections of past models on the ghost like frame work of the new 991. As Porsche themselves say, “it’s instantly recognizable”.

If you’re having trouble seeing the video in your email, simply visit our site to watch the new 911. Development of the Porsche Identity.

Related Porsche Posts
2012 Porsche 911 Cold Weather Testing Video
2012 Porsche 991 – 911 First Official Video

This special 100,000th Cayenne, resplendent in “pure white”, is being delivered to a customer in Brazil complete with a V8 engine (the 250,000th first generation Cayenne was also done in white, but was of the diesel variety).

Strong Demand for Porsche Cayenne and Panamera Spurs Expansion

“Ten years ago the success story of Porsche Leipzig startet. What was a greenfield site, today ranks among the most modern car plants in the world. In addition to the Cayenne, Leipzig is also where Porsche produces the very successful Panamera luxury saloon, approximately 70,000 units of which have now rolled off the production line. That is why more than 93,800 vehicles left the Porsche plant in Leipzig in 2011, more than in any year before”, says Wolfgang Leimgruber, Member of the Executive Board of Production and Logistics of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG. “Because of the consistently high demand for the Cayenne and Panamera we will be introducing a third production shift in Leipzig at the end of January. With the new production sequence, 500 vehicles on average will be produced each day,” Leimgruber adds.

The introduction of a three shift operation is only one of many challenges in the near future. Building work for a major expansion of the plant is currently underway. A paint shop and body assembly line for an entirely new model line that will start to come off the Leipzig production line from the end of 2013 onward are among the facilities being built on a 17 hectare site. Porsche is investing a total of 500 million euro in the production site in Saxony for assembly of the Cajun, creating more than 1,000 new jobs.

Siegfried Bülow, President and Chief Executive Officer, explains:

“2012 will therefore be an eventful and exciting year in many respects. We are welcoming many new employees, holding topping-out ceremonies on the new site, celebrating the 500,000th Porsche “Made in Leipzig” and last but not least the tenth production anniversary.”

Related Porsche Posts
Forget about the Cabriolet, the Cayenne Diesel is Confirmed for the US
Installing a Cargo Box and Roof Rack on a Porsche Cayenne

When we bought our 2009 Cayenne one of the first things I did was to protect the outside of it with a clear bra. This turned out to be a great investment and my only regret is that I didn’t do something to protect the inside of my Porsche at the same time. You see, we split our time between Maine, Florida and a little barrier island off the coast of Massachusetts. Each one of these locations offers something unique in the way of dirtying the caramel interior of my Porsche (sand, mud, salt and slush). After nearly two years of stepping in and out of my Cayenne, the front mats were in pretty poor shape. With the weather turning colder and snow on the horizon I knew I needed to do something before things got any worse.

After looking around on the web I found a number of choices for Porsche Floor Mats

• SuncoastParts.com (this is where we buy almost all of our parts and accessories) had a couple of choices including a relatively inexpensive set of rubber floor mats ($92.95) as well as a complete set (front and rear) of fitted and branded heavy duty Porsche floor mats ($189.95).

• Then there was AutoAnything.com. They have a huge selection and are currently running a sale where you can save up to 35% off list on Floor Mats & get Free Shipping on top brands like Husky Liners, CatchAll, Hexomat and more! What’s nice about AutoAnything.com, is the selection (pricing ranges from $25 a set to over $100).

• Lastly, I looked at WeatherTech mats. They offered two choices: 1. The WeatherTech^® all-weather floor mats designed to keep your vehicle floors clean and clear of rain, snow, mud and debris. but may require some cutting (in the rear to get the right fit) ($99.95). And, 2. The DigitalFit^TM FloorLiners^TM which are custom cut to fit your Porsche perfectly right out of the box and offer even more protection that the “all weather mats”. ($179.90)

What We Chose and Why

I wanted to buy the branded, heavy duty mats from SuncoastParts.com. Not only are they a sponsor of our site, but it’s where we buy almost all our parts (for all three of our Porsches) and they always provide us with great service. Unfortunately, this one time, they simply didn’t have the color I wanted available (I wanted to closely match our interior color vs. offset it) and I couldn’t wait due to impending snow fall.

I considered the selection from AutoAnything.com (as they were by far the cheapest) but in the end I felt you really do get what you pay for. While some of their offerings were decent, none seemed to be a true custom fit and perhaps more importantly, none of them used our factory hardware to snap down. If this isn’t a concern and you’re cost conscious, they do have some good, inexpensive choices.

So, after careful consideration I ended up ordering the DigitalFit^TM FloorLiners^TM from WeatherTech (pictures above). While more expensive than their all-weather floor mats, the Digital Fit mats are custom cut to match the shape of my Cayenne and they used the factory floor snaps to stay in place. Even better, I already had a WeatherTech^® Cargo Liner in the back of the Cayenne, so now everything matches.

Final Thoughts of New Porsche Floor Mats

When my new mats arrived all I needed to do was take them out of the box and snap them into place. For the front mats you must remove your carpets in order to install the WeatherTech mats. Not only does this ensure you won’t further stain your Porsche mats, but you can use the those factory clips (in the Cayenne they’re round snaps) to hold the mats in place. While they recommend you remove your carpets in back too, I found that the WeatherTech mats were simply too short (see picture in gallery of rear seat. Notice how the new rubber mat stops well short of covering the original mat?). They fit the floor space in the back of the Cayenne perfectly, but they didn’t run under the back of the front seat the way the carpet does. After looking at pictures of all the various offerings, it seems this is a shortfall for any selection. As the rear mats don’t snap in, I opted to keep my carpets in place to further protect the floors in the event that any of my long legged friends decide to stretch their dirty shoes beyond the reach of the new mats.

One last thing to note. WeatherTech calls the color I ordered Tan. However, as you can see in the pictures, and like my cargo liner in the back, it’s more of a dark beige than anything else. It sill looks better than an even darker color like grey or black, but it’s definitely darker than it appears on the WeatherTech site.

Do you run Winter Floor Mats in Your Porsche

What about you? Do you use winter mats in your Porsche? It doesn’t matter if you drive a Cayenne or drive your 911, Boxster, Cayman, etc. year round. Any model can benefit from the protection these custom fit rubber mats afford.

Related Porsche Posts
Installing a Cargo Box and Roof Rack on a Porsche Cayenne
Will you drive your Porsche this winter or put it in Storage?
How to Wash, Polish, Wax and Detail your Porsche

[Show as slideshow]

12►

Fast forward a number of years to today and Brenda doesn’t have to sneak around quite as much as she did in the beginning. Sure, you can still find her hiding behind a cactus with a long range lens now and then, but these days car manufacturers are courting her. After all, when you have relationships with all the major automotive magazines and blogs (each willing to pay good money for your photos), why wouldn’t a manufacturer want to be on good terms with you? Case in point, Porsche and the Cayman R.

Waiting Our Turn

Here at PorschePurist.com we’ve been waiting patiently for our turn at the Cayman R. We knew we were on the list to get it from the Porsche press fleet some time in the late fall of 2011, we just didn’t have an exact date. So, when enough time went by and we hadn’t heard anything from our friends at PCNA, we called to check in. What we found out was that we wouldn’t be getting the Cayman R at all. Unfortunately, the journalist who had it last was involved in an accident (someone blindsided him as he was leaving the airport). Fortunately, he wasn’t hurt, but the Cayman R for our region wasn’t so lucky and it’s now out of commission for good. So, when we saw Brenda posting pics of another Cayman R on Facebook we touched base to see if she wanted to share her experience with our readers.

Not Quite Spy Photos of the Porsche Cayman R

Unlike our other Porsche reviews, this one doesn’t contain text. Instead, it’s Brenda’s gallery of work taken while enjoying her time in the Porsche Cayman R. To showcase Brenda’s work, we’re using a new gallery feature we just installed. If you’re having any trouble viewing them in this new format, please let us know and visit the site directly to see them for yourself.

A special thanks to Brenda for sharing her work. She asked us to remind you that these images are all copyrighted. Hot-linking, copying or reuse on the internet, in print, or elsewhere, is not permitted without written permission from Brenda Priddy & Company. For more info about Brenda and her work you can either check out the Motortrend interview we linked to at the beginning of this article or see her Facebook page.

Related Porsche Posts
Confessions of a Cayman Convert
Is the 2012 Porsche Boxster a “Chick’s” Car?
Drive This Porsche and You Just Might Forsake All Others
Exploring the San Francisco Bay Area in a Panamera 4S

If you follow us on Twitter or have liked are Facebook page then you already know that just two days after dropping the top on the new 911 Cabriolet at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Porsche unveiled a few official details of the 2013 Porsche Boxster. Set to make its world debut in Geneva, the new Boxster weighs less than the previous generation, has a longer wheel base, wider track and even more power (see the video at the end for a quick look at the new Boxster in action).

While information on the new Boxster is sparse (expect more in March around the Geneva Auto Show) we do know that the first offerings will be a base Boxster and it’s athletic, more powerful brother, the Boxster S. The base model gets an additional 10 horses (bring the total to 265) from a 2.7 liter power plant while the Boxster S goes up by 5hp (from 310 to 315). Both Porsches come standard with a 6 speed manual transmission but can be optioned with PDK if you so choose. With PDK, the Boxsters get their best fuel consumption and will do zero to 60 in 5.4 seconds and 4.7 seconds respectively.

Besides the redesigned exterior and larger wheels, the Boxster gets a completely redesigned interior reminiscent of the Carrera GT. See the rake center console? Porsche says it improves ergonomics. We just think it looks great. Along with the interior, the Boxster gets a new electronic roof which dispenses with the convertible top compartment lid. No word yet on if there’s any additional storage as a result.

If you can’t see the video above, see it on our YouTube. Video of the 2013 Porsche Boxster.

2013 Porsche Boxster Pricing

The new Boxster models are expected in U.S. showrooms in early summer 2012. The basic list price will be $49,500 for the Boxster and $60,900 for the Boxster S, not including a $950 destination charge. Hopefully we’ll get to drive one soon and let you know how they perform.

Related Porsche Posts
Did you miss Porsche’s Press Conference in Detroit? Watch the Recorded Version!
Is the 2012 Porsche Boxster a “Chick” Car?

There’s no question that $109,500 is a high asking price for Porsche 928. However, this isn’t any ordinary 928. It’s a 1994 GTS and a pretty special one at that. You see, the Porsche 928 GTS is already a rare Porsche in its own right. While the numbers vary from source to source, most agree that for the 3 years the 928 GTS came into the US only 406 of them made their way to our shores.

Within this select group of US bound Porsche 928s, the majority had automatic transmissions and almost all of them had sunroofs. So, when you find a GTS that was ordered with a 5spd, you know you have a rare Porsche (e.g. in 1994 only 44 of the 139 imported had manual transmissions). However, if you find a GTS with both a 5spd and a “sunroof delete” option we’re now talking über rare; a 1 of 1 kind of rare (and that’s exactly what Michael Willhoit did with the car pictured above and below).

With only 19,000 miles, a midnight blue metallic exterior over classic gray leather interior and a Certificate of Authenticity from Porsche listing many other options, this 928 GTS presents a unique opportunity for the right collector at $109,500. Some might even say it’s a bargain. You can follow the auction yourself on ebay or see more pictures and the complete listing on Willhoit’s web-site.

Porsche 928 GTS Production Numbers*

Porsche produced the 928 GTS from 1992 to 1995. However, not all model years made it to the US. The US was introduced to the car in late 1992 but as a 1993 model year. Of the 2887 produced worldwide, 1932 of them were produced during the time that Porsche sold them in the US. And, as mentioned above, of the 1932 produced for model year’s 1993, 1994 and 1995 only 406 came into the US. Almost all of those 928s had a sunroof (some say dealers ordered them this way because it was high dollar option and a luxury item for the time) and most had automatic transmission.

Willhoit is No Stranger to Super Rare, Super Nice Porsches

We ask if this Porsche is the “Holy Grail” of Porsche 928s because Michael Willhoit is known for “making” the market for these cars. Most know that Michael asks big dollars for his cars, but with good reason. His Porsche 928 offerings are some of the best in the world (as the subject of this story proves) and he’s set pricing records on a number of previous sales (highest known price to date is $114,500 for a 95 GTS with 13k miles).

Interestingly enough, this isn’t the first time Michael sold this car. In fact, he sold it to the current owner (an avid collector) a little over a year ago and is happy to have it back.

“This is the ‘Holy Grail’ of 928 GTS’s,” said Michael. “This is a special car. It’s the one and only in the US that was made with a sunroof delete and a manual transmission. Owning this 928 allows you to own a Porsche that no one else has.” he added.

Sunroof Delete is Popular after Market Upgrade

If you spend any time on the Porsche forums you’ll see that there are mixed feelings about the sunroof in the Porsche 928. For taller drivers it can cut into headroom (especially if you want to track your Porsche and need to wear a helmet), some say it simply adds extra weight (although the weight savings without one is minimal) and for others it is simply too small to provide any benefit. Whatever the reason, a quick search of Rennlist shows 255 threads talking about the idea of a “sunroof delete” for the Porsche 928. There are even upgrade paths to remove and replace the entire roof.

Will This Porsche Set a New Record High?

Even if you’re not in the market for this type of collectible Porsche, it will be interesting to watch the sales process and see if a new record is set. You can follow the auction yourself on ebay or see more pictures and the complete listing on Willhoit’s web-site.

Related Porsche Posts
Record Sales Price of $103,500 set for 1995 928 GTS
The Porsche 928 as an Investment
How a Porsche 928 Saved a Life and Influenced a Career
1994 Porsche 928 GTS Sells for $92,500
The 3 Most Common Myths about the Porsche 928

*Production numbers vary based on source. Most of these numbers came by hunting through Rennlist. We had trouble verifying the breakdown of 1993 manuals vs. automatics so if anyone has better numbers for ’93 please let us know.

Amdittedly, this year’s show isn’t as exciting as last year’s introduction of the Porsche 918 RSR concept, but it still provided some valuable insight into Porsche’s future plans.

Highlights from the World Premier of the 2012 Porsche 911 Cabriolet

• 2011 saw record sales of nearly 120,000 Porsches

• Porsche plans to double sales to more than 200,000 customer deliveries by 2018

• Affirmed the importance of the North American Market through the construction of the new Customer Experience Center in Atlanta

• Hinted at many new models to come in order to meet aggressive sales figures

• The 911 Carrera Cabriolets will be available later in the spring of 2012. The new 2012 911 Carrera Cabriolet will have a base MSRP of $93,700, while the 2012 911 Carrera S Cabriolet base MSRP will be $103,800 (excluding destination).

Related Porsche Posts
Guess How Many Porsches Were Sold in the US During 2011?
Porsche 918 RSR Goes Missing from Detroit

Given the success of the Cayenne, and Porsches much publicized call to increase sales, I suppose it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility. In fact, with the merger of VW and Porsche, there’s even a possible platform to be shared in the form of the VW Amarok. Even more surprising, there is some precedent in the form of private conversions like this Porsche 914 Pickup and this Porsche 928 Pickup conversion.

Porsche TranSport Designed by Nouphone J. Bansasine

The images above and below come from the senior design thesis of automotive designer Nouphone J. Bansasine. While Nouphone has no formal relationship with Porsche, he has designed concepts for Volvo and has a few other Porsche concepts in his portfolio.

While I think a Porsche pickup truck is unlikely any time soon, it’s still fun to see renditions of what one might look like. What do you think? Given Porsche’s push to increase sales will we see a Porsche pickup truck with that oh so familiar badge at some point in the future?

Related Porsche Posts
Rumors Plague Porsche
New Porsche 356 Speedster Speculation

Porsche to Unveil the 911 Cabriolet in Detroit

It’s safe to say that last year’s Detroit show was most likely a bit more exciting for Porsche fans than what is planned this year. That’s not to say there’s nothing fun about a world premier, especially one that shows the drop top variant of the new 2012 911. It’s just that it’s hard to compete with the premier of the Porsche 918 RSR. Unlike the 918, it’s a safe bet that the 911 Cabriolet will still be on hand when the show opens to the public this year (unlike the disappearance of the 918).

What’s With Yet Another Porsche Model

The Cabriolet was a given, but the Cayenne is somewhat of a surprise. However, if Porsche wants to continue their impressive sales growth they need new models (like the Cayenne Diesel) to move them along.

In 2011, Porsche’s dealers in the USA sold 29,023 Cayennes, Panameras, 911s, Boxsters and Caymans to US customers. That was 15 per cent more than in the previous year. For 2012, Porsche expects sales in the US to exceed 30,000 units. Seems pretty conservative to me given the size and importance of the US market to Porsche.

“The USA is and remains an important market for Porsche with good growth prospects,” said Bernhard Maier, Porsche AG Board of Management Member for Sales and Marketing. “By building a new headquarters in Atlanta in the US State of Georgia we are underlining our growth ambitions in the region,” continued Maier.

Porsche’s new US Headquarters

The complex, adjacent to the new terminal of Atlanta’s international airport, will comprise not just modern, energy-efficient offices for approximately 400 employees but also the technical service department as well as a training center and circuit where customers can test the Porsche vehicles’ outstanding driving characteristics. The new US headquarters, which will for the first time centralize all administrative, training and sales functions and financial services, is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2013. Porsche Cars North America has been based in Atlanta for the past 13 years. Porsche also plans to build an additional customer test facility in Carson in California, between the airports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Porsche is investing more than 100 million US dollars in the Atlanta head office and test facility in Carson.

Related Porsche Posts
Pictures, Pricing and Video of the 2012 Porsche 911 Cabriolet
A 10 Minute Look Behind The Scenes on How Porsche Road Tested the New 911
Our First Drive in the 2012 Porsche 911
Porsche Chooses a Diesel to Mark Production of the 250,000th Cayenne

Rodger Hawley, owner of Orbit Racing in Riviera Beach, Florida, found an owner of a 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS who was game to give it a go. According to Rodger, the project uses all original Porsche factory body parts from a Cup R (a RSR variant raced in Europe and not sold in the US) that provides the exact same body dimensions as the RSR, but with benefits. Perhaps the biggest reason why Orbit chose the Cup R body panels is that they allowed use of the stock radiators and duct work from the donor RS (saving the owner $50k by not having to purchase all the ancillary parts from an actual RSR). Upon completion, the only visible difference is the shape of the inlet ducts (something anyone other than a Porsche race engineer probably won’t notice). Another benefit of the Cup R parts is the ability to retain the factory turn signal housings in the front bumper (a necessity for a street legal Porsche).

Ride Height and Suspension Geometry

The project, originally expected to take around five weeks, ended up taking closer to ten, said Hawley. When I asked him the reasons for the extra five weeks, he couldn’t point to any one thing in particular. He did, however, discuss the time and attention needed to deal with ride height. More specifically, he talked about the geometry of the suspension and the expertise needed to get it right; in effect, providing a comfortable experience at the now even lower ride height while accommodating much more rubber than normal.

While the engine remains stock for now at 3.8 liters (Rodger says the owner has future plans to increase displacement to 4.1 or 4.2) the build is nothing short of stunning. Since the completion of this project, Orbit has had multiple requests for even more conversions. Rodger thinks similar conversions will take around 8 weeks to complete. While cost wasn’t disclosed, Rodger did mention that his team put over 200 hours into this project and that’s just labor alone. All in all, if you can afford it, it seems like a great way to have an amazing, wide body RSR look for reasonable money (remember it’s all relative).

Watch and Learn How to Build a Street Legal Porsche 911 GT3 RSR

Fortunately, Rodger and Orbit likes to document their work. The crew at Orbit Racing took hundreds of pictures during the construction phase of this project and put each of them (along with a lot of notes) up on their web-site. Follow this link to start at the beginning. Just hit the “previous” button (you’re going in reverse order) after viewing each picture to see the next in line.

About the only thing better than the photo documented build are the four videos Orbit produced during the project. They show a fair amount of the work and explain some of the more difficult steps of the build process. The third video is by far the most detailed and explains how Orbit tackled some of the suspension issues. We posted them below for your viewing pleasure.

Be sure to check out the Orbit Racing site for pictures and videos of other completed project and ongoing conversions. Special thanks to Rodger for taking the time to speak with us about this extraordinary project!

Related Porsche Posts
10 Porsche Christmas Gift Ideas
Racing Porsche Liveries Recreated with Legos
2012 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR Pictures, Pricing and Specs
2012-spec Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is the Last of the 997s
A Video Look Inside the Porsche 997 GT3 RSR

[Photo Source: TeamSpeed.com, Orbit Racing, F1Photography.net]