Last week Porsche announced that not only would Jeff Zwart be competing in the Pikes Peak Hillclimb with a street car (the Porsche 911 GT2 RS) he would be driving said Porsche to the race on an 1138 mile road trip. Seeing how Jeff’s an accomplished film and commercial director, who better than he to document his own trip. Enjoy the video below.
Video of Jeff Zwart Driving the Porsche 911 GT2 RS to Pikes Peak
Were you one of the last week’s 111 million viewers of the Super Bowl? With such a huge number of viewers, chances are good that you were. Like a lot of other people, we watch for both the game and the commercials. While we enjoyed the game, we found this year’s commercial selection to be a bit lacking. However, there was one spot in particular that stood out (if you’re reading this post via email you may need to visit our site to watch the videos below).
Did the video above look familiar? No? Watch the video below and then ask yourself, “did Mercedes take a page from the Porsche “Family Tree” commercial?”
Oh yeah, one last thing. We’re sure you must have heard that Janis Joplin song at the very beginning of the Mercedes ad. Seems to us they forgot a line…
The Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid made its driving debut on a closed road in Monterey California, just days prior to its appearance at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
After being shipped over from Germany by plane, engineers handed the keys of the new 918 Spyder Hybrid to Porsche AG Design Chief Michael Mauer. The car drove under its own power, which comes from the mid mounted 3.4 liter V8 out of the RS Spyder as well as an all electric mode which powers just the front wheels. The video below was created for Porsche by our friend J.F. Musial at Tangent Vector. Watch and enjoy (if you’re viewing this via email, you may need to click the title of the post to see the video, trust me, it’s worth it!).
Since April 19th we’ve received close to 20 different press releases (possibly more, but I think I may have deleted a few) from Porsche’s PR department. Generally, we publish most of them, but we don’t necessarily send them out in our newsletters (remember this post about stealth publishing). I figure if we published and sent out a newsletter every time Porsche releases a new piece of press you would hit the unsubscribe button faster then the 0 to 60 time of the new GT2 RS (3.4 seconds if you were wondering).
While we try to save the newsletter for more then just promotional items sometimes Porsche puts out something so juicy we just can’t resist. The new 911 GT2 RS is one such item. As “The Most Powerful Street Legal Porsche of All Time” (620 HP), a production limit of just 500 worldwide and a price tag just $5k shy of a cool quarter of a million we couldn’t resit. The excellent video intro, featured below, definitely didn’t hurt either. The original press release is published after the video for those of you that haven’t yet had a chance to view the details.
The time: seven minutes, 18 seconds on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. The power: 620 hp. The weight: 3,020 lb (1,370 kilograms) in road trim with all fluids on board. The car: the new 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS.
90 More Horsepower, 154 lbs Less Filling
The latest 911 is the fastest and most powerful road-going sports car ever built in the history of Porsche. With horsepower (hp) up by 90 and weight down by 154 lbs (70 kilograms) in comparison with the previous 911 GT2, the new 911 GT2 RS has a power-to-weight ratio of just 4.9 lbs (2.21 kg) per horsepower, by far the best power/weight ratio in its class. These are the ideal ingredients for an ultra-high-performance sports car with supreme agility and truly blistering performance on the road. Perfectly illustrating Porsche Intelligent Performance, the 2011 GT2 RS achieves a reduction of approximately 5 percent for both fuel consumption and CO2 emission reduction when compared with the previous 911 GT2.
The 3.6 liter six-cylinder boxer engine features two variable turbine geometry turbochargers and provides power to the rear wheels exclusively through a six-speed manual gearbox. Equally impressive stopping power comes from Porsche Composite Ceramic Brakes (PCCB).
Unique Tires, One of a Kind Performance
New tires were specifically developed for the 911 GT2 RS and measure 245/35 ZR 19 at the front and 325/30 ZR 19 at the rear, delivering cornering performance to match the straight-line speed. Extreme cornering dynamics are ensured by the setup of the springs, Porsche Adaptive Suspension Management (PASM), unique anti-roll bars, specific engine mounts and recalibrated Porsche Stability Management (PSM), whose stability and traction control functions can be switched off individually.
The combined effect of these developments is evident on the racetrack. In fact, the ultimate 911 accelerates from 0-60 in 3.4 seconds, boasts a top-track speed of 205 mph and laps the famed Nürburgring-Nordschleife racetrack in just 7 minutes and 18 seconds.
Carbon Fiber, Limited Production
In its looks, the new 911 GT2 RS stands out clearly from the other 911 models through the lavish use of carbon-fiber-reinforced (CFR) components with a matt-black surface finish, even wider wheels (including flared wheel arches at the front), new light-alloy wheels with central locking and “GT2 RS“ model designations on the doors and rear lid. Matte-finish carbon also graces the redesigned front spoiler lip and the 3/8th of an inch (10 mm) taller rear spoiler lip – which both enhance aerodynamics and provide extra downforce.
The interior of the 911 GT2 RS also exudes sporting performance in virtually every detail. Lightweight two-piece bucket seats made of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic are standard, as are lightweight door panels with fabric straps instead of traditional door handles. The basic interior color is black, which contrasts with red elements, such as the seat center sections, the roof lining and segments of the steering wheel rim. The gearshift and handbrake lever are also finished in red alcantara.
Limited to just 500 units worldwide, the 911 GT2 RS will be available in the U.S. October 2010 and will have a MSRP of $245.000. The GT2 RS is making its world debut at the Moscow Auto Show on August 25th 2010.
I do, so I thought you might too. This might just be one big promotion for Porsche, but who cares (in fact, I’m sure it’s the point)! Outside of the comments about Porsche’s cooking ability and their eco-friendly initiatives (watch the video and you’ll understand) this is seven minutes of pure HD Porsche joy. Hey Porsche, when are we getting invited to visit Leipzig?
Here’s an interesting Porsche Factoid. William Scholar, the founder of the Porsche Club of America, is reported to have directed one of the first Porsche factory tour videos showcasing just how the Porsche 356 was put together titled “Made by Hand” and showcased below. It doesn’t matter if you’re a 356 owner/fan or not. This is a much watch series for all Porsche fans and all PCA members. Many thanks to Richard Sloan for sending it over.
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