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!).
A race-car, the most exciting concept to come from Weissach ever and an SUVs. I know, I didn’t think we would ever see it either, but they are all hybrids and they will all be on display at the 2010 Monterey Classic Car Weekend.
The Monterey Historic Weekend traditionally focuses on the most coveted automobiles from around the world, but rarely have vehicles with a “hybrid” designation so forcefully commanded the anticipation of attending enthusiasts. Porsche aims to change that status quo by proving just how tempting – and potent – Porsche’s Intelligent Performance can be. The German automaker is making its point with the new 918 Spyder, the 911 GT3 R Hybrid racecar, and the Cayenne S Hybrid – all joining a collection of Porsche classics and contemporary models on display during the Monterey festivities.
The annual gathering of automotive aficionados during the August 9 – 15 Monterey Peninsula Automotive Week is also a fitting venue to celebrate the company’s 60th anniversary year in America. In addition to introducing its new portfolio of hybrid cars, Porsche will be unveiling a new web site to go live next week that will feature contests, videos, stories and images, all celebrating the cars and people that put Porsche on the United States map six decades ago.
“Automotive passion is always alive and thriving within the Porsche community, but it’s particularly heated at this extraordinary event,” said Detlev von Platen, President and CEO, Porsche Cars North America. “Where else can you see the evolution of Porsche in America so magnificently displayed, from early sports cars like our 356 through our newest intelligence performance powerhouse, the 918 Spyder ?”
Among the Porsche models on display throughout the Monterey peninsula, the first North American public appearance of the 918 Spyder concept at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Sunday, August 15 will be a highlight. Just recently approved for production, the fuel-sipping, ultra-high- performance super sports car has already been pre-ordered by over 1000 enthusiasts.
With the potential of recording 78 mpg, the 918 Spyder is an impressive showcase of Porsche’s Intelligent Performance philosophy, but it’s not alone in getting performance enthusiasts to “think green.” Motorsports fans will have the opportunity to check out the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid August 12 – 15. The race car will be based at the Porsche Zentrum, a specially-built facility open to visitors located up Peter Hayes Hill on the compounds of the Pebble Beach Lodge. Attendees will also have a unique opportunity to see the car and chat with Porsche Works racer Patrick Long at “The Quail, A Motorsport Gathering” from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m on Friday, August 12. On Saturday, the 911 GT3 R Hybrid will be showcased at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion (formerly the Monterey Historic Automobile Races) at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, and then alongside the 918 Spyder at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Sunday.
The Quail Lodge will also be the place to see some of the world’s finest Porsche classics. Four rare automobiles from the Porsche Museum in Germany are en route to Monterey. Visitors will be able to enjoy the beautiful lines of a 1955 and 1958 356 Speedster, a 1960 356 B Carrera 2000 GS Carrera GT and a 1962 356 Carrera 2 Cabrio. Newer Porsche siblings are also on display, including new and latest models available for consumer test drives.
By now, I’m sure most of you are aware of Sir Stirling Moss’s “lift incident” where he stepped into the elevator (made out of Carbon Fiber no less) in his home only to find himself suddenly and surprisingly falling three floors to the bottom after the lift itself decided to stop on the floor above. As gracious and in good humor as ever, Sir Moss wrote a letter to all his friends and fans explaining the accident and his ongoing recovery and took the time to record the following video as well.
You Can’t Keep a Good Man Down
Suddenly confined to a wheelchair, yet again, Sir Stirling Moss was unable to attend this year’s show and auction at Amelia Island where he was to be the guest of honor and help celebrate the event’s 15th Anniversary.
Never one to let an accident stand in his way, Stirling acquired the Porsche RS 61 Spyder (shown above and below), a Porsche he has long sought after. Purchased via proxy for $1.705MM, at the Amelia Island Auction in Florida, run by Gooding & Company, on Friday, March 12th, a delighted Stirling and Susie [his wife] said “this makes a wonderful 30th Wedding Anniversary present” and added “its something to look forward too” when he recovers from his injuries.
Something “to look forward to”? That’s an understatement. Having won close to 50% of all the races he ever entered Sir Stirling Moss is most widely known as one of auto racing’s elite. His storied career includes experiences with dozens and dozens of manufacturers including Porsche. Moss is intimately familiar with the Porsche RS series as he raced them extensively and almost won the 1961 Targo Floria at the wheel of an RS.
Sir Stirling Moss is a Cross Between 007 and Austen Powers
What you may not know about the racing super star is his Bond like appreciation for gadgets, mechanical and otherwise. Take a look at the video below and you’ll understand what we’re talking about.
I wonder if we’ll see an ejector seat get added to the Porsche RS? You can visit Sir Stirling Moss’s web-site for more details on the Porsche itself, including provenance and history.
The Museum run by Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, Germany, has bidden “bon voyage” to its legendary one-of-a-kind Type 64 Berlin-Rome Car. Befitting the 60th anniversary of Porsche in America, the destination of the aluminum body of the Type 64 is the High Museum of Art here – the home of Porsche’s U.S. headquarters. This trans-oceanic trip to The High marks the first time the elegantly aerodynamic coupe has ever ventured outside of Germany.
The Type 64 will be a feature of The High’s “Allure of the Automobile” exhibition running March 21 to June 20, 2010.
In “The Allure of the Automobile,” The High – considered the Southeast’s leading fine-art museum – expresses its recognition of the outstanding automotive developments in the period from 1930 to 1960, focusing on the contrasts in the development of American and European automotive design. Type 64, which will be exhibited in its own gallery space, will be presented along with several other icons of the world of automobiles from Bugatti, Duesenberg, Jaguar, Ferrari, Pierce Arrow, Packard, Cadillac and Tucker. The 71-year old Porsche design, viewed as the precursor of all Porsches, is considered a triumph of exceptional design, innovative construction and superb craftsmanship.
Type 64 marks an essential milestone en route to the first Porsche, the Type 356 “No.1” built in 1948, and thus is of special significance in Porsche history. Built in 1938/39 under the guidance of Ferdinand Porsche, this unique car displayed the features that make Porsche cars special – light- weight construction and superior aerodynamics, exceptional performance, efficient yet reliable technology and a uniqueness of design – that remain embedded in the brand’s DNA to this day. Originally developed for the Berlin-Rome long-distance race, the Type 64 never participated in a race due to the onset of World War II.
“This incredible design piece is the only prewar Porsche and it has never been seen outside Germany,” said Detlev von Platen, President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America. “This may be a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ chance to see the Type 64 as it may not venture to this Hemisphere again for quite some time.”
Porsche, the sponsor of “The Allure of the Automobile” exhibit at The High Museum of Art, is also displaying another historic car, the 1953 Porsche 550 LeMans coupe, which will be on loan from the private Collier Collection of Porsche in Naples, Fla.
To learn more about the High Museum of Art and the exhibition, please visit www.High.org
When a nationally renowned fine art museum is showcasing cars as masterpieces of art in your home town you pay attention. When you are Porsche you become a patron and help welcome the cars that represent the industry’s most incredible designs.
The High Museum of Art exhibition, called, fittingly, the “The Allure of the Automobile,” is sponsored by the famous German sports car company, headquartered in Atlanta, and will feature some of the world’s most rare and spectacularly conceived vehicles ever produced. Among these exquisite collectors items from both sides of the Atlantic will be a 71-year old Porsche design that is considered the precursor to all Porsches—the 1938/39 Porsche Type 64.
This incredible design piece is the only prewar Porsche and has never been exhibited outside of Germany. It will be carefully removed from its perch at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart and flown to Atlanta for the exhibition that begins on March 21 and ends on June 20.
Porsche is also displaying another historic car, the 1953 Porsche 550 LeMans coupe, which will be on loan from the private Collier Collection of Porsche in Naples, Florida.
Porsche Rolling Sculptures
Sometimes referred to as “rolling sculptures,” the incredible cars of the show are a mixture of innovative engineering, uncompromising workmanship and breakthrough design. When viewed as pieces of art, they give admirers a completely new way of looking at the great design periods of our time, spanning the movements from the 1930s to the mid 1960s.
“Our visitors will be surprised to find that today’s vehicles come from a legacy of beauty and innovation comparable to the finest decorative arts that may be found in museum collections,” said Michael E. Shapiro, Director of the High Museum of Art. “This exhibition will showcase the greatest feats of engineering and luxury design from 1930 to 1965, when cars became synonymous with success, power and wealth. Created for the privileged few, the luxurious, custom-built automobiles embodied speed, style and elegance, and influenced art, architecture, fashion and design.”
Six Decades of Porsche in the U.S.
“The Allure of the Automobile” is being sponsored by Porsche Cars North America (PCNA), which is headquartered in Atlanta and is celebrating the brand’s 60th anniversary of selling cars in the U.S.
“The partnership with the High Museum of Art, one of the world’s renowned art museums, is a perfect fit for us,” said Detlev von Platen, President and CEO of PCNA. “This incredible exhibition, ‘The Allure of the Automobile,’ is a celebration of ground-breaking design and engineering — a theme that resonates throughout our brand.”
An Object of Design and Desire
As a focal point of the exhibition, the one-of-a-kind Porsche Type 64 is a unique object in automotive history. It is unlike any other car on display; in fact it is not actually a car at all, but a hand-built, aluminum shell that represents the essence of Porsche design. Even today, when new Porsches are being developed, designers still look to the Type 64 to remind them of the brand’s unique legacy.
The Golden Age of Design
As part of the “The Allure of the Automobile,” the Type 64 will be joined by an iconic list of the world’s finest cars from the “golden age of automobile design.” These include masterpieces by Bugatti, Duesenberg, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Pierce Arrow, Packard, Cadillac, Tucker and others. This first-of-its-kind presentation traces the evolution of the motorcar from the mid 1930s to the mid 1960s, examining the contrasts between American and European design, the influence of decorative arts and design and the significant changes in automotive styling and engineering both before and after World War II.
“Until World War I, most cars had been utilitarian objects with one principal goal: transportation,” said Ken Gross, guest curator of the exhibition. “But as tastes and wealth coincided, designers could create and/or customize an automobile’s body, dramatically altering its silhouette and decoration and producing artful, one-of-a-kind objects. Lavish and often beautifully trimmed with aluminum, chrome, inlaid wood and lacquer, the streamlined silhouettes of the finest mid-century cars represent prime examples of Art Moderne design.”
While the first part of the exhibition will spotlight the custom coachwork, art-inspired styling, luxury and opulence marked vehicles from the pre-war era, the second segment of the exhibition focuses on how the industry shifted in the post-war years, with the Europeans moving towards smaller, sportier models, while the American manufacturers concentrated on mass-producing cars for a booming economy.
To learn more about the High Museum of Art and the exhibition, please visit www.High.org
For those of you who couldn’t attend the 36th Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races in person last August, there’s the next best thing in Speed Channel’s hour-long special coverage of the event this Friday, October 16 at 8 p.m Eastern / 5 p.m. Pacific. You can catch all the action of 450 vintage cars racing in 15 groups spanning nearly every era of motorsports today as well as the passion of their drivers who consider this the most significant vintage racing event in the country. As most of you know, this year’s event featured Porsche as the honored marque.
While this first video starts off a little slow, it does have it all; a compilation of all the other videos below. So, if you watch just one, this is it. However, I would highly recommend you take a look at each of them. Even though some of the footage repeats from video to video it is minimal and there are some amazing cars and shots included in each one.
Monterey Video Compilation
About 50 seconds in, make sure you have the volume turned up and then get ready; Included is footage of the historic races, some of Porsche’s most famous and important race cars, interviews with Michael Mauer (designer of the Panamera), thoughts from Klaus Bishoff (head of Porsche’s rolling museum) and Porsches at Pebble Beach.
My favorite quote from the video, “To drive an RS 60 Spyder is a very good feeling. If you drive a 550 Spyder you’ll feel a little bit like James Dean but with the RS 60 it was a real race car and it make you happy!”
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