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Porsche Museum: Top Secret!

November 20, 2014 by porsche Leave a Comment

Porsche Museum
Project: Top Secret!

17 September, 2014 to 11 January, 2015: „Project: Top secret!“

Everybody knows them but nobody talks about them – except us! Learn more about five decades of Porsche concept cars and prototypes.

As a living automobile museum, the Porsche-Museum annually presents numerous special exhibitions on specific topics or meaningful anniversaries. 2014, Porsche`s return to Le Mans will be honored with an extensive exhibition. The Porsche museum dedicates 60 years of Porsche concept cars and prototypes with the special exhibition „Project: Top Secret!“. Due to that special anniversary you might miss your personal favorite car in the exhibition.

As the physical manifestation of future concepts and technological strokes of genius, prototypes are as indispensable as they are confidential. Some are ahead of their time or just too bold, but they are never useless. Experience these models first hand in our upcoming special exhibition “Project: Top Secret!” in the Porsche Museum starting from September 17

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Porsche 968 Club Sport / Porsche review

June 28, 2014 by porsche Leave a Comment

Porsche review
Porsche 968 Club Sport

We takes a trip down a rather muggy memory lane with a 1994 Porsche 968 Club Sport

“It’s not a light precise car, by any means. It’s probably the polar opposite to driving something like a Lotus Elise, in that you need to really manhandle it. So, it’s almost a TVR with a totally different world of finesse: you can fling it into bends and it’s just beautifully neutral.”

The above is a description from the driver’s seat of a Porsche 968 Club Sport, one of Stuttgart’s more prominent entry-level models and successor to the awesome Porsche 944. In the early ‘90s, thanks to yet another recession, flashy overpriced sportscars were decidedly un-de rigeur, and company in-fighting – plus a bit of bad press – meant Porsche found itself overlooking the doldrums. Even the then-new Porsche 968 was being slated for being ‘a bit boring’. But then, in December 1992, a newer, more lightweight and decidedly more badass Porsche 968 – the Club Sport – was wheeled out to a baying public, which quickly swallowed it up and took said sports coupe to its heart.

Unsurprisingly, some 22 years after it first hit the tarmac, the Porsche 968’s stripped out, more dynamic Club Sport counterpart remains amongst the most desirable of Porsche’s exclusive front-engined models. Its heritage, its performance, and its pull as a ‘proper Porsche’ is difficult to resist. Such proved the case for Marcus Siddons, well-spoken gent and owner of the 1994 Porsche 968 CS you see above and below. And which today, we’re here to shoot.

Unusually for this time of year, today is proving a scorcher, crankandpiston.com photographer Arun and I already blinking heavily under our sunglasses and finding solace in the shadows. The heat though doesn’t appear to have dinted Marcus’ enthusiasm, and he’s more than happy to dive into the whats, whys, and wherefores of his 968 Club Sport whilst I get my breath back.

“I’d always yearned to have one since I was tiny, reading car magazines,” Marcus explains. “There were quite a few in the UK but they’d all been tracked to death. Then one day I was searching the classifieds out here, saw what I thought was a mint Club Sport. Turned out it was. It’s a Japanese spec, so it lived in Tokyo. Then a chap here – who had a few different Porsches I believe – had left it in a lock-up in Al Quoz for a couple of years, that’s where I found it. I bought it there and then on the spot with a handshake.”

Stage one complete: the 968 CS was in Marcus’s pocket. Then came stage two, the restoration. Despite the Porsche being mint…

“I’m a total perfectionist with these things, so over the last two and a half years I’ve slowly ticked off every little job that was annoying me”, Marcus continues. “The last was our friends at Dentmaster who came and took a tiny dint out of the bonnet, which probably nobody else would notice but I knew was there.”

Therein lies an example of Marcus’ devotion to the ‘94 968 CS. And that would just be the first step. Work on the interior included removing ‘some horrible cheap version of 3M screening on the back windscreen’ and replacing it. Small scratches on the paintwork have been eradicated, including repainting the entire roof. Miniscule scuffs to the bodywork have received similar treatment. The biggest was yet to come though, namely the suspension.

“That was the big one, having all the suspension refreshed. To be honest I deliberated for quite a few months before finally got it done with Alex Renner Motors. That was quite a scary one, and by my standards that means expensive!”

The effort – and money – has been well worth it though, a beaming Marcus nods. Fresh out the factory in 1994, the 1335kg Club Sport (down 50kg on a standard 968) boasted a front-engined three-litre twin-cam four-cylinder – the most powerful naturally aspirated unit at that time – which produced 240bhp. Said unit was mated to a six-speed manual transmission, rear-mounted in the interest of perfect(ish) weight distribution. Recaro bucket seats, dropped suspension and 17-inch wheels from the 911 complete the ‘phwoar’ factor. And all of this, quite remarkably, still looks brand new.

“What amazes me, and really satisfies me about mid-90s Porsches, is that you can pick out any little component and it looks like it’s new. I was looking at the boot latches the other day and they look impeccable. It’s the same under the engine bay. I’ve experienced, owned and driven lots of lovely cars in the past but I can’t think of any in which the components have survived this well. So as an ownership proposition, the 968 CS is a great opportunity.”

An opportunity that, despite Marcus being a member of Porsche Club UAE, rarely hits the track nowadays: his first such event, just one week after purchase, ended at 1am at the Yas Marina Circuit with a broken clutch. In fact, so keen is Marcus to preserve his ’94 coupe that it’s new home is a lock-up in his native UK, under the watchful eye of his father until such a time that Marcus himself returns.

“This is an oft-used phrase, but this really is a ‘car for life’ and I’d like to think it will be,” he explains. “It’s the kind of car I’d love my son to have in 25 years because – and again, much over-used – I sincerely don’t think they make them like this anymore.”

Certainly not. Under the beating sun we’ve all begun to wilt, and the Porsche 968 Club Sport has barely broken sweat. Nor should it. It’s badass, remember?

Porsche 968 Club Sport Photo gallery:

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*ORIGINAL POST DATE: October 2013

[source: crankandpiston.com]

Porsche Macan First Drive

February 22, 2014 by porsche Leave a Comment

First Drive
Porsche Macan

At the press launch of the 2015 Porsche Macan, the automaker cited research showing how the luxury small-crossover segment has grown 185 percent since 2007, to some 1.3 millions units worldwide. Such entries as the Audi Q5, BMW X3, Range Rover Evoque, Lexus RX, and Mercedes-Benz GLK have obviously resonated well with buyers. And the research projects that through 2024 the segment will grow another 3.4 percent annually. In other words, there are a lot of high-priced, high-profit SUVs to be hocked over the next decade. Of course, Porsche didn’t require any research to realize it needed in on this especially lucrative proposition. Enter the Porsche Macan.

Based on the Audi Q5, the two-row, five-seat Porsche Macan — its name is derived from the Indonesian word for tiger — starts at a “mere” $50,895, making it the second-least-expensive vehicle in the Porsche portfolio, at $300 dearer than a base 300-hp Porsche Cayenne. That price tag designates a Porsche Macan S, whose 340-hp, 339-lb-ft twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6, seven-speed dual-clutch PDK automatic, and Porsche Traction Management (PTM) all-wheel drive are good for 0-60 mph in as little as 5.0 seconds and a top speed of 156 mph. Step up to the 400-hp, 406-lb-ft twin-turbo 3.6-liter V-6 Macan Turbo, which improves the previous stats to a manufacturer-estimated 4.4 seconds and 164 mph, respectively, and you’ll shell out $73,295. Still, even at those eye-opening prices, Porsche plans to sell at least 50,000 Porsche Macans per year, with the flexibility to increase capacity if demand calls for it. All Porsche Macans will be built alongside the Porsche Cayenne and Panamera at the Leipzig factory where Porsche recently invested 500 million euro and added 1500 jobs. With diesel and plug-in hybrid variants in the pipeline (the 258-hp, 428-lb-ft turbo 3.0-liter diesel is confirmed for calendar year 2015), Porsche Macan capacity will be going nowhere but up. One survey of the Porsche Macan’s steel and aluminum façade, and it’s easy to see the family resemblances to the Cayenne (front), and to some extent, the Porsche 911 (rear). Michael Mauer, vice president of style at Porsche, takes pride in his new crossover’s coupelike profile (the slant of the rear window is severe, but still allows for 17.7 cubic feet of cargo with the rear seats up) and accentuated rear shoulders that highlight the use of mixed-size tires (as wide as 265 mm front and 295 rear).

There’s even a Porsche 918 – inspired profile “blade” that comes standard in black (S) or body color (Turbo), with a $1390 option to go with carbon fiber. Speaking of the 918, its steering wheel was used as the basis for the one in the Porsche Macan, whose interior treatment — round gauges, 7-inch touch screen, and button-heavy center tunnel — otherwise smacks of Porsche Cayenne and Panamera. My drive began on Porsche’s FIA-certified 2.3-mile road circuit that sits adjacent to the Leipzig factory. Every new Porsche that rolls out of the plant is taken on an evaluation run on this demanding track. First up: an S fitted with all-season tires (summer tires are a no-cost option), $1360 Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), $1490 Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus), and $1290 Sport Chrono Package that includes launch control and a Sport Plus button. No surprise, the dynamics were excellent for a roughly 4100-pound, 63.4-inch-tall crossover. Despite the all-season rubber limiting grip and producing more understeer than desired, the S proved predictable, fun, and plenty quick, its PTV Plus showing a grin-inducing propensity for rotating the rear under acceleration. Moreover, the brakes — front 13.8-inch discs with six-piston calipers, rear 13.0-inch discs with single-piston calipers — — xt up was the Turbo. It, too, was fitted with all-season tires, PASM, PTV Plus, and Sport Chrono.

Notable upgrades included the brawnier engine, larger 14.2-inch front/14.0-inch rear brakes (with red calipers instead of silver), and $2745 air suspension. Downgrade? An estimated 100 extra pounds of curb weight. While acceleration was noticeably better, improvement in handling seemed negligible at best. So unless stoplight drag racing is a priority, stick with the S.

Following the track portion, I sampled a Porsche Macan S with air suspension on the grounds’ 3.7-mile off-road circuit. Though 99 percent of Porsche Macan owners will never venture along topography mimicking the course’s 15 obstacles, which included a rocky climb, a side slant, and a steep ascent that Edmund Hillary would’ve struggled to navigate, it’s reassuring for the one percent to know this “soft-roader” can tackle tough terrain at the touch of a button. When engaged, Off-Road mode optimizes throttle sensitivity, shift points, and torque split to overcome the hairiest of endeavors. And if you are part of the one percent, opt for the air suspension, which raises maximum ground clearance from the steel springs’ 7.5 inches to 9.1, making the standard Hill Descent Control that much more fun to demonstrate.

Transitioning from off-road to the real world, the Porsche Macan wasted little time impressing with its luxury, refinement, and athleticism. Along country roads and the autobahn, the S and Turbo pampered drivers and passengers with a quiet, posh cabin; a supple yet sporty ride; and the power and poise to handle triple-digit blasts and meandering sweepers with equal ease. Throw in such options as $1600 Adaptive Cruise Control, $1380 Lane Keep Assist with Lane Change Assist, $1050 front/rear heated seats, $3140 Porsche Communication Management (PCM) with navigation (standard on Turbo), and $5690 Burmester High-End Surround System, and the Porsche Macan is a safe and sumptuous place to motor.

Matthias Müller, chairman of the board at Porsche, called the Porsche Macan “the right vehicle at the right time,” adding that it would not only “win over completely new customers,” but also “keep current customers happy.” I’m inclined to agree. After all, based on the undeniable success of the Porsche Cayenne and polarizing Panamera, both initially doubted and ridiculed by Porsche purists and auto experts, there’s no reason to question Müller’s claims. With more than 162,000 vehicles sold worldwide in 2013, he’s proven he can ring a register with the best of them.

[source: motortrend.com]

Porsche Macan – The cheapest Porsche in 30 years

February 22, 2014 by porsche Leave a Comment

Porsche Macan
Cheapest Porsche

Nothing could be easier than treating the arrival of Porsche’s second SUV model with a healthy dose of cynicism.

Porsche is most famous for its sports cars after all, and putting its badge on a 4WD wagon based on an Audi Q5 hardly seems the kind of cutting-edge engineering that has made the Porsche 911 iconic and delivered virtually every trophy worth winning in the world of motorsport.

The only problem is that even running an eye down the Porsche Macan’s specification chart makes for mouth-watering reading. Take the range-topping Turbo: with 294kW of power it has virtually as much grunt as a Porsche 911 Carrera S and with a claimed 0-100km/h figure of 4.6 seconds in the version fitted with launch control, is every bit as fast in a straight line.

More importantly, the Porsche Macan Turbo simply can’t be matched in horsepower terms by any rival which, if you believe in marketing-induced categories, includes other “premium” smaller SUVs such as the Range Rover Evoque, Audi Q5, BMW X3 or possibly the smaller Mercedes-Benz GLA.

None of these offer supercar performance but then, none approach the Porsche Macan Turbo’s price tag that will be $122,900 when it goes on sale in Australia in June.

And while cynics might say that’s the price to pay for a Porsche badge, there’s a reasonable argument that with only a claimed 30 per cent commonality between the Porsche Macan and the Audi Q5 that excludes the petrol engines, all body panels and glass, suspension components, interior and pretty much anything the customer and touch and see, you’re getting quite a bit of Porsche for the money.

The same goes for the rest of the range, starting with the $84,900 diesel that Porsche Australia believes will be the biggest selling model. It uses the same 3.0-litre Audi V6 fitted to the larger Porsche Cayenne but puts out an even meatier 190kW of power.

Then there’s the Porsche Macan S, which uses a smaller 250kW, 3.0-litre version of the Turbo’s all-new 3.6-litre petrol V6. At $87,200 it is also expected to attract new buyers to the brand and in fact, Porsche Australia reckons only five per cent of Porsche Macan sales will go towards buyers who might otherwise have considered a Porsche Cayenne.

That’s partly because of pricing, but also because the Porsche Macan is quite a different type of car despite its visual similarities. At 4681mm long, it’s a good 140mm shorter than its bigger brother and weighs a little less, even if the Turbo comes in at a not insubstantial 1925kg.

There are obvious Porsche styling cues such as the rounded headlamps, slatted air intakes and bulbous rear wheel arches, but with features such as a heavily sloping roof and tailgate and a wrap-over “clamshell” bonnet, the Porsche Macan has a tighter and tauter look than the Porsche Cayenne.

The idea is to give Porsche-style performance with five-seater practicality and the Porsche Macan does a pretty good job of that. There’s 500 litres of boot space, expandable to 1500 litres once the rear seats are folded flat although there’s no facility to do that from the cargo area.

Porsche’s seven-speed dual-clutch automated PDK gearbox is the only transmission choice, although all Porsche Macan models feature four-wheel-drive. It’s also Porsche’s own system, based on that found in the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 sports car that in normal circumstances sends drive to the rear wheels, but apportions torque forward when wheel slip is detected.

All three models come with conventional coil-sprung suspension, although the Turbo gets Porsche’s PASM electronically controlled dampers. Air suspension will be optional across the range, although there’s no word yet on how much extra it will cost. Like other options such as ceramic composite brake discs that are pricey options on the Porsche Cayenne, the air suspension is unlikely to come cheaply.

Despite performance figures that seem more in the supercar realm – the Turbo model fitted with optional launch control as part of the Sports Chrono package will hit 100km/h in a claimed 4.6 seconds from standstill – the Porsche Macan was also designed for off-road use.

To that end, there are features such as an off-road program for the combined 4WD, traction control and transmission systems, plus hill descent control. Short overhangs help provide descent approach and departure angles on steep hills, and the Porsche Macan’s ground clearance of 198mm can be increased to 230mm in vehicles with adjustable air suspension.

Fuel consumption is aided by features such as auto stop-start and active aerodynamics that close off cooling openings at speed but as could be expected, the almost two-tonne Turbo is no fuel-sipper, consuming a claimed average 9.2 litres per 100km, while producing 216g of carbon dioxide per kilometre.

The diesel variant does better at 6.3 L/100km and 164g/km, and still manages a decent turn of speed with 100km/h coming up in 6.3 seconds (or 6.1 with launch control).

Being the cheapest Porsche in 30 years will no doubt help the Porsche Macan take over the Cayenne’s crown as the best-selling model as well, but there’s more to this car than just a vaguely accessible price. Performance, the promise of better than average handling, the capacity to carry at least four passengers in comfort and more than a modicum of off road ability point to a car that’s deserving of the Porsche badge.

[source: theage.com.au]

Porsche Macan production is started at new ‘Porsche Leipzig’ plant

February 22, 2014 by porsche Leave a Comment

Porsche Macan
Porsche Leipzig

After over two years of construction and roughly 500 million euros ($684 million at current rates) invested, Porsche finally opened its Leipzig, Germany, factory expansion on February 11. The improvements to the plant are dedicated to building the Porsche Macan and include a new body shop, paint shop and assembly line that are advancing Porsche’s goal to sell 50,000 Porsche Macan’s per year. The company believes that the new model is going to push it to over 200,000 annual sales 3 years ahead of schedule, and the enlarged branch can support even more Porsche Macan production, if there is demand.

“We are totally convinced in the qualities of this location and that the Porsche Macan will be a marketing success,” said Porsche Chairman Matthias Müller during the opening celebration. The company opened its Porsche Leipzig factory in 2002 to build the Porsche Cayenne and added Porsche Panamera production in 2009.

The Porsche Macan models are due to launch in the US this summerwith prices starting at $49,900. Scroll down to learn all of the details about the Macan’s Leipzig assembly plant.

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PORSCHE CELEBRATES INAUGURATION OF ITS EXPANDED LEIPZIG PLANT

Atlanta/Leipzig. The drastically expanded Porsche plant in Leipzig officially opened today. Taking roughly two years from start to finish, the facilities now include a body shop and an ultra-modern paint shop in addition to the final assembly to accommodate the production of the new Porsche Macan with a capacity of 50,000 plus annually. The plant, which was designed to meet stringent environmental criteria, has been assembling the Cayenne and Panamera models of Porsche for the past 10 years. Matthias Müller, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG stated, “The fact that Porsche has invested half a billion Euro in the Leipzig plant in addition to the original 250 million Euro, thus creating 1,500 new jobs, makes one thing clear: We are totally convinced in the qualities of this location and that the Macan will be a marketing success.”

Porsche’s fifth model line, the new Porsche Macan S and Porsche Macan Turbo, will arrive at U.S. dealers this summer and will become true sports cars in the rapidly growing segment of compact SUVs. The Porsche Macan S is powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine with 340 hp and can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 5.0 seconds. The 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6 in the Porsche Macan Turbo produces 400 hp and makes the car sprint from zero to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds.

[source: autoblog.com]