Porsche 911 2006 News

Testing of prototypes in Europe points to a preview sometime next year, even with the rollout of the current 997 continuing with everything from the GT3 to the ultimate GT2 RS.  Cars have been caught by Carparazzi in both winter testing in Scandinavia and hot laps at the Nurburgring, where a radical new hybrid 911 racer - using a kinetic energy recovery system developed by Williams F1 - led the Nurburgring 24-hour race a fortnight ago. The new 911 is the 998 series and European sources hint at a first public appearance towards the end of 2011, most likely at the Frankfurt Motor Show. That would indicate Australian sales sometime in the first half of 2012. Development of the 998, says Carparazzi, is focussed on improving the car's efficiency.  The current 997-series 911 has all-new engines so there will be no change in capacity for the 998, just more work on emissions and fuel economy. The car is also likely to be lighter, with more aluminium in key areas, and will have the latest paddle-shift PDK gearbox. Porsche tries to disguise the 998 test cars with fake air vents in the rear wings, hoping to distract with talk about something on the GT2 turbo front. But the car is definitely the new model, with a slightly lower line and what looks like a longer wheelbase.  It also has giveaway mirrors which have - like a growing number of cars - been moved onto the door itself from the area around the A-pillar. The latest Carparazzi picture also shows the car's genuine tail lamps for the first time and points to headlamps which are slightly more upright.

That's the bottom line on the 911 Turbo S convertible, which will be unveiled next month at the Geneva Motor Show before local sales in September.The force-fed droptop, which also comes as a coupe for $423,300, has had a major power boost from the 'regular' 911 Turbo's 368 kiloWatts to a full-house 390 - with 700 Newton-metres of torque.Porsche says the extra punch drops the 0-100km/h sprint time to 3.3 seconds and lifts the top speed to 315km/h.  The Turbo S comes standard with Porsche's Sport Chrono package, including launch control, as well as paddles to shift the PDK seven-speed, dual-clutch gearbox.It's the first new Turbo S model from Porsche in five years and comes with traction management, all-wheel-drive and a mechanical rear differential lock.Porsche says it has also improved efficiency with fuel economy of 11.4 litres/100km, no more than the regular 911 Turbo.

Only about five Porsche 911 Sport Classics — a hand-built, bespoke celebration of the 911's 40-year history — will come to Australia from a fixed global production run of just 250. So exclusive is the car that Porsche Australia spokesman Paul Ellis doesn't know the final price and has yet to take any orders. "But we know we'll sell what we can get," he says. "This is a very exclusive car that is basically hand built. It even has a woven leather interior as well as the very best components from Porsche." The Porsche 911 Sport Classic revives the aura of one of its most outstanding models, the 1973 Carrera RS 2.7. It's taken Porsche three years to develop this car and yet it will make only 250 units. To be shown at next week's Frankfurt Motor Show, the Sport Classic has been developed by the company's specialist department, Porsche Exclusive. Reflecting the Carrera's design is the Sport Classic's ducktail rear spoiler and the Fuchs-style design of the special custom-made alloy wheels. The distinctive double-dome roof is borrowed from the style of the 911 Panamericana show car and in the roofline of the Carrera GT. The coupe is further defined by its more powerful engine, unique exterior with reshaped front and rear styling, a new centre section in the roof, new side sills and new shape of front and rear lights. Porsche says that every car in this limited series comes in an exclusive paint colour called Sport Classic Grey with subtle dark trim strips. The interior is finished in Espresso Nature and is claimed to go further than the current customising portfolio available on the other 911 models. Power comes from a worked version of the 3.8-litre flat-six engine that now delivers 300kW. The engine has a unique six-butterfly intake manifold. The Sport Classic has a six-speed manual transmission and sprints to 100km/h from rest in 4.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 302km/h. Fuel consumption, for those who care, is claimed to average 10.6 litres/100km. While the limited edition 911 Sport Classic is based on the 911 Carrera S, it has aluminium doors and features the rear bodywork of the all-wheel drive models — meaning it is 44mm wider and has a rear track extended by 34mm.  

RETIRED V8 Supercar racer Paul Weel is going back to his motorsport roots with an all-out attack on the 2009 Australasian Safari.Weel began as an off-road racer and is heading back into the bush for the Safari, driving a V8-engined Holden Colorado.But there is a twist.He is doing the outback enduro in Western Australia with his father, Kees, as his co-driver. And their car is one that Weel Snr crashed in last year's Safari.Weel is so committed to success he even ran a 500-kilometre test last week, the first time he drove a competition car since a massive crash at Bathurst last year which could easily have been fatal. He was T-boned in his PWR Commodore at the top of Mount Panorama."I'm pretty excited. It's been quite a while since my Bathurst accident, so it's great to finally be back behind the wheel of a racing car again," Weel says."I'm learning how to drive on dirt again after so long racing V8 Supercars. You feel like you're going pretty quick, racing through the bush at 200km/h with trees flashing past on either side of you."The Safari begins a week from tomorrow, August 1, and covers 3600 kilometres from Perth to Kalgoorlie, with overnight stops in Geraldton, Mt Magnet, Leonora and Laverton.DAVID Wall continued his romp towards the Australian GT championship title when he swept two of three sports car races at Eastern Creek last weekend with his Porsche GT3 Cup S. The other star on the packed Shannons Nationals program was Mat Sofi, who broke through for his first win in Formula 3 while Tim Macrow reduced overseas raider Joey Foster's lead in the championship battle.CHAD Reed continues to lead the chase for the 450cc title in the AMA Pro Motocross championship following a 1-2 result at Millville last weekend. He is now 37 points clear on his Rockstar Suzuki with five rounds to run.NEAL Bates is looking for more speed this week from his Toyota Corolla as he prepares for the winner-take-all showdown with his former team-mate, and championship leader, Simon Evans at Rally SA next weekend. Bates knows Evans has a top-speed advantage with his Mitsubishi Lancer and has several tweaks to test in Canberra before packing for the trip to Adelaide and the last event of this year's national championship series.Off-road superstars Bruce Garland and Harry Suzuki will tune up for next year's Dakar Rally by competing in the 2009 Australasian Safari with their Isuzu D-MAX ute in Western Australia. The five-time Safari winner was third last year and expects better in his latest beast thanks to engine upgrading, which he also believes will allow him to improve on his 11th overall in this year's Dakar in South America.FRENCHMAN Jamie Alguersuari will become the youngest driver to race in Formula One, at 19 years and 125 days, when he replaces Sebastian Bourdais in the Toro Rosso team at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Alguersuari is a former British Formula 3 champion who was groomed through the Red Bull young driver academy.CHRIS Atkinson is back in Monaco to try and revive his stalled career in the World Rally Championship, including a start in his home event, Repco Rally Australia, in September. His trip to Europe included a stopover in the USA to visit Ken Block, a Subaru driver who also stars in the X-Games, perhaps pointing to more American action for the speedy Australia.DANIEL Ricciardo continues to lead the race for the British Formula 3 championship despite finishing slightly off the pace in both races at Donington Park last weekend. The young Aussie was quickest in qualifying but fell back to seventh in the first race before recovering for third, but in the second heat could do no better than fifth with the Carlin Motorsport team.THE son of John Surtees, the only racer to win world championships on both two and four wheels, was killed last weekend in a Formula 2 crash in Britain. Henry Surtees had taken his first F2 podium at Brands Hatch in the first of two heats, but died after being hit in the head by a wheel from another car that crashed in the second race. 

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation was deep in discussions with the organisers of the European GT3 Championship — contested by race versions of cars such as the Dodge Viper, Chevrolet Corvette, Porsche 911 and Lamborghini Gallardo — but the class will not race at the Australian Grand Prix in 2007.It is understood the bid to bring the GT3 racers to Australia was on track until late last week.Australian Grand Prix Corporation chief executive Tim Bamford said the company was involved in discussions with European GT3 series organiser Stephane Ratel."Up to the last minute we are considering options and making decisions, so the reality is there is lots of things that we think about," Bamford said.He said the fact the GT3 championship would not run at the Grand Prix did not detract from the event."I think that really it is a matter of making sure we have got the best possible package of entertainment and we are confident that with Formula One and four days of on-track action ... that is what we have got," he said.The main support races for the Grand Prix will include the Porsche Carrera Cup, Formula Three and the celebrity race, with Aussie Racers and V8 utes joining the line-up next year.Race organisers are keen to fill the void that will be left by the absence of the V8 Supercars, which will be missing from next year's Formula One festival for the first time.Many fans looked forward to the V8 Supercar races at Albert Park, even though the races did not carry championship points, because it was often the first chance to see the Ford and Holden race cars, with some drivers making their debuts for new teams at the track.Asked if having the V8 utes race at Albert Park would appeal to V8 fans, Bamford suggested the Formula Ones were already doing so."You know what, we have got V8s at the Grand Prix? We have the best, the loudest, the most exciting V8s in the world — Formula One," he said.Australian Mark Webber said the V8 Supercar class was a great category, but added the Grand Prix would draw a good crowd without it."The event is big enough and strong enough, it is an F1 event, that is the main drawcard," Webber said.While it is still unclear whether or not the loss of the V8 Supercars would hurt the Melbourne Grand Prix, it is worth noting the support card still outshines that of many Formula One races held overseas.

So hot right now, sideways in a Porsche Cayman. The backside kicks out on the diesel-sluiced corner, I hit the throttle, the Cayman twitches ... and a curt "pfft" implies that I did the right thing.Getting the nod to go faster, the right foot sinks to the floor — just as a black 911 spins a complete 360 right in front of the Cayman's sleek nose. We're all crossed up the wrong way, but a heart-in-mouth dodge spares me from shame and expensive dent work.Meanwhile, my passenger doesn't skip a beat; former pro V8 Supercar and Porsche racer Tomas Mezera, who famously walked away from a multiple barrel roll at Bathurst, has seen far worse. He calmly talks me through another lap, then encourages a long, controlled slide.It's not every day that everyman or everygal can commandeer a Porsche, let alone a 911 Turbo on a closed track with instruction from V8 Supercar and Carrera Cup hotties.Several marques offer driver days for preferred customers, but the Porsche Drivers Experience at Mt Cotton in Queensland is a chance for outsiders to get a glimpse of what they're missing.Even at $1265 for the day, the experience turns out to be good value and a super-effective PR exercise.The day begins with hot laps with said hot drivers; road laps with constant instruction and using markers and gates to get that apex just right; lots of sliding skidpan action; and culminates in timed speed trials around a gymkhana course with chicane, slalom and a gnarly corner or two.My first lap begins in the passenger seat with V8 Supercar driver Warren Luff, who does a few laps of the road track pointing out where to brake, where to glide and where to fang it.I jump into a new $335,000 997 Turbo and dutifully fang, so focused on the rushing surge of power that I miss the brake gate and — according to a screaming, spiky-haired Luff — hit the corner way too fast.Luff tells me to brake hard, way harder than I would have thought, and we proceed to float around the bend then floor it out of the corner.Must remember not to try this at home in the family wagon ...Then it's out of the Turbo and into the 911 Carrera S with ace driver Alex Davison, Lord of the Carrera Cup and V8 Supercar Dance.Davison urges me faster into the corners and way faster out. We fly through the gates and thunder past the waiting punters.By afternoon, the stopwatches have come out. I realise that I've come to the day completely unprepared mentally and physically for the speed (and the corresponding performance anxiety, which manifests as sweat).The time trials take place on the wet skid pan in a 911 and a Boxster. Points are lost for knocking hats over or not stopping within the garage, but the Boxster's brakes and cling-on dynamics are my friend.Waiting for the flag to fall, my heart hammers. The track is wet, the sun is hot, the top is down.We stick like glue to the first apex, and cane it through the chicane. Although the slalom slows my momentum, a final surge along straight tarmac brings the Boxster slam dunk in the middle of the four hats marking out the garage.No points lost, and a time that betters the good ol' boys and several others.The following flurry of trophies and backslapping means we all bond over best moments, then the fabulous day is officially over.Can someone please tell me why it has taken half my life to discover the joys of a skid pan?www.adrenalin.com.au/

Twice a Bathurst winner, he flits round the edges of the touring car business these days, but is still tapped into the mainstream and knows how to sort the winners from the grinners.His big job is working as the driving standards officer for the Carrera Cup contest for identical Porsche 911s, a referee role that ensures he sees plenty of young talent and gets to watch a lot of the V8 Supercar action.His own competition career is over, a big change from the days when he fled from communist Czechoslovakia to live his dream as a racing driver. These days he prefers chasing golf balls to chasing a co-driving spot for the Sandown and Bathurst enduros.But Mezera can pick them. For the past two years he has been spot-on with his forecast for the Bathurst 1000 and, with the Sandown 500 enduro on Sunday afternoon, it seemed like a good idea to enlist his help with the form guide.Mezera's enduro predictions are in the latest V8X magazine, but I have a taste for you today.Remember that Mezera once described Mark Skaife as "the best co-driver at Bathurst", a verdict that means they don't talk any more.What does Mezera think of Skaife's chances this year with the Holden Racing Team and his new mix-and-match co-driver Garth Tander?"Too many mechanical dramas this year. They don't need the political pressures created by switching drivers," Mezera says.What about rookie James Courtney, who is paired with the nicest bloke never to win Bathurst, Glenn Seton?"Look for blistering speed from Courtney," Mezera says.What about his teammate at Stone Brothers Racing, Russell Ingall?"Another race for Russell's superannuation."And how about Greg Murphy and Cam McConville, who have had a miserable year in the Super Cheap Racing Commodores?"If they finish, they will be close to the podium."Whom does he favour for the long-distance honours? Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup of Triple Eight Racing."The hot favourites. And Craig should win the championship, too."

Why would anyone need a car that can top 300km/h, seat two in comfort — despite having four seats — and use fuel at an obscene rate? Need ... absolutely not. Want ... oh, yes please.Porsche's 911 Turbo is the car that nobody needs but almost everyone wants."Speed is never a target for Porsche, it is an outcome," the general manager for the 911 Turbo program, Dr Erhard Moessle, says at the Australian launch of the car on the unrestricted-speed roads of the Northern Territory."In 20 years (with Porsche) the thing I've learned is the challenge is to make the best better."In the case of the 911 Turbo, that improvement has come in a range of small refinements and a couple of grand steps forward.Porsche's engineers have visited and revisited each aspect of the car.There are seemingly insignificant styling bumps across the upper front bumper that direct air over and into aerodynamic surfaces, wider and more efficient air intakes, which at 300km/h channel an incredible 6400 litres of air a second (4000 through the front vents for downforce and cooling and 1200 each side of the rear for the turbo intercoolers).There are also aluminium panels for the doors and bonnet that help a bigger, faster car with more equipment weigh 5kg less than its predecessor.Apart from producing a whiff more fuel efficiency — Porsche claims 12.8 litres/100km in general combined running but it isn't a figure you will see in the real world (more of that later) — the real outcome from less weight and extra power is better performance.The twin-turbo, 3.6-litre, flat six-cylinder engine sitting over the rear wheels has 14 per cent more power (353kW) and more torque (620Nm) than previously, but the story is where the torque is available.Compliments of the variable turbo geometry — available for the first time on a petrol engine — maximum torque is on tap from 1950rpm right through to 5000rpm. That is a flat torque band from 750rpm earlier and 400rpm longer than the 996.What that does is turn cruise into bruise at the mere whisper of the right foot. The 911 Turbo will attack the horizon with unnerving verve — and keep at it until the speedo needle slides past 300km/h.All that urge comes at a price. On the run through the Northern Territory, the 911's 67-litre tank was gasping for a bowser every 240km. That can be an expensive thirst, but not one to disturb an owner who has kicked in $327,000-plus to be able to transport diminishing fuel reserves at such a rate.One of the most endearing features of the latest Turbo is its rock-like stability at any speed.Aerodynamics on the car are brilliant, with every surface working to keep the huge tyres — 19-inch 305mm rears — in maximum contact with the road.That stability and the huge 350mm discs front and rear — an effective 42 per cent greater swept area for the front's six-pot calipers to act on — are immensely confidence-inspiring for the driver.For an additional $19,000 — yes, it is the same price as a pretty good small car — the brake package can be upgraded to the composite ceramics with 380mm front discs.Is the difference worth it?If the car is going to be used in any application where repeated braking performance is required they should be made a compulsory acquisition.A panic stop from 180km/h produced a single moment of concern when it was feared that the unrelenting grip from the brakes and the tyres was actually tearing up the tarmac.Drive is predominantly to the rear wheels as a default for the all-wheel drive system through a slick six-speed manual or the ageing five-speed Tiptronic automatic.The turbo runs Porsche's patented PASM (Porsche Active Stability Management) system but adds for the first time on its sports models the latest in traction control technology — PTM (Porsche Traction Management).In previous generations, the torque share for the all-wheel-drive system was through a front viscous coupling. This restriction only allowed some 60 per cent of drive to be channelled to the front end.The viscous coupling from the previous model has gone and in its place is an electronic multi-plate clutch capable of feeding up to 100 per cent of power to the front wheels within 100 milliseconds.Such is the speed and infinite variability of the system that understeer or oversteer is corrected almost before the driver realises.There is little point reviewing the Turbo's steering. It is on the same sublime level as is expected from any Porsche — direct, communicative and balanced.Now for the bad news. If you want a 911 Turbo, be prepared to be patient. The first allocation of 80 cars has been sold and Porsche Australia is holding another 100 firm orders. This puts your dream car's delivery out to sometime early in 2008.Fast factsPorsche 911 TurboPrice: $327,000 (manual); $335,000 (tiptronic) Engine: 3.6-litre flat six with variable geometry twin turbochargers; 353kW@6000rpm, 620Nm at 1950-5000rpm (680Nm on overboost)Transmission: 6-speed manual or 5-speed Tiptronic; AWDBrakes: 350mm drilled and ventilated discs front and rear; 6-pot monobloc front calipers, 4-pot monobloc rear calipers (optional 380mm ceramic composite discs, $19,000)Fuel: 12.8L/100km claimed on premium unleaded; 67-litre tank

Making a Porsche 911 disappear is a trick worthy of the very best magicians: David Copperfield, Andrew Johns or even Q of James Bond fame, perhaps. But I've recently seen it done by an Aston Martin V8 Vantage.Park this beast next to a 911, or just about anything else — the QEII, Posh Spice, a defrosted John Wayne — and people's eyes will still be wrenched towards the hulking, potent shape of the James Bond-endorsed marque.Of course, making a 911 vanish out on the road would prove a much bigger ask for this Aston, but more of that later.Frankly, how the Vantage drives tumbles down the list of importance, next to the way it occupies space and time.This is the sort of car that not only stops traffic, it makes it behave very strangely. Dozens of guys surged their way through the car-raff to get a better look at the Aston.Of course, the most wondrous point of view to take in the car is from the driver's seat.The sky above is silken suede grey, double-stitched and divine, the doors are lined with contrasting and cultured leather, the knobs and bezels are all steel and billet beauty and even the pedals are a work of art.The accelerator seems a tiny thing to deal with such a big job, but it turns out to be perfectly designed for heel-and-toeing — something you'd be wanting to do to hear the sweet, sweet sound of the Vantage's 4.3-litre V8.Occasionally, we make rash judgments, and recently I said Maserati made the world's most wondrous-sounding V8 and that its note was so beautiful it brought tears to your eyes.But the Aston Martin makes you weep openly. I had to pull over several times to take on tissues, which was a shame as it took me away from my goal of hitting the 4000rpm mark as often as possible, at which point a butterfly valve in the exhaust opens and a noise not heard since the Big Bang erupts. Brimstone, hellfire and V8 Supercars all come to mind.This rev point may seem slightly arbitrary but it's chosen partly as a challenge: you have to ballistic surge to 60km/h in second gear, 80 in third, 110 in fourth or go to jail in any other gear to hear it — and partly to prevent hearing damage.Frighteningly, it sounds even better at 5000, 6000 or 7000rpm.If you reach those kind of revs, however, in any gear, your senses will be too overloaded by G-forces and shaky scenery to worry about sound.The Aston's 283kW makes it seriously quick, with a zero to 100km/h time of 5.0 seconds. But even that time says nothing of its mid-range torque, all 410Nm of it, which is so omnipotent that overtaking is done with an unavoidable air of disdain.You need to get a long way out of town to see what the Vantage is capable of and it quickly becomes clear that it's an absolute scream on fast sweepers.At any speed, the Aston Martin has a feeling of slab-like solidity, as if you're driving some exec's massive granite desk.Its rigidity becomes really impressive in fast corners, made all the more joyful when the body simply refuses to roll.A fantastically flat cornering attitude only encourages faster apexes, and more engine noise, particularly if you insist on driving a gear lower than you should, just to make it louder.No wonder we averaged 17.5 litres per 100km during our all-too-brief test.The Vantage is quite happy to take 35km/h-posted corners in third, but the temptation is to choose second. This means being careful with the throttle because getting all that power down can cause the tail to get happy.And it is in these tight situations that the Aston falls down, ever so slightly. Throw in some mid-corner bumps and you could even call the Brit flustered.While the way it stops and goes are awe-inspiring — the brakes are wondrous — that team is slightly let down by the steering, which clearly lacks the feel of a Porsche or even a BMW M3.Over a stretch like the Bells Line of Road, the Vantage wouldn't stay in front of a determined 911 driver for long and, at the end of the day, the Porsche owner would feel more satisfied in a tactile way.At the end of my day in the Aston, my right knee was sore, indicating some heaviness to the controls. The biggest failing is the gearbox, which is lumpen and heavy when cold — almost Commodore clunky — and not that fantastic when warm.Yet, to its credit, Aston Martin believes enthusiasts want to change their own gears and so doesn't offer a flappy-paddle semi-auto box on the Vantage.What you don't get for $242,850 — a goodly amount more than a 911 Carrera — is quite surprising: no auto wipers, auto headlights, separate climate control for passenger and driver or stereo controls on the steering wheel.But then Aston would argue that what you do get is impossible to put a price on. When you fire up the V8 Vantage a few words light up on the dash that truly sum it up: "Power, Beauty, Soul".

1. What is the relevance of Porsche in 2006?"Porsche is about fun, entertainment, and self reward for hard work."2. So they are not just for people who cannot drive and have too much money? "It's those three headlines."3. What about the cars themselves? You now have the broadest range and a lot of people say the best cars."What has come to fruition now is the reward for us in the resurrection of the company since the early 1990s."The Boxster saved us from becoming dependent on somone else. We then had Cayennne which allowed us to re-invest in the broadest sports car range we have ever had."I think we can now say we have a very broad business plan which means we can weather the ups and downs in the segments in which we play. To some degree, you can say that we spent the last 13 years since 1993 in a fundamental restructure and a new strategic outlook which allows us to have some fun again and occupy some of the small niches in the market."4. For people who don't know what is the price of a Porsche in 2006?"The range starts in Australia at $107,500 for the Boxster 2.7 and goes up to $327,000 for the 911 Turbo which we are now launching."The Cayman S is from $148,500 and the Cayenne four-wheel drive is from $129,000."5. How many cars are you selling in Australia and what is a typical customer?"I think it depends on the segment, We have some customers who come and go out of the sporty sedan segments and sports coupe segments and to some degree still the competition for our cars lies within the other choices with that much money involved. So that might be an investment, a beach house, a boat or another hobby. "Having said all that, the customer remains a 40-year-old entrepreneur who has had their own business for 20 years. So they have paid off the house, put aside money for the kids education and now decided to reward themselves, whether it's a man or a woman."6. So what is the heart of a porsche today and do you ever see it changing."The heart of a Porsche is a sports car. Full stop. And that won't change."How do you define a sports car? It has to do with simple, innovative solutions to technical questions. It has to do with agility, honesty in handling, "I suppose really, the sum of what you experience is more than the sum of the parts in the car. There is no faking it with electronic gadgets and very, very clearly the engineers have put themselves into the cars."The life motive, if you like, is than anything which is done to the cars must result in better lap times during test runs on the Nurburgring test track in Germany. "I could go on and on. There are many things in Australia that we don't talk enough about, like the environmental friendliness, the fuel economy, the safety."Even with the Cayenne, you only have to pitch it against the direct competition in the market around any corner in the world and you get your answer on whether it is a sports car."