Autoblog

Fender guitars rock. Even the cheapies are easy to play and sound good in the right hands. Panasonic and Fender are teaming up to create an audio system that will be offered to auto manufacturers. Nigel and Slash have already been snagged by Volkswagen with their First Act package deal (buy a VW, they throw in the guitar that plugs into the car's audio system). We're guessing that the pitch for the Fender/Panasonic system will be along the same lines, though; and aimed at the younger demographic. The working partnership of Fender and Panasonic even trotted out Dick Dale at the NAIAS to promote their idea. Hey, in the right car, this could be magic. You could turn all that traffic-jam time into productive practice! Campers would no longer have to settle for singing "Blowin' In The Wind." With a guitar-enabled audio system, you could, as Bob Dylan told his band at Newport, "play f***ing loud."

[Source: Edmunds]

The Porsche Cayman is a gorgeous little coupe, with classic Porsche lines that would be near impossible to improve upon. That hasn't stopped TechArt from releasing its decidedly un-subtle Widebody based on the Cayman S. The add-on fenders add 8cm of width to the car, while also improving evacuation of heated air. Because of their ventilation function, the trailing edge of the front flares stand proud of the actual fender, creating a gap. It looks cool and racy in that "obvious bodykit" sorta way. The wider shoulders definitely make the car look more imposing, and while not subtle, the new body panels are for the most part tasteful and not over-the-top.

One thing's for certain, the new nose improves downforce and brake cooling, which is a good thing because TechArt offers two different engine upgrades. The first engine upgrade bumps output by 15 hp via bolt-ons and software revisions. The second option is a comprehensive rework of the flat-6 including new pistons, camshafts, manifolds and management software, all together delivering a displacement increase to 3.8 liters and an output of 385 horsepower and 407 Nm of torque. Out back, the angle from which most people will see this Cayman, there's a choice between the outrageous wing seen here, or a more subtle spoiler. There's also a revised lower fascia and diffuser, rounding out the package. Chassis upgrades are also available for cars with Porsche Active Stability Management and non-PASM models. The suspension improvements include 20-inch rims, and a height adjustable coil-over system that drops ride height by 2.5 inches. For the PASM, there's variable damping adjusted by a cockpit button – pretty slick.

Speaking of the interior, that's of course upgradeable as well, from mild changes to a full-on refit. Not that there was anything wrong with the Cayman, but the TechArt widebody manages to separate you, and your money, from the standard Porscheophile pack.

(more pictures after the jump)

[Source: babez.de]