Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2008 Porsche 911 GT2.

Porsche's commitment to the KISS philosophy of exterior design won't extend to the engine of the facelifted 911 Turbo, GT2 and GT3 when they're released early next year. All three models will dispatch with the legendary M97 powerplant in favor of the new, direct-injected A91 flat-six that's equipped on the recently updated 911 Carrera.

The two turbocharged 911s will be packing 3.6-liters of displacement, with a 97 mm bore and an 81.5 mm stroke (the outgoing engine was sized 100 mm x 76.4 mm), along with revised turbochargers and intercoolers. Autocar's sources suggest that output on both models will rise by around 20 hp, with the Turbo producing 500 hp and the GT2 pushing out approximately 550 hp. Torque figures should also increase by around four percent.

The GT3 will remain naturally aspirated, with a 3.8-liter version of the A91 with a 102 mm bore and a 77.5 mm stroke. The same internal changes from the Carrera S will carry over to the GT3, including lightweight pistons, valves and springs. Output should increase from around 415 to 430 hp. And all of these changes will also increase fuel efficiency and decrease C02 output. 'Cause that's what really matters... right?



[Source: Autocar]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the SpeedART BTR-XS 650.

The Porsche 997 GT2 is the undoubtedly the king of the 911s, but the crew at SpeedART has decided to add a few more jewels onto the GT2's crown. Beginning with the overly competent twin-turbocharged flat-six, the German tuning haus modified the stock snails, replaced the headers, fitted a new exhaust with freer flowing cats, installed larger intercoolers and tuned it all with a Motronic ECU. Output is now up to 650 hp and 634 lb.-ft. of torque, propelling the BTR-XS 650 to 60 in 3.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 216 mph.

In addition to the extensive work underhood, the modified GT2 gets coilovers fitted at all four corners and custom wheels, while inside, customers willing to plunk down the €27,500 can choose from an endless catalog of interior bits, including sports seats, a new steering wheel and acres of Alcantara.


[Source: SpeedART via Motor Authority]

click above for more images of the Lexus LF-A Concept

A Lexus LF-A mule has unofficially recorded a lap time on the Nordschleife of 7 minutes, 24 seconds. This is not in dispute. What is in dispute is how many seconds faster the LF-A's lap time is than that of the 2008 Porsche 911 GT2, the previous "King of the 'Ring" record holder. Wikipedia notes that the fastest 911 GT2 driven around the Ring posted a lap time of 7 minutes, 32 seconds and was driven by Walter Röhrl, Porsche's company test driver and accomplished WRC driver and road racing pilot. Porsche was so proud of the feat that it produced a snazzy video of the run that you can watch here. AutoExpress, however, which reported on the LF-A's remarkable lap time, claims that the fastest 911 GT2 lap time on the Nurburgring is 7 minutes, 25 seconds, but we could find no evidence on the web of a stock 911 GT2 ever posting a time that fast. Also note that a handful of other cars have posted lap times, but all are either tuner cars or limited production boutique cars like the Pagani Zonda F.

Nevertheless, the Lexus LF-A's time is remarkable and puts it in a class normally populated by purpose-built tuner cars. Its 4.8L V10 churns out a reported 552bhp while slapping the needle against a 9,000 rpm redline. A 210 mph top speed is said to be the car's upper bound, which makes us shake our heads. This is, after all, the brand that brought us the sarcophagus of a car that is the LS sedan. The production LF-A should be able to repeat the performance, but we'll have to wait a while longer while the Lexus supercar finishes baking in the oven. In the meantime, for Pete's sake, someone ship a Corvette ZR1 to Germany!

[Source: AutoExpress]

Squeezing 480 HP from a 3.6L flat-six is an impressive feat, and the latest 911 Turbo does it with a level of sophistication, refinement, and reliability that would have been thought impossible just a few years ago. Everything is relative, though, and "more" is always the operative word when it comes to Porsche's GT2. So, how does one squeeze fifty additional ponies from an such a powerplant? Considering all the different challenges - emissions, durability, drivability, and fuel economy - it's certainly not an easy task. Fortunately, Porsche has no small amount of experience squeezing more power from turbocharged boxers, and that knowledge was put to good use on the new 2008 GT2.

Porsche's über 911, the 2008 GT2, has been spotted by spy photographers undergoing testing ahead of its launch at September's Frankfurt Auto Show, and this time on U.S. soil. The near-complete test mule was totally undisguised and has revealed important clues as to what the final car will look like.

A key difference of the GT2 over the lesser Turbo is the enlarged front air-intake, new lower lip and cooling vents positioned in the rear bumper. The oversized rear wing is probably only there for testing purposes and will likely be toned down for the production version.

Powering the coupe is a worked version of the 911 Turbo's twin-turbo 3.6-liter flat-six, sending around 520hp to the rear wheels. Expect a top speed in excess of 200mph and acceleration times for the 0 to 60mph sprint in less than 3.7 seconds.

To improve performance further, engineers have removed the air-conditioner and sound deadening to save weight, and Motor Trend reports that buyers will be able to opt for a roll-cage, one-piece racing seats and a fire extinguisher at no extra charge. You'd expect some extras thrown in considering that buyers will have to fork up close to $150,000 for the performance coupe.

[Source: Motor Trend]

Damn. Porsche really has a knack for driving us nuts. While the 996 911 range was growing on us, the 997 showed up to instantly change our minds for the better. The base Carrera was joined by the S with its 3.8L flat-6 adding an additional 40 hp and a lot of grins. Of course, the Turbo came along soon after and blew those models out of the water, instantly becoming our favorite. That is, until the GT3 arrived and made us wonder why we needed all that extra weight or even a turbocharger in the first place. Just as we confirmed our love for the new 997 GT3, Porsche rolled out the RS. We felt conflicted, but seeing two of them in two weeks confirmed that the RS is even hotter than the "regular" GT3. With performance that makes the 997 Turbo look almost pedestrian in comparison, these track-tuned models drop the turbo but also a lot of weight on their way to glory.

But you just know there are people wanting that same turbo kick in a similarly focused track machine. Enter the GT2. Nothing new to the Porschephiles out there, these have been among Porsche's most notoriously wild creations. With numbers that would make many supercars blush, the original 993 GT2 was dubbed the Widowmaker for its propensity to react violently to driver inputs that were less than smooth. But at $180,000, only the very serious signed up. And then Porsche managed to tame the beast a bit with its 996 GT2. Still ferocious performance, but with a slightly more domesticated demeanor. Well, it's time to see if the pendulum will be swinging back towards wild child. Here we have spy shots of the 2008 Porsche 911 GT2 prototype snapped during cold weather testing by Hans Lehmann. Although the clipped image at right focuses on the revised front fascia with its floating turn signals and larger openings, the full size pics (available by clicking the read link) show off the huge fixed wing, massive brakes, built-in roll cage, and enough slats to make us expect a Saleen sticker on the windshield. Thankfully those are probably just camo. While no firm numbers have been released, we expect at least 500 hp when the car debuts later this year. After all, the "regular" Turbo is now packing 480 ponies in its trunk.

[Source: Straightline]