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Video: Walter Röhrl spins a million-dollar Porsche 904... with us inside

Damon Lavrinc — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 19:40:00 EST

Walter Röhrl spins a Porsche 904 - Click above to watch video

We're currently bombing around Mallorca, Spain on the launch of the Porsche Cayman R, and to make up for the massive monsoon that's coated the roads and nearly made a glorified go-kart track undrivable, our gracious hosts from Stuttgart brought out a legend. Actually, two of them.

None other than Walter Röhrl was flown in to show us "professionals" how a proper racing driver does it, and in between laps in the hotter, lightweight Cayman, the German racing legend took us for spin in something far more exotic.

According to Porsche, if there's a vintage, racing equivalent of the Cayman R, it's the historic Porsche 904, and this 911-powered 1965 example is one of only 20 ever made and came right from the personal garage of one of Ferdinand Porsche's progeny. This particularly immaculate 904 is probably worth over $1 million, but that didn't matter to Röhrl, who flung the featherweight (and seatbelt-less) coupe around the track with the kind of sideways fervor we'd expect from a World Rally Champion. Oh, and when we said "spin" we meant it. Follow the jump for the in-car footage, and excuse our incessant cackling - we're still trying to pry the grin off our face.

Continue reading Video: Walter Röhrl spins a million-dollar Porsche 904... with us inside

Video: Walter Röhrl spins a million-dollar Porsche 904... with us inside originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 19:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gooding unloads its 'time capsule' cars for its 2011 Scottsdale Auctions

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 11:28:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Convertible, Coupe, Auctions, Racing

Gooding 2011 Scottsdale Auction offerings - Click above for high-res image gallery

Gooding will be unearthing some vintage competitors and a barely used road car to its 2011 Scottsdale Auctions next month: a barn find 1964 Shelby Cobra and 1965 Shelby GT350 R, 1964 Porsche 904, 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB, the purported lowest-mileage unrestored Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster anywhere.

Said to be the only unrestored Cobra in blue and red livery, the '64 snake spent 33 years in "storage" yet comes off as surprisingly lustworthy in spite of that. It began life as Carroll Shelby's promo car at SoCal racing venues, was dredged up from the deep to do the Postwar Preservation Class at this year's Pebble Beach, and now expects to find a good home for somewhere north of $525,000. The '65 Shelby GT350 R is a one-of-26 that was campaigned and did plenty of winning in the B-Production Championship in the sixties.

Another serious racer was the four-cam, fiberglass-bodied '64 Porsche 904. The one up for auction was used to beat Phil Hill, who was driving a Cobra, at Candlestick Park in 1965. Finally, the '62 Mercedes 300SL has so few miles that it could qualify for a barn find: 7,367 original miles in 48 years and still in the care of its original owner. The auction happens January 21-22 next year. There's more info on the cars in the presser after the jump, along with some high-res galleries below and after the break if you just want to window shop. And trust us, you do.

Gallery: 1964 Shelby Cobra 289

[Source: Gooding | Images (C) Alejandro Rodriguez/Gooding, (C) Pawel Litwinski/Gooding, (C) Scott Nidermaier/Gooding]

Continue reading Gooding unloads its 'time capsule' cars for its 2011 Scottsdale Auctions

Gooding unloads its 'time capsule' cars for its 2011 Scottsdale Auctions originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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STUDIOTORINO unveils Cayman-based RK Coupe

Alex Nunez — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:04:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Performance, Europe, Porsche

Alfredo Stola's STUDIOTORINO is publicily unveiling its 2nd creation, the RK Coupe, today at The Quail. Inspired by two very sexy classics, the Dino 246 GT and the Porsche 904, the RK coupe uses the Porsche Cayman as its basis, with engine and mechanical upgrades provided by German supertuner Ruf.

The only body panel that is unchanged in the transformation is the left front fender. Everything else is either new or modified in some way. In the case of the RK Spyder, the most important modifications are to the rear hood and C-pillar.
The Cayman's rear hatch assembly remains, but the piece that it opens and closes is all new. The Cayman's standard sloping rear glass is a thing of the past. In its place as a small upright rear pane, shrouded by flying buttresses that are formed out of the existing pillars. The rear quarter windows are also eliminated, giving the car a side profile that is instantly evocative of the 904, while the new rear glass recalls both the 904 and the Dino.

Another nice touch is the striping on the rear fenders that harkens back to the similar elements on the Carrera Panamericana 550 Spyder. Observant Porsche fans will immediately notice the relocated rear intakes, which now look almost identical to the ones on the original Boxster Concept (these first appeared on the equally stunning STUDIOTORINO RK Spyder).

The RK Coupe is powered by Ruf's blown 3.8L green meanie pictured at right, which gives the car a 0-62 time of 4.3 sec and a top speed of 195 mph. The car's exhaust outlet and filler cap are custom designs made of forged aluminum. Other details include bespoke Tooma wheels (only used on the STUDIOTORINO cars), handmade, hand-painted badges, and a made-to-order cutom interior.

Only 49 RK Coupes will be offered for sale. Those buyers will own a serious and striking performance machine that manages to pay homage to two very different marques in a most effective way.

(More Photos after the jump)

[Source: STUDIOTORINO via German Car Blog]

Continue reading STUDIOTORINO unveils Cayman-based RK Coupe

STUDIOTORINO unveils Cayman-based RK Coupe originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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