This ‘73 911 T is the final post of the five Porsche’s that were displayed on Sunday at this years Hilton Head Concours. It belongs to Ralph & Janet Thomas of Highlands, North Carolina.

The original owner was none other that Peter Gregg, (the paint scheme probably gave that away, Brumos livery and all) and was his daily driver when he and Hurley Haywood won the 1973 24 Hours at Daytona. And being Peter Gregg’s car it was ordered with full factory competition equipment.

The second owner was Gregg’s Sales Manager at Brumos, Bat Masterson and he did some racing with it. It has had ten previous owners and is fully documented.

While you are gathered with your family on this wonderful holiday, lets remember our troops in our prayers who are not with their families but out defending our freedom.

Our Thanks go out to them and we pray for their safe return!

 

If you are a regular visitor to Porschebahn you have seen this gorgeous 356 before. It belongs to Ed & Jean Kriscunas and I shot these pictures at this years Hilton Head Concours. I have been romancing Ed’s 356 and his 1984 Carrera for quite some time. I used a picture of this car for our email Christmas card last year. I can’t get enough of it.

This 356 has aluminum doors and disc brakes. The paint is around 15 years old but the chrome, undercarriage and suspension are all original and unrestored.  To see more of this beautiful car with pictures of the engine and more of the interior visit: 1964 Porsche 356 SC Coupe, to see Ed’s Carrera visit: 1984 Carrera Coupe with ONLY 14221 miles

Auto Trophy for the Porsche Panamera and the 911 Carrera

Stuttgart. Two of the models built by Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, received the coveted “Auto Trophy” award today from the leading German car magazine Auto Zeitung – the Porsche Panamera in the luxury segment and the Porsche 911 Carrera in the sports car segment.

Having only entered the market in September 2009, the Panamera has immediately moved up right to the top of the winners’ podium, just as the 911 Carrera is now defending its top position in the sports car segment for the 16th time.

In all, 104,442 readers of Auto Zeitung cast their vote in the 22nd Auto Trophy. Receiving 25.6 per cent of all votes in its category, the Panamera was the top scorer in the luxury class out of 14 contestants nominated. In the sports car category 22.1 per cent of all readers chose the 911 Carrera as their No 1 out of no less than 23 models.

The Panamera had already been awarded the “Das Goldene Lenkrad” (The Golden Steering Wheel) in early November as the “Best New Car of the Year in the Luxury Class”. This prize is awarded by the German Sunday newspaper Bild am Sonntag together with the car magazine Auto Bild and its European issues.

The Panamera is however a great success not only in Europe, but also with international car journalists the world over, having won a number of international awards recently. In Canada, for example, 70 of the leading car journalists grouped within the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) have chosen the Panamera as the “Best New Prestige Car”. Conducting thorough test drives, the AJAC journalists were thrilled by the Panamera Turbo featuring, among other highlights, the best brakes and the best acceleration ever measured by the AJAC.

Again in Canada, the car journal Le Guide de l’Auto also ranks the Panamera as No 1 in the “Prestige Cars” category.

In the USA the editors of the online magazine Inside Line have given the Panamera their “Most Wanted Award”. A leading automobile portal reaching more readers each month than subscribe to any car journal, Inside Line highlighted in particular the overall performance of Porsche’s Gran Turismo.

In Great Britain the Panamera has brought home no less than two significant titles, Vehicle Dynamics International lauding Porsche’s new luxury performance model not only as their “Car of the Year”, but also the “Dynamicist of the Year”, with its perfectly engineered chassis delivering an equal share of balance, grip, comfort and control all in one. At the same time the same magazine lauded the dynamic engine mounts exclusive to the Porsche 911 GT3 and the new 911 Turbo as their “Innovation of the Year”.

Yet another coveted title awarded to the Panamera is the “Interamerican Car of the Year 2010” proclaimed by the Federación Interamericana de Periodistas del Automóvil (FIPA), an association of 81 Panamerican car journalists from 21 countries. Porsche’s Gran Turismo thrilled these experts in all disciplines such as progressive technology, performance, environmental care, and the significance of the car for each national market. Given these qualities, the Panamera was able to beat a significant line-up of no less than 37 leading automobiles.

World Debut: Starter Battery in Lithium-Ion Technology

Stuttgart. Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is the first car maker in the world to offer a starter battery in lithium-ion technology. Weighing less than 6 kg or 13 lb, the new battery is more than 10 kg or 22 lb lighter than a conventional 60 Ah lead battery.

The new lithium-ion battery will be available as of January 2010 for the 911 GT3, 911 GT 3 RS, and Boxster Spyder as an option delivered with the car, selling at a price in the German market of Euro 1,904 including 19 per cent value-added tax.

The battery is delivered as a separate unit together with the car and may subsequently be fitted as an alternative to the regular, conventional starter battery.

The cars are delivered with both batteries, therefore they are ready for use throughout the whole year. Since, while the lightweight battery offers a very high standard of everyday driving qualities, its starting capacity is limited at temperatures below 0o C or 32o F due to its specific features.

The primary reason for developing and introducing the new battery was its lower weight. In sports cars built consistently for superior driving dynamics such as the two versions of the 911 GT3 and the Boxster Spyder, less weight naturally means even greater agility and driving dynamics.

In its length and width the lithium-ion battery comes in the same dimensions as the regular battery, but is approximately 70 millimetres or 2.8” lower. The fastening points, electrical connections and voltage range are fully compatible with the respective models, allowing simple and quick replacement of the standard lead battery by the lightweight unit, for example when racing on the track.

With its nominal capacity of 18 Ah, the lithium-ion battery, through its specific features, offers a level of practical output and performance not only comparable to that of a 60 Ah lead battery, but rather even better in many cases.

On a conventional car battery only about 30 per cent of the total capacity is actually available for practical use due to the configuration of the system, while this restriction does not apply to the lithium-ion battery. On the contrary, through its characteristic structure and, in particular, the independence of the chemical composition of the electrolytes from the charge status – a lithium-ion battery consistently offers almost 100 per cent of its capacity.

Delivery of power by the lithium-ion battery throughout its useful charge range is likewise significantly better, providing its full power, for example, when starting the engine almost independently of the current charge level.

After the engine has started, the new Porsche battery shows further benefits in the charge process, being able through its smaller internal resistance to take up more power than a conventional battery and thus re-charge more quickly.

Yet a further benefit is that a lithium-ion battery allows a significantly greater number of charging and discharging cycles, plus the two further advantages that the self-discharging effect is lower and the service life of the battery longer.

The lithium-ion battery being introduced by Porsche as the pioneer in this area is made up of wound film of carbon and iron phosphate with a ceramic film moisturised by the electrolyte serving as a separating layer in between. Compared with other types of lithium-ion batteries using a combination of manganese oxide, cobalt oxide or nickel, this lithium-iron-phosphate battery, as it is called, offers advantages when used as a starter battery. It is robust and consistently guarantees the usual voltage of 12 V in the car’s on-board network.

The lightweight battery is made up of four cells and integrated control electronics. This battery management system protects the battery from major discharge and guarantees a consistent charge level within the individual cells. Once battery voltage drops below a certain threshold, a warning signal reminds the driver to re-charge the battery either simply by driving the car through the power of the engine running or by means of a conventional battery charger.

The new lithium-ion battery will also be available for retrofitting from February 2010 on the three models mentioned from Porsche Tequipment. The sales price in Germany when retrofitted after delivery of the car is Euro 2,499 including 19 per cent value-added tax.

For all of the Lovers of Speed Yellow, as I am starting to become, look what came in on trade last week, ‘02 Carrera 4S with ONLY 18,500 miles. The two previous owners are friends of mine and I have enjoyed seeing it over the last 5 years. It is absolutely beautiful! Both owners showed it a lot of love and care. It is heading to a new home in Florida this week. I hate to see it go.

New Racing Version for International GT Sport

Stuttgart. Following the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is entering yet another racing car in the 2010 motorsport season: The 911 GT3 R will be raced in series based on the international FIA GT3 regulations, thus succeeding the 911 GT3 Cup S. The main focus in developing this new model was on even better drivability and even easier handling.

The 911 GT3 R is powered by a four-litre six-cylinder boxer engine delivering maximum output of 480 bhp (353 kW) transmitted to the rear axle by a sequential six-speed dog gearbox.

The starting point in developing the 911 GT3 R weighing just 1,200 kg or 2,646 lb was the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup presented in September for one-make cup racing. Thanks to its increase in engine size by 0.2 litres, the GT3 R offers 30 bhp more than the Cup model. Both cars are based on the extra-wide body of the 911 GT3 RS street-legal sports car.

An anti-lock brake system (ABS), traction control and an e-gas with “throttle-blip” function make it much easier to get used to this new GT3 racing car than its predecessor, meaning that the new model is also more appropriate for the ambitious amateur racing driver.

Flared wheel arches added on to the body both front and rear bear clear testimony to the wider track than on the former model. And like all second-generation versions of the 911, the new 911 GT3 R also comes with striking LED rear light clusters.

The Porsche 911 GT3 R is making its world debut on 14 January 2010 at the Birmingham Motor Show. The car is built by Porsche’s Motorsport Department at the Weissach Development Centre and will be delivered to Customer Teams the world over as of spring 2010. The base price of the Porsche 911 GT3 R is 279,000 euros plus local sales tax/VAT.

Legendary Porsche Engineer turns 80

Stuttgart. The former race and development engineer at Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Hans Mezger, will be celebrating his 80th birthday. On the subject of this celebration, Porsche development chairman Wolfgang Dürheimer said, “Hans Mezger is one of the most important engineers in our company’s history. For four decades, our racing cars won with engines designed by Hans Mezger and made the Porsche name a synonym for sports performance around the world.”

Hans Mezger was born on November 18, 1929 in Besigheim, Swabia. After graduating from high school and studying machine design, he started at Porsche in 1956, working on engine development. The first of a long series of racing engines designed by him was the 1.5 liter eight cylinder engine used in the Porsche 804 Formula 1 racing car, in which Dan Gurney won the French Grand Prix in 1962. Over the next decade, Hans Mezger’s work ranged from the design of the legendary six cylinder boxer engine for the Porsche 911 to the development of the legendary Porsche turbo engines used in both production and racing cars. One particular highpoint was the air-cooled twelve cylinder engine for the Porsche 917, which produced up to 1,200 horsepower in the 1973 CanAm version.

After developing so many successful racing cars, such as the Porsche 935, 936 and 956/962 models, Hans Mezger dedicated himself in the early 1980s to one particular customer commission: he designed the “TAG-Turbo made by Porsche” for the British racing team McLaren – a Formula 1 engine that produced up to 1,000 horsepower from a capacity of just 1.5 liters. From 1984 to 1986, the engine produced at the Porsche development center in Weissach dominated the elite class of motorsport and consequently landed three Formula 1 world championship titles.

After more than 40 years at Porsche, Hans Mezger retired in 1994. However, he retained close links with the Porsche brand. He still owns a Porsche 911 Carrera and is always a very welcome guest at the new Porsche Museum. When Hans Mezger visits the racing cars and engines he designed which are exhibited there, history comes alive once more.

Extensive Tire Test Program for Older Model Series

Stuttgart. Porsche has extended its demanding approval process for winter tires to include tyres for young and old classics. Offering customers this unusual service, the German manufacturer of sports cars enables drivers of older models to use the best available products on their car. Porsche is therefore providing valuable help and orientation particularly in the process of choosing new winter tires with safe driving characteristics also on snow and ice. A further point is that this makes Porsche one of the few car makers to offer such an elaborate tire approval process.

Well over 70 per cent of all Porsche sports cars ever built still exist today and are still driven actively in most cases – in both summer and winter. Indeed, even classic Porsche models more than 20 years old still offer the kind of performance today one would expect of a modern sports car. But the tyres fitted when such old and new classics were still in production have no longer been available for years. Tire treads and rubber compounds have changed in an ongoing process of development, thus influencing the driving behaviour of such old Porsche models.

Conducting elaborate tests, Porsche’s engineers determine which of the tires available today harmonise best with the features of a classic Porsche. The highlight in this testing and approving process is an extensive test programme up north in the Polar Circle.

Numerous Porsche models built-in former years, among them the 911, 928, 964, 993 and 996, and then all the way to the first Boxsters, have been tested for this purpose on countless laps at the Arctic Driving Center in the Finnish town of Rovaniemi.

The criteria to be fulfilled by the tires tested in order to receive approval by Porsche are so strict that not all tires met the test requirements. The characteristics and features typical of an older air-cooled 911, for example, form a challenge not easy to overcome.

Further tests for dry and wet handling on test routes free of snow round off the test programme as such. Information on which tires are recommended for which Porsche model is presented on Porsche’s website (http://www.porsche.com/usa/accessoriesandservices/porscheservice/documentsanddownloads/) and is also available at all Porsche Centers.