Now matter how hard we try, it’s not always possible to cover everything happening in the world of Porsche. There are times when the the PR machine at Porsche is working over time to fill the airways with news and information and then there are times when the silence emanating from Stuttgart is deafening. For those weeks when there’s simply more than we can cover (or quite frankly, want to cover) we wanted to give you a way to stay up to date with all the latest news and information about your favorite brand and at the same time introduce you to other Porsche resources available on the web. So, without further ado, here’s what you might have missed:
Volkswagen CEO to Become New Porsche CEO
As part of the plan to constantly and continuously confuse us assimilate and integrate Porsche into Volkswagen, an announcement was made today stating that VW CEO Martin Winterkorn would take on the additional responsibility of Porsche CEO as of Nov. 25. You can read the full story here at WJS.com
Lighten up your Porsche with a Lithium Ion Battery for Just $77/1b.
Earlier in the week, Porsche announced that beginning in January 2010 a new lithium ion battery, providing power for both starting and lighting, will be available as on option on the 911 GT3, GT3 RS and new Boxster Spyder. At the time of announcement, US pricing had not been released. That changed today when I received an email from Porsche with the pricing info. At just over $1700 US, you can shave 22 lbs of weight from a conventional lead battery and have the greenest race car in town to boot! See more details at Porchebahn (Hat tip to TTAC.com for the title) 🙂
Schwarzenegger Parks Porsche in Red Zone
According to the Associated Press, just weeks after California first lady Maria Shriver apologized for parking in a red zone, her husband appears to have violated the same law. The Web site TMZ.com, on Monday, posted photographs of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger getting into a silver convertible Porsche in a red zone, where no stopping, standing or parking is allowed. The celebrity site says the violation occurred Saturday in Beverly Hills. I like the fact that the Governator drives a Turbo Cab. For pics you can take a look at TMZ.com
Free Luggage With a Panamera Purchase
Earlier in the day Autoweek exposed that the delivery of newly arrived Panameras will be delayed due to electrical problems related to their keys and the software that controls them. In order to compensate inconvenienced customers, Porsche is offering free luggage from their Porsche Design Driver’s Selection to those affected.
Autoweek’s post goes on to state that the problematic cars are reserved for “the first nearly 200 buyers of the Porsche Panamera in the United States”. When I read that I was a bit confused. I know I’ve seen many Panameras on the road, haven’t you? In order to clear the air I spoke with Porsche of Hilton Head and confirmed that they indeed had delivered Panameras to customers and had done so with no issues. So, while there may indeed be problems with recent Panamera arrivals, they are most definitely not the first 200. More interesting was the news that the demand for the Panamera remains high and this most recent delay is making it difficult for consumers to find Panameras for sale as not all dealers have them immediately available. If you’re in the market for a new Panamera here’s a nice Turbo you might like.
Porsche Panamera | speedART PS9 – 650
Tuners continue to jump into the fray offering more and more options for the Panamera. The latest entry comes from speedART. The PS9 offers power kits that increase output to 520-hp, 550-hp, 600-hp and 650-hp with up to 656 lb-ft of torque. With 650-hp, the speedART PS9 – 650 Panamera goes from 0-62 mph in 3.5 seconds with a top speed of over 200 mph. Stopping power comes from a sportier braking system with modular 380 mm discs and 6 piston brake calipers. For more technical details, pictures and information check out the post at egmCarTech
Not Yet A Great Racer? New Porsche GT3 R Can Help
The new GT3 R is the latest Cup car model from Porsche. Just shy of 2700 lbs with nearlhy 500 hp it’s easy to understand why this race car could easily get “stuffed” by even the most competent drivers. Helping you to avoid any off track excursions Porsche offers an anti-lock brake system (ABS), traction control and an e-gas with “throttle-blip” function that makes it much easier to get used to this new GT3 racing car than its predecessor, meaning [in Porsche’s words] that the new model is also more appropriate for the ambitious amateur racing driver. More details on Autoblog
Porsche Artwork
Most Porsche owners will agree that their cars are as nice to look at as they are fun to drive. Gil Dezer of Miami, Florida shows his feelings by hanging a Porsche 550 spyder (replica I presume) as artwork on the wall of his new condo. For pictures and more details check out the post on PorschePerfect.com
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View Comments (3)
That's definetely a replica. porschepoint.com had a post about it as well and they made it quite clear the car is not an original model. btw. anyone should know that 550 was not made on that year...
Luke,
Thanks for the confirmation. :-) Obviously my sarcasm didn't come across well. The original article calls it a 1950 Spyder, not me. "Journalists" and newspapers make mistakes. I'm sure it is a typo and that the owner is well aware of the fact that it is a replica. At least I would hope he is. If not, I might have a bridge or two for sale.
As for your statement that "anyone should know that 550 was not made on that year..." I've learned not to presume. Not all Porsche owners are obsessed as you and I may be (meaning they are not as intimately familiar with all of Porsche's production runs). Plenty of my readers and other Porsche owners have their one Pcar, drive it and enjoy it but don't necessarily study the history of Porsche.
About the article "Lighten up your Porsche with a Lithium Ion Battery for Just $77/1b."
I've got that beat by 7 pounds and $1500.00 with a 15 pound lead acid battery from Braille Battery. I use the Model 2015, lists for $159.99, and I've been running it for a year and a half so far with no starting issues in my daily driver/occasional track car, '02 Boxster S. The Braille Battery is very good quality. http://www.braillebattery.com/index.php/batteries/b2015/