1988 Porsche 928 S4 Coupe 2-door 5.0l on 2040-cars

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Porsche 959 Prototype started it all

While Porsche was unveiling the new Nürburgring-dominating 918 Spyder downstairs in Hall 3 here at the Frankfurt Messe, there was another Porsche supercar quietly and discretely on display upstairs in the same hall. That, of course, was the 959. But not just any 959: this was the original Gruppe B prototype.
The 959 was first developed as a rally car in the early 80s to compete with the likes of the original Audi Sport Quattro S1, Ford RS200 and Lancia Delta S4. But Zuffenhausen soon saw its potential as a production road-going supercar, emerging as a technological marvel to challenge the decidedly linear approach of the Ferrari F40. It still stands as a groundbreaking supercar in its own right, but also lead to the first all-wheel-drive 911 Turbo and set the stage for the Carrera GT and aforementioned 918 Spyder that followed to cap the top of the evolving Porsche range.
This original Gruppe B prototype, which presaged the production 959, packed a 450-horsepower 2.8-liter twin-turbo flat-six into an even sleeker form than the final version that followed. We caught up with it on display as part of a display of 80s German classics, of which this 959 prototype immediately stood out as the pick of the proverbial litter. Check out the hotness in the high-resolution image gallery above.

Porsche 919 Hybrid revives Porsche's factory Le Mans efforts

After months of teasing with camouflaged testers, Porsche has finally unveiled its prototype entry for the 2014 World Endurance Championship, the 919 Hybrid. Porsche, you may recall, hasn't had campaigned a factory team at Le Mans in years, so the 919 is nothing less than their recommitment to endurance racing.
Combining a 2.0-liter V4 (yes, a V4) that revs to 9,000 rpm, the 919 produces around 500 horsepower with a pair of energy recovery systems. The first system recovers the heat energy from exhaust gasses as they pass through an electrical generator, while the second system is a bit more familiar. Using a setup similar to what is found on the production 918 Spyder, a generator on the front axle recovers kinetic energy from the brakes, which is subsequently stored in a battery system. That power can then be sent to the front wheels at the driver's command, effectively turning the 919 into an all-wheel-drive racecar.
Despite these various forms of motivation, Porsche doesn't claim to be seeking outright power supremacy, with Chairman Matthias Müller saying, "In 2014, it will not be the fastest car that wins the World Endurance Championship series and the 24 hours of Le Mans, rather it will be the car that goes the furthest with a defined amount of energy. And it is precisely this challenge that carmakers must overcome. The 919 Hybrid is our fastest mobile research laboratory and the most complex race car that Porsche has ever built."

Seinfeld takes Seth Meyers out in the perfect Porsche

The latest episode of Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee features Seth Meyers of Saturday Night Live fame riding shotgun in what is a very special Porsche from host Jerry Seinfeld's collection: a 1973 911 Carrera RS 2.7. Seinfeld chose the "no-nonsense" sports car because he thought it fit his guest's personality (Meyers thinks motorcycles "are like the cigarette of transportation"), but we enjoy the chance to see one of these rare, über-valuable Porsches being driven on city streets - and in the rain, no less! What we don't like seeing is the Carrera RS being parallel parked behind a pick-up truck, though, fortunately, it seems that Seinfeld was able to avoid any front-end damage to the comparatively fragile Porsche.
Once at the coffee shop, the two comedians have a candid conversation about Meyers' time with SNL, from his early days on the show when he didn't think he was good enough to be a cast member to some of the high points in his career, such as SNL's "Really!?" segment that he performed in and how he became a writer for the show.
After coffee, when they're back in the car and Seinfeld opens up the throttle of the lightweight RS 2.7, he manages to eke out a big grin from Meyers - or maybe it was a grimace at the thought of driving in the rain on old tires. Whatever the case, be sure to watch the video below (and stay tuned until the end for a surprise).