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Playboy reveals its 2013 Cars of the Year

Vaunted men's magazine Playboy knows that its readers are nearly as interested in cars as they are in the female anatomy... sorry, we thought we could write that with a straight face. Anyway, the buff-book does occasionally fill some of its spreads with sexy metal, to accent all the rest of the sexiness.
To wit, the magazine has unveiled its feature on the 2013 Cars of the Year. Without giving us much in the way of criteria for the awards, nor a clear framing of the categories ("Responsible Ride" is a particularly challenging concept, especially when you consider that the Mazdaspeed3 was the winner), Playboy has nevertheless highlighted what we assume to be it's favorite 12 or 13 (depending on how you count) cars from the 2013 model year.
Headlining the class is the Porsche 911, which Playboy writers single out for having "remarkable electronic voodoo." BMW M5 is named "Slickest Sports Sedan" though the Cadillac ATS then follows on because "we couldn't resist giving the new Caddy a shout-out." The rest of the picks are pretty conventional (save, perhaps, the Honda Fit EV as "Ace Electric"), even if the categories and methodology are fairly wonky. Cruise through or gallery for a taste or check out the full list, here. The site is safe for work, and you can legitimately (this time) say that you were reading it for the articles.

Jaguar F-Type pitted against Porsche 911 Cabriolet by Tiff Needell

You knew it wouldn't take long and it looks like EVO is first onto YouTube with a battle between the 2014 Jaguar F-Type and the 2013 Porsche 911. Tiff Needell spends a few laps warming up the tires (read: drifting like mad) in each droptop before getting in a timed run to see who's champion and who's second best.
Before the bell rings, its the Porsche that's got everything to lose, the 50-year-old era-defining sportscar getting on with a 3.4-liter flat-six, 350 horsepower, a seven-speed manual and a 3,197-pound curb weight. Other sportscars, like the F-Type, continue to eye the 911 like a flag atop Everest that they plan to first touch, and then rip from its socket. The mid-trim Jaguar rolls into the contest with a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 with 380 hp, an eight-speed automatic with paddle shifters and a curb weight of 3,521 pounds.
The video below shows you what happens when you let all those numbers fight it out on the same stretch of curvy track. Check it out.

Porsche 911 Cabriolet refresh may hide new engine

If we learned nothing else from our recent frolic through Porsche's secret museum, it's that the automaker goes to incredible lengths to disguise future products during initial testing. Just as a number of cars in that Stuttgart bunker hid the true identity of developmental mules (like the Audi-V8-powered 911), such could very well be the case with these spy shots showing what, on the surface, appears to be simply a facelifted 991 911 Cabriolet.
Similar to what we saw last month on a 911 coupe, this Cabriolet has obvious styling modifications made to the front and rear fascias suggesting that the 911's still-fresh appearance is already set to get a few tweaks. The big news here is at the rear of the car. The additional vents on the lower edge of the fascia and the mocked-up vent above the engine leads our spy photographer to believe that a new engine could be tucked under the body work - likely a smaller-displacement, turbocharged flat-six focusing more on improving fuel efficiency and reducing exhaust emissions rather than performance.
We last heard rumblings of such a detuned 911 back in August, but could this be our first look at said new model? Have a look for yourself, and let us know what you think - either about this mule specifically or the idea of a "green" 911, in Comments below.