1999 Porsche Boxster on 2040-cars

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Porsche boss admits Panamera's style is offputting

"There have been some small mistakes and we will do it better. For example the design could be better." - Matthias Mueller.
The design of the Porsche Panamera has been divisive, to say the least. Pretty much any Porsche with four doors was going to draw the ire of enthusiasts, but the fast-back-style roofline, prominent curves and seemingly never-ending hood have particularly irked some brand loyalists.

Autocar pits Porsche 911 Turbo S against Formula 4 racer

There is a long-running argument among performance car fans: power vs. weight. In one corner you get cars generally with small engines making modest numbers but able to corner like they are telepathic, and in the other there are big thumping mills that are rocketships in a straight line but lumber in the turns. Autocar takes an interesting look this continuum in a recent video pitting a 552-hp Porsche 911 Turbo S against a 185-hp Formula 4 racecar. It hopes to find whether the Porsche's huge power advantage is enough to defeat the better grip and aero offered by the nimble racer.
There's no doubt that the Porsche is an utterly fantastic road car. The 911 Turbo looks mean with all of those intakes to suck in cool air, and it backs up the posture with huge amounts of grip available thanks to its all-wheel drive-system. However, at 3,538 pounds, it's a bit of a porker compared to the 1,135-pound Formula 4 car. The open-wheel car boasts just a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder from Ford and a six-speed sequential-manual gearbox, but it has loads of downforce to make up for it.
It shouldn't be a surprise that the formula car wins in the corners. After all, that's what it's made for. So do you think the massive horsepower superiority of the Porsche is enough to even the playing field? Scroll down to watch the video and find out, and even if you're not curious of the winner the 911 does some mean powerslides.

Porsche goes Platinum with special edition Cayenne

The other day, Porsche announced a new special edition of the Cayenne. We didn't pay it much heed because it appeared to be exclusive to Europe (or, at least, markets other than ours), but now Porsche has announced its availability in North America, as well.
It's called the Platinum Edition, and it's available exclusively on the entry-level models with either the 3.6-liter V6 or 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6. You can tell the special edition apart from any other Cayenne by the silver details (accenting the grilles, window trim and rear spoiler) and its two-tone black and beige leather interior. But what makes it a compelling choice is the long list of equipment, which Porsche has identified as the most requested options and fitted them as standard, including the eight-speed Tiptronic S transmission, Power Steering Plus, Park Assist, Convenience Package and Bose audio.
Pricing starts at $63,300 for the Cayenne Platinum Edition, or $66,900 for the Cayenne Diesel Platinum Edition. That represents a premium of approximately $13,000 over a bone-stock model, but actually saves you a few grand if you were going to select all those options anyway. Check out the press release below for all the details.