Porsche TechArt 911 Turbo GTstreet

With its 2001 TechArt GTstreet, based on the Porsche 911 Turbo of the 996 model series, TechArt created one of the fastest and most powerful street-legal sports cars of its time. The next evolutionary stage of this fascinating concept celebrates its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show 2007. The new TechArt GTstreet, based on the 911 Turbo of the latest 997 series, starts at $320,000.

Like the predecessor the new GTstreet edition centers on a powerful engine. The 3.6-liter twin-turbo flat engine is modified by the TechArt engine specialists and now develops 630 bhp at 6,800 rpm, up from standard 480 bhp. Peak torque increases to 605 lb-ft at 4,500 rpm.

The TechArt TA 097/T3 engine conversion comprises two special VTG turbochargers, a new air box with sport air filter, high-performance manifolds, intercoolers and a stainless-steel sport exhaust system with high-performance catalysts. The precise optimal interaction of all modifications is ensured by a newly programmed engine management system.

Power is transferred to all four wheels via a modified transmission with TechArt gear-throw shortening.

Thus equipped the TechArt GTstreet delivers performance that firmly places it among the world’s fastest sports cars: 0 – 62 mph in just 3.2 seconds, 126 mph after just 10.9 seconds and a top speed of 214 mph speak volumes.

The body kit for the TechArt GTstreet was created in the wind tunnel, and offers an optimal symbiosis of aerodynamic downforce, minimized drag and striking design.

The front fascia of the GTstreet with retractable carbon-fiber splitter produces downforce on the front axle and provides radiator, oil coolers and brakes with more cooling air, thanks to its large, striking air inlets. The auxiliary headlamp units with daytime running lights and fog lamps improve active safety. They also give the car even more passing clout.

The TechArt GTstreet fender flares on the front axle add 10 mm to the two-door’s width and give it an even more dynamic appearance. But that’s not all: The air outlets behind the front wheel houses optimize brake venting. The larger air ducts in the rear sidewalls provide engine and intercoolers with a larger supply of cooling air. For an optimal transition between front and rear fenders the TechArt designers have developed rocker panels that complement the new contours. TechArt mirror and headlamp moldings provide the finishing touches.

The TechArt roof spoiler extends the roofline and optimizes airflow to the adjustable rear airfoil of the GTstreet.

The TechArt GTstreet rear fascia with integrated carbon-fiber diffuser contributes to the strong downforce generated on the rear axle. It also provides the perfect backdrop for the quad exhaust of the TechArt high-performance exhaust system.

TechArt Automobildesign offers a number of versions of its popular Formula wheel in sizes 8.5Jx20 in front and 12Jx20 on the rear axle. GTstreet buyers can choose from several color combinations and between the one-piece Formula and the multi-piece Formula II designs. The Formula II wheel features an exchangeable wheel lip. For optimal tires TechArt chose ContiSportContact 3 high-performance tires in sizes 245/30 ZR20 and 325/25 ZR20.

The large 20-inch wheels also provide the necessary space for the especially powerful and durable TechArt high-performance brake system. It features six-piston aluminum fixed calipers and 390-millimeter discs on the front axle. The rear axle is fitted with 365-millimeter discs and four-piston fixed calipers.

The TechArt GTstreet comes with a TechArt VarioPlus coil-over suspension that is based on the electronically adjustable PASM damping system of the 911 Turbo. This chassis allows individual ride-height lowering by up to 25 millimeters and push-button selection of two different damper settings, “Normal” or “Sport.” However, the dampers are not limited to these presets. Sporty driving automatically results in firmer damper settings in both modes, thus combining excellent ride comfort during normal driving with agile and responsive handling during fast cornering.

The cockpit of the TechArt GTstreet also differs distinctly from the stock 911 Turbo. Among the differences is an exclusive leather interior with color-contrasted stitching and sporty CarboBlack highlights. The coupe is further equipped with an ergonomically shaped TechArt sport steering wheel, aluminum foot pedals, foot rest and shifter, as well as with illuminated door sills sporting the TechArt logo.

2007 Ruf Rk Coupe

Alois Ruf is the warrior monk of the Porsche business, religiously dedicated to high performance. His shop in the tiny village of Pfaffenhausen to the west of Munich is a place where people from all over the world come to get in touch with the true spirit of Porsche. In a Ruf Porsche, they discover a meticulously reengineered automobile, not a tuner car with bolt-on equipment.

Occasionally even monks will make liquor, and so it is with the new, limited-production RK Coupe, a triple-distilled Porsche Cayman with specialty bodywork to match the specialty hardware. Like the Ruf RK Spyder (a modified Boxster) introduced in 2005, the bodywork comes from Studiotorino, a loose association of craftsmen in Turin, Italy, led by Alfredo Stola. As sketched for Stola by Aldo Brovarone, who designed the original Ferrari Dino concept for Pininfarina in 1965, the two-passenger RK Coupe still looks like a Cayman to us, but the long, restyled roof gives it a kind of operatic drama. There are lots of handcrafted details, including hidden electronic door latches. Some forty-nine RK Coupes will be built, and the U.S. distributor, Ruf Auto Centre in Dallas, will get its share.

The RK Coupe's mechanical drama comes from the installation of a supercharged 3.8-liter six in the heart of the mid-engine Cayman platform.
This engine makes 440 hp, enough to help the coupe achieve a Höchstgeschwindigkeit (top speed) of 190 mph. The Rotrex supercharger consists of a centrifugal compressor--essentially half of a turbocharger--driven by a belt and a planetary rpm multiplier. The powerband is broad, but there's a noticeable peak, so the RK engine actually feels turbocharged. It also revs quickly and cleanly, which has always been one of Ruf's prime objectives.

Altogether, we found that the combination of a broad, tractable powerband and a slightly relaxed chassis calibration makes the RK Coupe feel like a gentleman's express, more like a 911 than a Cayman. You get to the crest of the torque curve at its peak of 347 lb-ft at 5500 rpm and simply ride it as far as you dare into the triple digits of Ruf's customary green-faced speedometer.

It might be a surprise that such a small company should aspire to the production of high-fashion exotic cars, but the devotion of Ruf enthusiasts makes it possible. The brotherhood gathers in exotic locations each year for driving rallies organized by Ruf's wife, Estonia, and their sacred text is Faszination, a DVD that features video from 1989 of Ruf's CTR 911 Turbo, a car known as "Yellow Bird." It power slides every corner of the Nürburgring Nordschleife as if it were in the world's most dangerous drifting exhibition. This is the kind of Porsche spirit that Ruf drivers aspire to own.

2008 Porsche Cayenne

In spite of its impressive performance and record-setting sales, the first-generation Porsche Cayenne was a little lacking in character. Unfortunately, the 2008 Cayenne continues that theme. It has a new face, mildly reworked interiors, and revised engines, but little else feels or looks different. The Cayenne S and Turbo are even more muscle-bound than before, with power increasing from 340 and 450 hp to 385 and 500 hp, respectively. Porsche says that highway fuel economy for is up 15 percent for the Cayenne S and 11 percent for the Turbo, thanks to new direct injection. The base Cayenne is no longer a gutless wonder, since its Volkswagen-supplied V-6 has been enlarged from 3.2 to 3.6 liters for an additional 43 hp and 44 lb-ft of torque. Finally, active antiroll bars are now available on air-suspended models.

All of these changes should add up to a truck that's better to drive, and they do. Trouble is, while Porsche's SUV is amazing, it still isn't particularly entertaining. Yes, it's fast as stink, and, yes, it does things no 4800-pound vehicle should be able to do. (Wheel control and chassis composure on undulating pavement will blow your mind.) But once the novelty wears off, boredom sets in. The Cayenne is so good, so capably idiotproof, that the driver is all but left out in the cold. Oddly, the V-6-powered, manual-transmission Cayenne is now the most involving driver's car of the bunch. The engine doesn't outshine the chassis, the steering is light and responsive, and you find yourself giggling as you heel-and-toe around every bend.

Absurdly potent? Yes. Hard-core enthusiast's dream? Not so much. But then, if it were, it probably wouldn't sell as well. What a shame.

2008 Porsche Boxster Limited Edition

Porsche has officially released a special edition Boxster, first shown at a private gathering down the street from New York Show earlier this year. In addition to being painted the same orange (actually it's slightly different as to not alienate RS buyers, but no one else will notice) from the GT3 RS supercar, the special edition Boxster will have a subtle body kit and black wheels to differentiate it further from the regular roadster. Mechanical changes are limited to a sport exhaust. Inside, grippy Alcantara has been splashed about the cockpit, both on the seats and the comically thick steering wheel.

The Boxster Special Edition will be available in both regular and "S" models, with just 250 examples of each model expected to be produced. Pricing information is not yet released, but purchasing this special edition Boxster will undoubtedly be the cheapest way to get a bright orange Porsche from the factory to your driveway. The way this thing looks, we're guessing that most of those driveways will be in Miami or Los Angeles.