I said in a post last week that I’d rather have the new Porsche Cayman GT4 over either a Porsche 911 GT3 or GT3 RS, solely because of it’s manual gearbox. Well, this week, Chris Harris has gotten his hands on a Porsche Cayman GT4 and he has confirmed its awesomeness. That said, he did mention that he wouldn’t sell a 911 GT3 to have a Cayman GT4. I’ll be curious to see what he says about the new GT3 RS, and then what he says in a few years time about the Cayman GT4.
Enjoy!
-Nick
The Mercedes SLS AMG is quite a beast of a car with it’s snarling 570hp 6.2L V8. It’s actually quite a nice sports grand touring car as well, and it will always draw a crowd with its epic gullwing doors. We caught this gray SLS AMG out prowling the streets of Carmel, California during Car Week this summer. Great car!
-Nick
The new Porsche 911 (991) GT3 RS officially dropped at the Geneva Motor Show this week after much anticipation. As you might expect, many in the automotive journalism world sound 100% excited about this new “raw” 911. I am not someone who merely reports the figures, though, anyone can do that. I do this blog so that I can offer up my genuine honest opinion on cars and the auto industry. And, frankly, as cool as the new GT3 RS is, I feel a bit let down by Porsche. Here’s why…
Continue reading Why Do I feel So “Meh” About The 2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS?
Yea I saw the new Porsche GT3 RS and yea I saw the new Lamborghini Aventador SV. For each I saw the photos and details and though, “Ok, next!” But then I saw this new Bentley sports car concept, and I still have yet to pick my jaw up off the floor. It is nothing short of magnificent!
It’s called the Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 Concept, and it aprears to be a brand new entry-level model. If it makes it to production, which I imagine it will, it looks like it will take on the Jaguar F-Type, Porsche 911, Aston Martin Vantage, and Mercedes AMG GT. In short, the Speed 6 will be a Bentley Sports Car, and that’s not something they’ve made before.
What I’m really hoping for in the Speed 6 is a traditional Front-engine RWD architecture. VW doen’t currently have such a RWD car in their lineup and really could use one in my opinion. If there winds up being both RWD and AWD versions of the Speed 6, then I think Bentley will have another home run on their hands.
The engine is rumored to be a six cylinder, given the Speed 6 nameplate. I suspect it could likely be the twin turbocharged 3.6L V6 found in the Porsche Macan. The base model will probably have around the same “400hp” as the Macan Turbo, and the higher model Speed 6 will likely have over 500hp so it can run with the V8 F-Type.
We’ll see for sure if/when it makes it to production. But forget the numbers, and just look at the thing, it’s incredible! I sincerely hope that Bentley doesn’t water down the design and the fine details for the production version. This will be a six-figure car, and I think that wood grain, and those headlights will help it stand out from even the posh crowd at that level.
I think the Bentley Speed 6 will be a fantastic addition to the VW Group lineup, assuming they build it, of course. Let’s all just hope, and enjoy the photos for now.
-Nick Walker
This is one of those showdowns to end all showdowns. A Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse pitted against a Koenigsegg Agera R in a 200mph duel.
Enjoy!
-Nick
The folks at Singer Vehicle Design used the Quail to showcase their newest engine available in their custom 911s. It’s a 4.0L Flat Six, and produces a mighty 390hp. In a car weighing only around 2,600lbs, that is quite a good amount of power. In terms of power-to-weight ratio, the new 4.0L Singer actually bests the current Porsche (991) 911 GT3. But unlike the new paddle shift only GT3, the Singer offers drivers the essence of the traditional 911 driving experience.
Because the Singer 911 is basically an old-school 911 that has been made brand new, I actually prefer it to new Porsches overall. Having said that, though, I should point out that you could have four 991 GT3s for the same money as a single bespoke-built Singer 911. But that isn’t my point. What the Singer proves is that there is still a demand for the old-school Porsche driving experience. That is something Porsche should really consider when developing their new products.
PDK is a great gearbox, it really is, but it dulls the driving experience. In the real world, sports cars are about fun, not lap times or performance numbers. And if I’m going to have a special car to drive on sunny days, why on Earth wouldn’t I want to be as immersed in the experience as possible?
That total immersion in the driving experience is what the Singer 911 offers. And the Singer does it in a manner that these new PDK-only Porsche models cannot ever hope to match. I don’t care how fast the new GT3, Turbo, or GT2 911s are, if they’re only available with PDK, then I’d take a Singer any day.
-Nick Walker
In place of the old 6.2L V8 monster, the new-gen Mercedes C63 AMG has the same twin turbocharged 4.0L as the AMG GT-S sports car. Chris Harris has taken it out to see how it goes. Enjoy!
-Nick
While out in California this summer, I had some wonderful quality time with this stunning black Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. It was parked all by it’s lonesome self, yes in a handicap spot, at the Pebble Beach Lodge. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When you find one of the fastest cars on Earth all alone with your camera, set up some nice photos.
For those with fuzzy memories, this German-engineered beast boasts 1200hp from an 8.0L W16 with four turbos. Bugatti set the production car speed record in it at 268mph, but all customer cars are limited to the snails pace of 258mph so the tires don’t disintegrate. Even though the Veyron Super Sport weighs over 4,500lbs, it can still sprint 0-60 in 2.5 sec, 0-100 in 4.9 sec, and the 1/4 Mile in 9.9 sec @ 146mph. It is a marvel of engineering to be sure, and seems to be an exception to the laws of Newtonian Physics.
While flash colors do look great on the Bugatti Veyron, the black on this one gave it a nice sense of class. I also really loved the chrome wheels and trim because it really made the details “pop.” All in all, this Bugatti was a stunning car, and I’m glad I got a nice chance to shoot it. Enjoy!
-Nick Walker
Race cars don’t come much more awesome than this. Motor Trend’s Randy Pobst gets behind the wheel of the 2014 Le Mans winner, the Audi R18 E-Tron.
Enjoy!
-Nick
On this episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, Jay gets together with Magnus Walker and Alex Ross from SharkWerks and gets behind the wheel of their collaborative Porsche 997 GT2. It is CRAZY!
Enjoy!
-Nick
In 2013 Porsche released the (991) 911 GT3 without even the option of a manual gearbox. They put all of their chips in the PDK basket, and then watched as the value of older manual-equipped 911 GT3s skyrocketed.
We’re talking $160,000+ for a 997 GT3 RS and over $300,000 for a GT3 RS 4.0.
Could Porsche have been wrong about the consumer’s desire for PDK? And does the new manual-only Cayman GT4 signify that Porsche may be back-pedaling a bit?
Continue reading Is The Cayman GT4 The Salvation Of Porsche’s Manual Gearbox?
Funny and Fluffy man, Gabriel Iglesias, swings by Jay Leno’s Garage with his 1966 Volkswagen Samba Bus. If you have eyes and a heartbeat, then it’s very likely you love the style of those old 1960’s VWs. I know every time I see a vintage Bus like this one, I really wish that Volkswagen would still make cars with this sort of style.
Enjoy this hilarious episode!
-Nick
Mind Over Motor 